Cuba. I Just Don’t Get It.

Help me out here. I know I’ve said this before, but given what has been going on at the U.N. lately, I just have to say it again- what the heck is up with our Cuba policy? It makes no sense in light of the fact that we gladly do business with other communist nations with less than stellar human rights records (China) not to mention royal dictatorships (Saudi Arabia) with little regard for human rights.

Now, that is not to say “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” but I’m searching in vain for some logic and consistency in our policy towards Cuba (and China, etc.). We should of course continue to press Cuba on the issue of human rights, just as we should with China, etc. But to condition diplomatic and economic relations with Cuba on an expectation that they will release every single political prisoner and take immediate concrete steps towards democracy, just doesn’t make sense. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love it if Cuba released every last political prisoner and held free and fair elections but I’d also love it if China, Saudi Arabia and a whole host of other nations did too.

In Russia, Secretary Clinton urged people to let go of the last vestiges of the cold war and I think perhaps we need to do the same in reviewing our Cuba policy. I don’t really think “we oppose communist dictatorships so long as they don’t have stuff to sell us or own our debt” is really a great foreign policy message. Obviously, the embargo has been going on for decades so I am certainly not singling out the Obama administration for any fault here. That said, when this administration came into office it seemed that they were actually willing to review U.S. policies towards Latin America and yes, Cuba too. But thus far, it seems that the initial promise has given way to the same old Beltway politics and that’s disappointing.

But then today at the U.N. we set ourselves apart from almost the entire rest of the UN General Assembly by stubbornly insisting that our Cuba policy, which has achieved absolutely nothing for the U.S. or the long-suffering people of Cuba, remains in place, the rest of the world notwithstanding (via The Washington Note):

Increasing numbers of national security leaders of the likes of Brent Scowcroft and George Shultz have said that the US embargo of Cuba makes no sense and harms American interests.

Republican Congressman Jeff Flake — the hunky Arizona Congressman who recently spent five days alone on a remote Pacific island — has reminded Americans that it is COMMUNIST governments that are supposed to get a kick out of restricting the movements of its people — not DEMOCRATIC governments. Congressman Bill Delahunt has been leading in the House along with Byron Dorgan in the US Senate in calling for an end to all travel restrictions on Americans.

President Obama himself is a believer in people to people exchange — and that opportunities arise from engagement — not from isolation.

And yet, the United States today is going to vote in the United Nations against a measure condemning the US embargo of Cuba.

But the United Kingdom, France, Australia, China, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Germany, Japan (yes. . .even Japan!!), Poland, Iceland — about 185 nations give or take a few — will vote AGAINST THE UNITED STATES position.

Israel and a couple of island nations will vote with the United States. The Israel vote is amusing as Israel votes with the US but turns a blind eye to Israeli firms operating Cuban citrus franchises inside Cuba…

And yup, as it turns out 187 nations did in fact vote against us today.

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