I respect the opinion, and the reasoning behind it, of 74 Cuban dissidents who signed a letter calling on the United States to lift limits on travel to and trade with the island, especially in light of the fact that the restrictions have not brought down the regime or made Cubans more free. It is one thing to argue for an apparently fruitless and futile policy from afar, it is another to live under a dictatorship that at times appears immune to any pressure, from within or from overseas, and to want to try something different.
These dissidents, each of whom has nothing to prove to anyone who might seek to dismiss their opinions or standing in the Cuban opposition because of their position, have earned the right to speak their piece, and they should be listened to. Their opinions matter.
And I respect their right to be wrong about what American policy should be toward Cuba, because wrong is what they are.
The key point that their letter does not address is that the added trade and travel the proposed legislation would allow would not deliver a single thing that the dissidents have so tirelessly and courageously advocated for their country.
It would not free a single political prisoner.
It would not guarantee a free election.
It would not ensure Cubans free, uncensored access to the Internet.
But there is one thing that would be for sure: The dictatorship that enslaves them would be further enriched by the dollars spent by American tourists and the more favorable terms of its trade with the United States.
That would not be a good for the dissidents who signed the letter, and it would not be good for the United States — which for some 50 years has presented principled opposition to the Castro dictatorship — and its interests to allow that.
I believe Americans, because of the values that shaped us as a nation, are special citizens of the world, but it is approaching arrogance to presume that free travel to and trade with Cuba would help bring about the change that the rest of the world's dealings with Cuba have not.
And presuming we can make a difference, what makes these dissidents and anyone who shares their view believe the dictatorship, regardless of the effect on its bank accounts, will allow this kind of change to occur? All the legislation in the world cannot guarantee Havana will budge an inch.
Ultimately, Cuba will change because Cubans demand it, not of the United States, but of their government and of their fellow Cubans.
That these dissidents would take a position something before lawmakers in Washington, D.C., that even if adopted does not guarantee change for Cuba, only distracts them from the task at hand.
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You can read the letter, and the list of signatories, here.
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