In light of the recent shift in US/Cuba policy, I had to ask
myself: ‘what changed?’ While I was busy
worrying about Ebola, mid-term elections, and government shutdowns, did the
Castro boys skip town? Were the lack of diplomatic
relations with Cuba just a forgotten holdover from the United States’ Cold War
policy, or was there something different with the island nation in December of
2014? What changed last week to cause
President Obama’s announcement? The
answer: very little.
In the 1990s, the United States began to normalize relations
with Russia and the former Soviet nations, and some people have drawn a
comparison between the current action and that as if the US had simply
forgotten to end the Cold War with its closer neighbor in the Caribbean. The reality is quite different. Russia underwent a massive shift in
leadership, direction, and policy in response to western pressure. Big changes took place – then the policy shift occurred.
Meanwhile, the Castro Bros. and their status quo remains in full swing
90 miles south of the border.
However, I do not believe that this foreign policy shift is
unique to this administration. In fact,
there is a definitive and traceable pattern developing. What we are seeing is transference of the (arguably)
failed Middle East policy into Latin America.
I.E. if we play nice, give them a seat at the table, we will gain
ground. Whether you like the honey over vinegar
approach or not, it has clearly not proven to be tenable currency in the world
of Islamic extremism. Perhaps it will work
better in Cuba. After all, a case can be
made that this is similar to the model we followed with China as it erupted
into the world economy a few decades ago.
The biggest change did not happen last week, but actually
took place over the last decade. The
American people simply are not scared of Communism anymore. With Islamic terrorists as public enemy
number one, McCarthy has left the building without so much as a raised eyebrow.
Like it or not, America is on track to spend at least the
next two years attempting “restorative
justice.” I’m sure some of our other antagonists
are watching the situation very closely.
Sadly, sometimes being the ‘bigger person’ just makes you a larger
target.
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