Hare Publishes Op-Ed on Ukraine Crises’ Impact on Florida
Ambassador Paul Hare, Senior Lecturer in International Relations at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, published a Smerconish op-ed outlining why it matters to Florida that some in the GOP align with Cuba’s and Venezuela’s support of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
In his article, titled “GOP Aligns With Cuba and Venezuela on Putin’s Invasion,” Hare provides important historical context that makes Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Cuba’s pinning of Russian aggression on the United States important for Floridians. Russia has long supported Cuba and Venezuela and its communist leaders, and Hare points out that the return of Russian missiles to these countries is not completely out of the question. Some prominent Republicans in the U.S. have tried to reframe Russian President Vladimir Putin’s actions, but Hare argues that doing so ignores the lessons taught by history and goes against the interest of Floridians.
An excerpt:
For Florida, the Ukraine crisis is not in a faraway country where many may die because of the ambition of the Russian leader to reconstitute a former empire. Florida’s politicians need to assess the Ukraine issue in a broader historical context…Glib attempts to recast Putin as somehow aligned with America’s and Florida’s interests suggests a reckless case of amnesia.
The full article can be read on Smerconish‘s website.
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 Professor Hare on his faculty profile.