Cuba Doesn’t Deserve Normal Diplomatic Relations

Cuba Doesn't Deserve Normal Diplomatic Relations

Carlos Alberto Montaner is a Cuban-born author, journalist and
syndicated columnist. His work appears in The Miami Herald and other
publications throughout Latin America, the United States and Spain. His
latest novel is "Tiempo de Canallas." He is on Twitter.

OCTOBER 12, 2014

The United States should not normalize diplomatic relations with Cuba
for several reasons.

First, the Cuban government has been officially declared "a state
sponsor of terrorism" by the State Department. It's inconceivable to
oppose the terrorists in the Middle East while treating them normally in
the United States' neighborhood.

Normalizing relations would be the proof needed by the Stalinists in the
Cuban government to demonstrate that they don't have to make any
political changes to be accepted.
There's also a bipartisan consensus in Washington against the Castro
regime. All three Cuban-American senators and four Cuban-American
representatives, Democrats and Republican, agree that sanctions should
be maintained. They are the best interpreters of the opinion of the
almost three million Cubans and descendants of Cubans living in the
United States.

Cuba systematically engages in undermining the interests of the United
States. It is an ally of Iran, North Korea (to whom it furnishes war
matériel), Russia, Syria, the FARC terrorists in Colombia and Venezuela.
The F.B.I. recently warned that Cuban intelligence is trying to recruit
people in the academic world as agents of influence. It once infiltrated
them into the Pentagon and the State Department; today, they are in prison.

The Cuba dictatorship continues to violate human rights and shows no
intention to make amends. The small economic changes it has made are
directed at strengthening the regime. Why reward that behavior? During
the entire 20th century, the U.S. was (rightfully) reproached for
maintaining normal relations with right-wing dictatorships. For the
first time, the U.S. maintains a morally consistent position in Latin
America and should not sacrifice it.

A reversal of policy would be a cruel blow against the Cuban democrats
and dissidents who view the United States as their only dependable ally
in the world. Normalizing relations would be the proof needed by the
Stalinists in the Cuban government to demonstrate that they don't have
to make any political changes to be accepted. Not to mention a premature
reconciliation without substantial changes would also be a harsh blow to
the reformists in the Cuban government who are pressuring toward a
democratic opening.

Source: Cuba Doesn't Deserve Normal Diplomatic Relations - NYTimes.com -
http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2014/10/12/should-the-us-normalize-relations-with-cuba/cuba-doesnt-deserve-normal-diplomatic-relations