Cuba

On a cold afternoon during the last days of 2009, a man dressed in a black shirt, black pants, and a black hat walked through the quiet halls of Congress with a guitar in hand. While no passerby could have known it, this was a landmark moment for Grammy award-winning Cuban singer-songwriter Carlos Varela. For the past ten years, Varela had been denied a visa to tour in the United States due to harsher travel restrictions imposed by the Bush Administration.

Representative Jim McGovern (D-MA) hosted a briefing and performance with Varela that highlighted the importance of international cultural exchange. Varela—who has been compared to Bob Dylan for his beautiful, often controversial lyrics and prolific repertoire—was frank in his views on the problems caused by the increased restrictions on travel between the U.S. and Cuba in recent years.

The Haitian earthquake that occurred on January 12th has left the poorest nation in our hemisphere in an even worse position. However, the international community has made a remarkable humanitarian effort to contribute to the relief of the Haitian people. Even nations that are typically at odds have joined together to help.

“The cigar-chomping, no-nonsense general who lifted New Orleans from the depths of Hurricane Katrina in late 2005 thinks Cuba has some important lessons to teach the United States in storm-fighting, and he wants warmer relations with the nation's neighbor to the south for that reason.” See the full article from the shreveporttimes.com here.

The Miami Herald details a new report today on how money affects Cuba policy.  

Public Campaign , a non-profit campaign finance research group, just released the most extensive study of Cuban-American political donations to date.  The conclusion: big money from political action committees is the reason for our stagnant Cuba policy. 

The hearing has arrived.

Thursday, November 19th, the full House Foreign Affairs Committee will hold a public hearing on the freedom to travel to Cuba.  Official announcement here.  Chairman Howard Berman titled the hearing, “Is it Time to Lift the Ban on Travel to Cuba?”

Following the UN vote last week over One Thousand of you sent letters to President Obama, in less than 24 hours, expressing a need to change U.S. policy toward Cuba. If you haven't taken this action, take it here.

Amnesty International made a similar appeal to the President. 

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin recently traveled to Cuba in order todiscuss hurricane preparedness with the country’s leading experts. Inthe aftermath of the Mayor’s trip, the need to reinstate a workingrelationship between the United States and Cuba could not be moreapparent.  Considering Cuba’s remarkable hurricane response system andproximity to New Orleans, it is logical to collaborate (or at leasecommunicate) about natural disasters. But the trade embargo and travelrestrictions against Cuba make co-operation rather difficult.

The United Nations votes annually on a resolution to condemn the U.S. embargo on Cuba. On Wednesday, October 28, 2009, the General Assembly, like clockwork, voted again, for the 18th time.

UPDATE:  The United Nations has voted 187 in favor, 3 against (US, Israel, Palau), and 2 abstentions (Micronesia, Marshall Islands) to condemn the U.S. trade embargo on Cuba.

The United Nations General Assembly will vote on a resolution whichcondemns the U.S embargo against Cuba on Wednesday, October 28th, forthe 18th year in a row. According to a CBS news report written afterthe 2008 U.N vote, “The U.S. embargo has cost Cuba $230 million a yearin foreign investment and caused the country more than $93 billion ineconomic damage since its inception, according to Cuban officials.”

An invitation from Wayne Smith, Former Chief of the U.S. Interests Section in Havana and Senior Fellow and Director of the Cuba Program at the Center for International Policy

This conference in New Orleans on disaster preparedness seems to open a new and critical door for bilateral exchange.

Cuba and the U.S. Gulf Coast are both in the path of hurricanes, which are striking with increasing frequency and ferocity.  It is therefore of marked importance that they cooperate with one another against these onslaughts, exchanging information and providing assistance to one another as needed.  The Cubans have indicated their full willingness to do so.  It is fitting that Cubans and Americans gather in New Orleans, the American city that was most damaged by and had the highest losses in lives from Hurricane Katrina, to discuss how this cooperation can best be achieved.