McGovern Urges Normalized Relations With Cuba
CUBA
Worcester Telegram & Gazette
Jason Millman
Boston University Washington News Service
Feb. 27, 2008
WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. James P. McGovern, D-Worcester, a longtime proponent of normalizing relations with Cuba, is calling on Congress and the Bush administration to rethink U.S. policy following Cuban president Fidel Castro’s resignation last week.
Mr. McGovern, who met with Mr. Castro and other Cuban leaders during several trips to the island nation, wants the United States to lift the embargo and travel restrictions against Cuba that have been in place since Mr. Castro came to power almost 50 years ago. Mr. McGovern called U.S. policy a “relic from the Cold War,” and said shunning Cuba has not forced any political or economic changes in the country.
“It’s a failure, it’s an embarrassment,” Mr. McGovern said about the policy. “I felt that even before Fidel Castro stepped aside.”
The Bush administration has signaled the transfer of power to Raul Castro, Fidel Castro’s brother, will not prompt any change in U.S. policy. The Bush administration has imposed even harsher restrictions on Cuba than previous administrations by tightening the embargo and limiting the number of trips Cuban-born Americans can make to the country.
The day Fidel Castro announced he was stepping down, Mr. McGovern wrote a letter that was signed by 104 members of Congress urging Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to review U.S. policy and arguing the Cuban embargo and travel restrictions have not worked for the past five decades. Massachusetts U.S. Reps. Michael Capuano, D-Cambridge; William Delahunt, D-Quincy; Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield; John W. Olver, D-Amherst; and John F. Tierney, D-Peabody, also signed the letter.
“A complete review of U.S. policy is clearly in order now,” the letter states. “This would send a useful signal to the Cuban people that we intend to engage with their government in new and positive ways.”
Mr. McGovern said an “immature” U.S. policy has done nothing to help Cuba become a more democratic country. If the United States allowed open trade and travel to Cuba, he argues, the greater American presence would most likely force liberalization of Cuban policies.
“I’ve met with Cuban dissidents who have served years and years in Cuban jails, and even they said the policy is counterproductive,” Mr. McGovern said. “The more [Americans] come here, the more difficult it is for the government to be oppressive.”
James Roberts, a research fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation’s Center for International Trade and Economics, said Mr. McGovern’s belief that a greater American presence in Cuba would help democratize the country was “purely hypothetical.” Mr. Roberts said the United States should not reconsider its Cuba policy unless Raul Castro releases political prisoners, allows for greater freedom of the press, and opens Internet access for the entire country.
“Otherwise, that’s putting the cart before the horse. That’s the wrong attitude,” Mr. Roberts said. “You don’t reward a regime for doing nothing.”
But if there is to be a shift in U.S. policy, experts agreed Raul Castro must be willing to undertake economic reforms and ease his party’s stance toward the opposition in the country. Daniel Greenberg, director of Latin American studies at Pace University, said Raul Castro is more “pragmatic” than his brother when it comes to the economy
“If his past conduct is a guide for future actions, he will probably continue to open up the economy a little bit, but I wouldn’t expect broad ranging capitalist reforms like China,” Mr. Greenberg said.
Daniel T. Griswold, director of the libertarian Cato Institute’s Center for Trade Policy Studies, who favors normalizing relations with Cuba, said Fidel Castro used the American embargo as an excuse for Cuba’s own economic failings.
“The embargo reinforced [Fidel Castro’s] grip on power for giving him an excuse for his economic failures,” Mr. Griswold said.
Mr. McGovern said he believes there will be little noticeable difference between Fidel Castro and Raul Castro, as well as Raul Castro’s eventual successor. Relations between Cuba and the United States will remain the same unless the United States initiates a change, Mr. McGovern said.
“It’s a mistake to sit by and twiddle our thumbs and wait for a sign,” he said. “Nothing’s going to change unless we change.”
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