Big challenge lingers in USA/Cuba ‘peace’ bid
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA

Analysis by Rickey Singh
ON THIS day before Christmas, I take the opportunity to share some brief thoughts with readers on a few of the more significant regional/international political developments that undoubtedly would impact on our own ways of life in this western hemisphere, perhaps from as early as the latter half of 2015.

Foremost among them would be the announcement last Thursday by President Barack Obama of his authorised decision for ending 53 years of political, economic and cultural embargo by the USA against Cuba.

President Raul Castro
President Raul Castro

That’s the four-letter name of the small, proud revolutionary island nation which a quartet of Caribbean Community States (Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Guyana and Jamaica) had initially succeeded in rescuing from the punishing diplomatic cold to which it had been ruthlessly relegated by superpower USA under the presidency of John F. Kennedy.

Pope Francis
Pope Francis

The objective of this unique embargo was to crush the Cuban Revolution. It has proven to be a monumental failure. However, as the governments and people of CARICOM and Cuba continued to officially mark that historic friendship initiative of 1972, amid U.S.-orchestrated assassinations and terroristic activities (Recall the mind-boggling Cubana aircraft tragedy in Barbados’ airspace?), it was the USA that increasingly became isolated, diplomatically, over its ruthless anti-Cuba politics.
A sobering distinction must now be noted; one that contrasts with President Obama’s smooth announcement last week of the accord reached with Cuban President, Raoul Castro, on the renewal of full diplomatic ties between Washington and Havana. The harsh reality is the really big challenge is yet to come.

STIFLING EMBARGO
The reality is that both Houses of the U.S. Congress must be willing to lift the stifling, iron-clad legislation governing the trade, economic and financial embargo against Cuba.
The embargo, routinely overwhelmingly condemned annually at successive meetings of the United Nations General Assembly, has caused losses of enormous billions of dollars over 50 years to Cuba amid much human suffering. Yet, to their eternal credit, the great mass of Cubans have declined to genuflect to Uncle Sam’s mix of political bribery and terrorism.
Currently, President Obama is understandably the recipient of some deserved credit for the resumption of diplomatic relations between the USA and Cuba. This development has been enabled by Canada (which has maintained a special relationship with Cuba since the Fidel Castro-led revolution in 1959) as well as a significant role played by Pope Francis (Latin America’s first Pope) in influencing the “peace” dialogue between the administrations in Washington and Havana.
However, despite the reassuring rhetoric from President Obama’s White House, the reality is that the conservative anti-Cuba Republican hawks, whose Party now controls the majority in both the House of Representatives and Senate, seem anxious to demonstrate a political defeat for the current tenant of The White House by opposing any initiative to lift the embargo.
For his part, President Raoul Castro has firmly declared that Cuba’s communist-oriented political system of governance would remain “non-negotiable” while “obectively” cooperating with Washington to improve relations and promote international peace and economic cooperation.

ISRAEL-PALESTINE PEACE
In the New Year, this column would focus on another quite important political issue of international concern for peaceful development that dates back four decades, and one about which CARICOM governments and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) continue to maintain active interest: That is the elusive quest for peace between Israel and Palestine for a two-State solution, with defined borders, including the return of Palestinian territory taken by Israel during the 1967 war (a conflict that continues to remain bloody and costly), and with the USA and Britain, historical allies of Israel, currently revealing sentiments in favour of new peace initiatives that could unravel in 2016, if not late next year.
Currently, diplomatic envoys from both Palestine and Israel are engaged in lobbying initiatives, including with Caribbean counterparts, on a draft resolution by Jordan.

(Rickey Singh is a noted Barbados-based Caribbean journalist.)

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