Posted on Tue, Mar. 23, 2004
Outdated tactics cloud United States policy on Cuba
BY MARY SANCHEZ
Knight Ridder Newspapers
(KRT) - The madness that is U.S. foreign policy on Cuba continues to intensify.
To say Cuba is a foreign country is geographically correct. But in many ways the moniker "foreign" hardly fits anymore. ``Buena Vista Social Club,'' Arturo Sandoval, Cohibas and the late Celia Cruz are all recognizable names for many Americans - at least those who appreciate some of the finer aspects of Cuban culture.
Cuba, after all, is only 90 miles off Florida shores. The country is America's neighbor, the former home of many Cubans now living in the States. Yet U.S. policy toward Cuba is outdated, ineffective and void of respect for our human links to the country.
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A year ago the Bush administration stopped the people-to-people exchanges that allowed academics, students, artists and others to travel legally to Cuba. Long-held licenses to travel legally - issued by the U.S. Treasury Department - have been allowed to expire. Few renewals are occurring. Earlier this year, American biannual talks with Cuba were suspended.
At the same time, a new presidential commission is charged with seeking ways to bring democracy to Cuba, which to Cubans sounds like inciting revolution. And Cuban diplomats have been kicked out of the United States.
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http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/newssentinel/news/editorial/8257345.htm