Hare Quoted Discussing Cuba’s Medical Diplomacy
Ambassador Paul Hare, Senior Lecturer in International Relations at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, was quoted in a Reuters article discussing Cuba’s medical diplomacy amid the global coronavirus pandemic.
The article, titled “Cuba punches above weight with ‘white coat army’ during pandemic,” details Cuba’s practice of sending its doctors abroad to help tackle COVID-19. Cuba has sent its medical personnel to nearly 40 countries across five continents during the pandemic, continuing the island country’s medical diplomacy practice that has been common since 1959.
However, Cuba has not provided its doctors without cost, often times exchanging medical assistance for cash or goods. President Donald Trump has been critical of Cuba’s medical missions, a sentiment echoed by the Human Rights Watch and some conservative governments in South America. However, as Hare points out, the United States has been mostly alone regarding its feelings towards Cuba.
An excerpt:
Washington was “almost totally isolated” on its Cuba policy, said Paul Hare, a former British ambassador to the island who lectures at Boston University’s Pardee School of Global Studies, while its “America First” strategy contrasted unfavorably with Cuba’s medical diplomacy.
Several Caribbean nations complained for example in April of U.S. customs blocking shipments of medical supplies to them even as the region was welcoming hundreds of Cuban doctors.
The full article can be read here.
[Update: This article was recirculated by NBC News on September 14, 2020]
Ambassador Paul Hare was a British diplomat for 30 years and the British ambassador to Cuba from 2001-04. He now teaches classes at Boston University on Diplomatic Practice, Arms Control, Intercultural Communication, and on Cuba in Transition. His novel, “Moncada — A Cuban Story,” set in modern Cuba, was published in 2010. His book, “Making Diplomacy Work; Intelligent Innovation for the Modern World” was published in 2015. Learn more about him here.