What Easing Cuba Travel Laws Means for Miami's Cuban Exiles
A Contributor Perspective: Should The Obama Administration Lift Travel Restrictions?
President Barack Obama has said he wants to reach out to Cuba to promote democracy by easing travel and financial restrictions. A decision would be announced before the end of next week; however the Miami Herald reports that political considerations could hold up the decision until midterm elections.
There are close to 2 million Cuban exiles living in the United States, most of which call Miami home. What would this legislation mean to a group of people who many times sacrificed their own lives to flee from a communist regime?
This is an issue close to my heart as my family fled Cuba in the 1960s. When the Cuban Revolution took hold they lost everything and trying to get out of the island to start a new life in America was an odyssey. I had family members put in prison for speaking out against the government and friends who have risked their lives for a better life in America. My grandparents died without ever having gone back and my parents refuse to set foot in their birthplace until there is freedom for all of its citizens. So I, along with many other Cuban Americans, find ourselves asking if the Obama administration's approach is the best one.
There seem to be two ways to look at this issue. The first approach is that of the Obama administration: by easing restrictions the Cuban community can see that democracy is the only way to run a country. This would be the approach deeming the title wishful thinking. Sure, it would be great if a non-military American presence in Cuba would help speed things up on the road to a Cuban democracy, but we don't live in a perfect world. Let us remember that Europeans have been visiting Cuba for years and while they enjoy the wonderful beaches of Varadero and the time capsule that is Havana, the Cuban government still oppresses its people. Political prisoners have still died even when non-communist visitors are enjoying the beauty of the island. Cuban-Americans have also visited the island, granted with some restrictions in part by the government, and while they drop American dollars visiting their families Cuban citizens are allowed nothing. For this reason it may be naïve on the part of the Obama administration to think that a few Americans can change the situation in a country that has shown little interest in reform.
The second approach is that easing travel and financial restrictions to Cuba for some Americans will only financially support a communist regime. Is this approach bleak? Perhaps. However it is closer to the reality of the situation in Cuba. Fifty years of dictatorship is not going to change just because the American government decides to lift some travel restrictions. It is also rather contradictory to an embargo the Obama administration is claiming to keep intact. This is the approach of many of the Cuban exiles living in Miami.The Miami Herald also reports that several Republican and Democratic politicians oppose the measure as it weakens the attempts to promote fundamental change in Cuba.
Does Cuba need change? Absolutely. But financially supporting a regime that has no interest in reform is not the way to go about bringing any hope or change for its people.
Sources:
CNN Political Ticker: Obama Administration Preparing to Loosen Rules on Cuba Travel Restrictions
The Miami Herald: US Weighs Easing of Cuba Travel Restrictions
Published by Amanda Abella
A freelance writer since 2009, Amanda Abella has had work published on Yahoo News, eHow, Miami Examiner, Environmental Graffiti, The Smart College Grad, and Handmade News. She also runs a Gen Y personal deve... View profile
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8 Comments
Post a CommentI know the Miami exiles like to use that because Europeans and Canadians go there and it has no effect neither will this. The Cuban government blames its problems on the embargo. Europeans and Canadians don't understand why the US has an embargo on Cuba and feed right into the embargo is the problem that most Cubans believe. I have had Cuban people tell me well the Europeans tell me that the Embargo makes no sense and is wrong. That just feeds into the Cuban government's lies that all their problems are because of the embargo.
You can't try to help people earn their freedom, by censoring your freedoms from them. That is exactly what denying people to travel to Cuba does.
You forgot the 3rd approach which is that the US embargo itself has helped the Castro's maintain their dictatorship. I have family in Cuba and go there. Any problem the Cuban government has is blamed on the embargo. I mean anything. If toilet paper supply is low it is because of the embargo. Allowing people from the US to go there and people in Cuba to learn that 95% percent of the what is told to them about the US and the embargo is a lie will really help the people of Cuba to demand more freedoms. Right now it is just a small amount of people that are demanding it and the government has enough of an iron fist, but the more people that know the less of an iron fist they will have. The majority of Cubans believe they live the way they do because of the embargo. The embargo is serving 2 purposes one it gives the Castro's an excuse for their problems and 2 it gives the exiles and their families who left in the 60's money and power in the government. It serves no other purpose. You can't
i was born in cuba, and i have always hoped that it would be free. i hate how we go to iraq and fight and cuba is right next to us. why cant we just free cuba
Good article, Amanda.Abella.
The author has already addressed the particulars of you query, Peter Swanson, but I would like to weigh in on the overall message being fostered by the Obama administration, which is far more important than a right to travel. America is the superpower of the world and with this status comes great responsibility to protect and defend those living (or lack thereof) in oppressive nations. Obviously the U.S. cannot actively rid the world of all the thug dictators, but it can encourage those living in such regimes by sending clear messages of support in addition to dissuading human rights violations by leaders through trade embargos et cetera. This instance with Cuba is just one of many times the administration has sided with the dictators over the people - two instances that comes immediately to mind are Honduras and Iran. Whether intentionally or not the administration is siding with the dictator over the trodden by appeasement, remaining mute, or actively ta
Man will always have the right to choose, as no one and no government can ever really take an inherent right such as liberty away. Whether or not people choose to do the right thing is a different story and that's where our government and the idea of justice come in. That is why we have all kinds of laws already in place. Albeit I can readily admit that the government is not always right, thank God we can vote in this country unlike Cuba.
Sorry that got a little lengthy.
Peter, I would hope us American citizens are more well versed with the situation in Cuba to even think of this as a freedom being taken away. Why would we Americans want to travel to a country known for human injustice and fund a regime oppressing its citizens? If anything this is more of a political stance against a regime which is a stronger approach than freely traveling there as if all the wrongs do not matter. Although I do understand that we Americans have bigger things to worry about than a tiny island country 90 miles away.
I also hold the classical notion of freedom to be the one with most merit. I don't believe freedom is doing whatever you please, I believe it is having the ability to govern yourself as a person to do the right thing in a given situation. If you take the more modern notion of freedom, which is essentially doing whatever you want with nothing stopping you, then you become a slave to passions and desires which is contradictory to an idea of freedom anyway.
Man
Amanda, do you really believe the best way to promote freedom for the Cuban people is to take away a freedom from U.S. citizens--our longheld freedom to travel whereever we want?