Discuss the Jan. 12 Op-Ed article by William M. LeoGrande and Peter Kornbluh.
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From the Los Angeles Times
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It is time, isn't it? How long can we hold on to these ideas that we should punish people by not talking to them? How do we anticipate creating real and lasting peace in the world if we ignore countries who are willing to engage with us? Consider your own life: who would you be friends with today if you turned your back on all of your neighbors? Peace can only happen when we do the work to create it. www.onedollarforpeace.com
Stephen @ 10:45 PM PST, Jan 13, 2009
It's right there in the article. Three times the US wanted to talk, three times the Castros sabotaged it. I cannot understand why people who oppose these dictators want to hand them exactly what they want by isolating them. They have repression, no matter how many people starve, they're not going to cede power -- they will still be eating steak. Lift the whole darn embargo and really do something that will scare them! p.s. The pilots were Cuban-Americans and they did (albeit not all of them at the time) violate Cuban airspace. Nowhere in that article does it say that such act merits the death penalty.
gladys @ 10:30 PM PST, Jan 13, 2009
obama most likely will not lift the embargo. he has said this numerous times during his campaign. However, obama is a well know flip flop and could conceivably flop on this issue. the only thing good for americans that would come out of lifting the embargo would be the legality of cuban cigars. Beyond that, cubans have very little to offer the US, so there is little incentive to lift the embargo. Basically if the embargo gets lifted, the US gets cuban cigars while the cuban despots get huge sums of US tax payer money to fund their government. While cuba may need the US but the US certainly does not need cuba.
ceanf @ 9:18 PM PST, Jan 13, 2009
joe hernandez, it is all the yankee's fault. so go back to cuba. the yankees don't want you here.
joan @ 9:04 PM PST, Jan 13, 2009
Excellent article and brief summary about all the "behind the scenes" negotiations that have taken place between the US and Cuba. The fact that these negotiations have taken place under both Democratic and Republican administrations should be proof enough that this policy is, indeed, "irrational" and "anachronistic". The portion of Helms-Burton which should be modified as soon as possible is the portion dealing with the "travel restriction". Then, at least Cubans and Cuban Americans will be able to travel to visit their families. Many families have been torn apart by this embargo. Healing has to begin...let it begin with family.
Victor M. Cueto @ 10:11 AM PST, Jan 13, 2009
Everyone knows that "normalizing" relations with Cuba will have our mushy congress and the Obama administration gushing with wishes to supply huge bundles of financial aid upon "poor" Cubans. I'm a survivor of the Cuban revolution too. The stupidity of people in the Kennedy administration nearly brought us to nuclear war. Most Americans alive today don't realize how lucky they are that we got by intact. We can lift the embargo and normalize diplomatic relations, but I say we should not offer Cuba any incentives to do so before or after the fact. As another poster here noted, it should also not be done while Fidel is still alive.
Joe @ 9:41 AM PST, Jan 13, 2009
Reagan also tried. I am disappointed in the depiction of the shootdown of "Cuban-American" pilots who "violated" Cuban airspace. One pilot was US born and another was a veteran of the US - making him more American than most of us. Also - one plane did definitely violate the airspace - the one that was not shot down - not that violating airspace is an offense to be punished by death.
theCardinal @ 9:32 AM PST, Jan 13, 2009
I am proud of the U.S. in taking a position against a repressive military regime on the grounds that Freedom,Democracy and Human Rights are are worth the effort. Your Fatigued and advocate for the lifting of the Embargo, read the law and mention how it be removed: 1. The liberation of all political prisoners. 2. The legalisation of all political parties, independent labour unions and the independent press. 3. The scheduling of free, internationally supervised elections. Is this unreasonable?
Human Rights Anyone? @ 8:42 AM PST, Jan 13, 2009
"Reaching out to Cuba" is simple - the U.S. should release the Cuban Five, extradite Luis Posada Carries to Venezuela, and drop its illegal blockade condemned by the entire world. In short, it should stop its unilateral war on Cuba. The rest will follow from there.
Eli Stephens @ 8:14 AM PST, Jan 13, 2009
The article shows a clear pattern: each dialogue guided to lift the embargo and normalize relations has been frustrated by a bold Cuban initiative against the U.S. interests. The Cuban government needs the embargo to survive. Evidently, lifting the embargo is the best way to disempower Cuban anti-American politics!
Silvia A. Ramos @ 7:18 AM PST, Jan 13, 2009
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