Why The Usual Suspects Are Silent on the Plight of Afro-Cubans

The Castro regime's outright racism draws no attention from the liberal-minded human rights defenders in the views. Those who were the first to decry (and rightfully so), South Africa's apartheid regime see no reason to raise alarms over Cuba's isolation and exclusion of Afro-Cubans, a narrative that challenges the "conventional wisdom" of equality for all in this Communist paradise. Same people, I'm sure, still believe in the fairy tale of Cuba's "superior" free medical care, oddly accessible only to the top echelons of the regime at the level that goes beyond Potemkin villages presented for tourists, or its "exceptional" free education, which somehow has failed to eradicate the vast poverty in which most Cuban citizens find themselves.

There are no Black Lives Matter demonstrations for the miserable status of the Afro-Cuban, and the staunch defenders of "normalization", two years in, have no comment about the failure to improve the condition of most people, particularly Afro-Cubans, in any perceptible way. Were they so naive as to think that cronyist support of investments into the regime would somehow translate into human rights? Or were they so ideologically married to their support of the Obama administration that the nature of the actual policy and its ramification was irrelevant? If so, some of these "human rights activists" are even more cynical and soulless than I thought.

Cuba Bans Dissidents and Independent Journalists from Travel

So Cuba is engaged in the Soviet-era tactics of preventing dissidents and independent journalists from traveling abroad.

Possible reasons may include fear of defections, as well as possible truthtelling about the evils of the Castro regimes.

Just a guess, but if Cuba were the idyllic place of wonderful free healthcare, top notch medicine, and free education unparalleled in quality, the regime would have had nothing to worry about.

And for those of you who still think that normalization with Cuba have somehow improved the conditions inside the country or will lead to liberalization, get your heads out of the sand.

The only people who have benefited are the people directly connected to the regime.

Everyone else continues to suffer deprivation and a worse human rights crackdown than before the normalization.

How US Can Prevent Future Unjust Imprisonments and Arbitrary Detentions of Americans by Cuba and Others

In early October, a US citizen and her husband, a former Cuban diplomat, were sentenced to 13 and 17 years respectively on charges of espionage by a  military court in Havana. This sentencing follows the expulsion of 15 Cuban diplomats from the United States by the State Department, after Cuba failed to protect US diplomatic personnel from repeated sonic attacks on its territory. This news went largely unnoticed by U.S. media and thus elicited no outrage or condemnation by the international community, nor public expressions of concern by the State Department.

Cuba has a long and sordid history of arresting critics, dissidents, and foreigners on trumped up national security charges.  Alan Gross is but the most famous of foreigners who spent years in Cuban prison for humanitarian work and assistance in civil engagement. Cuban government had engaged in a campaign of extortion, and finally released Mr. Gross, after US paid over $3 million in settlement.  It seems that the Castro regime was less concerned about the assault on its law than about getting a hefty renumeration for its own pockets. President Trump acted to restrict tourist travel to Cuba for American citizens in June, but that still leaves 12 categories of travel legal and does not address the issue of American citizens who are already in Cuba.  In other words, US nationals continue to travel to Cuba for various, entirely valid reasons, and yet are subject to arbitrary detentions, imprisonment on trumped up charges, denial of medical treatment in Cuban jails, and abuse of all kinds.

The Alan Gross case had worked in Cuba's favor and set a precedent of successful use of Americans as hostage, whose release can be negotiated for financial and political boons.  President Obama's shift in policy, normalizing the diplomatic relations between the two countries did little to address the Castro regime's illegitimate use of the justice system to secure payments for prisoners, that under normal circumstances would be considered a form of racketeering under US RICO statutes. Two years after normalization, this shift in policy has failed to empower and enrich millions of Cubans unaffiliated with the Castro regime, has not only not fixed the deplorable human rights situation but actually led to a crackdown on human rights activists, caused medical concerns for US diplomats in Cuba, and in general, and with respect to anyone and anything excepting the wealthiest crony investors, has misfired "big league".

The worst of it for the US is that Cuba continues to play it both ways - demands legitimacy accorded to it by the normalized relations, while also continuing to use Americans as pawns against the US government. This latest conviction is not only a perverse tit-for-tat in retaliation for the expulsion of the Cuban diplomats from the United States, but a reminder that Cuba, despite being smaller, weaker, and known for its support of terrorists and rogue regimes from all over the world, still has the upper hand in its relations with the United States. Cuba can detain, convict, and abuse Americans and the US will play right into its hands, because the US values human life and the Castro regime does not. US is willing to go to extreme lengths to secure the release of its unjustly held citizens and permanent residents, whereas for Cuba, a person is only worth as much as the regime can get in payment for his release. And until recently, short of banning all travel to Cuba, we were powerless to do anything about it, because we have no leverage short of going along with the demands of the extortionist regime and exchanging prisoners or paying money. We are not willing to engage in the same terrorist behavior and hold Cuban diplomats or citizens hostages here just to secure the release of American nationals.

But what recourse do we have under such circumstances? It appearance that we do have a path forward that does not include negotiations with an illegitimate revolutionary regime that thinks nothing of extortionist abductions to further its goals. After examining existing human rights laws on the books,  I discovered that:

* Currently, there are no laws, nor pending bills that would penalize states or individuals or entities responsible for arbitrary detentions, arrests, denial of medical treatment, or torture against US citizens and permanent residents.

* The only legislative requirements associated with US prisoners in other countries are regular reporting requirements by the President to Congress, which obviously do not do much to assist those in need.

* Currently, there are at least 10 US citizens & permanent residents held captive in Iran, at least 4 in North Korea, at least one in Turkey, and just this weekend, there has been news of conviction of a US citizen on Cuba on espionage charges, resulting in a 13 year sentence.

*  In the past, US citizens have been held or convicted on trumped up charges, denied medical treatment, and brutally tortured in a number of countries. Iran, North Korea, Cuba, and Turkey have all used the imprisonment of these individuals to extort political and financial concessions from the United States.

* One solution to this legislative gap would be a law incorporating Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act  type language, that would would assert visa cancelations and asset freezes for any individuals and entities associated with unjust treatment of US nationals.  That would include judges, prison guards, wardens, torturers, and doctors involved in denial of life-saving medical treatment in prisons.

* Such legislation  would essentially ostracize anyone involved in such activity on the basis of their unconscionable actions, and not simply for the fact of membership in an organization such as IRGC. Organizations can dissolve or be renamed; many of the people involved in the lawless arrests and imprisonment of Americans are not members of any political organizations, and yet contribute to this gross injustice.

* In addition to making such people unwelcome in the international arena, and denying them the possibility of utilizing the US banking system, as well as providing a bit of justice for the survivors and for the families of people who have gone missing or died as a result of actions by these state enablers (such as Bob Levinson and Otto Warmbier), this legislation would likely positively affect the outcome of hostage negotiations by giving the executive branch additional leverage in conducting these talks. Currently, we have no leverage and as a result have been forced to either admit defeat and retreat or to grant concessions which only encourage what ultimately amounts to terrorist behavior.

* Another positive aspect of this legislation is making these countries safe for travel. Executive actions are currently preventing US citizens from traveling to countries such as North Korea, and strong travel warnings and restrictions have been placed on Cuba and other places. Visas have are not being issues for travel to Turkey. Such actions ultimately only hurt the idea of freedom of travel, which is central to a functioning democracy, and are only necessary because currently there is no other way of providing for the basic security of those traveling to these countries. Such measures are inimical to health people-to-people relations and any possibility of business, cultivating individual relationships, or frankly, even liberalizing such countries through their exposure to Western ideas and private initiatives.  A much better way of ensuring security for Westerners is attacking the cause of all problems - extortionist state action, which endangers travelers. Legislation that penalizes those who benefit from such extortion would disincentivize these states from further engaging in such actions, deter abductions, and make US travels restrictions less necessary.

And while the audience considers the upsides of taking legislative action that would empower our negotiators and reduce the power of racketeering regimes over the United States, I hope the White House considers highlighting this case of a gross miscarriage of justice, publicly denounces the Castro regime's extortion, shuts down the US embassy in Cuba until further notice, and expels the remaining diplomats from the United States. There is no reason why the enablers and servants of the Castro regime should continue to be treated as legitimate actors by the international community while continuing to engage in illegitimate actions and unjust convictions of foreigners. Civilians are not, and should never be, fair game during diplomatic tensions, and this instant conviction for "spying" that has come so shortly after the expulsion of Cuban diplomats from the US, should be no exception.

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

Marco Rubio's headlining of Jeff Flake's rally is a supreme act of hypocrisy.

Flake has got to be the worst Republican in the Senate, if not all of Congress, on enabling the Castro regime. Rubio claims to be Trump's great foreign policy influence on Cuba specifically and other Latin American countries, and yet he is empowering the senator who has been inimical to GOP's efforts to counter Obama's shameful and self-serving normalization with Castro.

I don't know whether FLake honestly believed that policy would actually lead to liberalization. If so, he should have issued an unqualified apology for his naive delusion. On the other hand, if he was doing that out of some cynical political calculations, or perhaps out of personal interest in investments, he deserves to be thoroughly condemned for taking that unconscionable position.

And Rubio should be ashamed of himself for supporting and enabling Flake and his harmful role in our foreign policy. How can we expect to take him seriously on Cuba or human rights after he is whole-heartedly supporting someone who took a position identical to Obama, and which Rubio claims to condemn?

Why We Need To Push Back on Abductions by States

One reason to enact legislation penalizing countries for arbitrary detentions and arrests of US nationals: it would give us additional leverage and put the US in a position of strength during negotiations.

Soviet buoy washes up in Florida

Great... so now apparently Cuba is spying on the US with the assistance of ancient Soviet equipment. And pieces of it are washing up in Florida.

State Department Finally Listens to Reason, Follows Senator Cruz's Advice, Expels 15 Cuban Diplomats from the US

The State Department finally used common sense, took Senator Ted Cruz's advice, and expelled 15 Cuban diplomats from the US in retaliation for the failure to protect US diplomats stationed in Cuba from unprovoked sonic attacks, resulting in various injuries.

This is an important point, because Cuba, though claiming both innocence and ignorance, is clearly responsible for protecting US diplomatic personnel from harm, and the State Department's first duty is to ensure that our people around the world receive the best possible treatment in the event of work-related injuries, and are kept out of harm's way to the degree possible. It's also important to note that even if Cuba is not the perpetrator of the attacks, it mostly likely is aware of the actors behind it, and is giving them cover. These incidents have been taking place over the course of two years, and it's astounding to consider that during this entire time period the host country hasn't got a clue as to who or what has targeted and harmed so many people in different locations.

Evacuation of those directly in harm's way was the common sense protective measure, but taking a punitive measure that underscores that attacks on our people and protection of perpetrators will not be tolerated was equally important. Whether this expulsion will prove to be a sufficient signal remains to be seen. However, I side with those, such as SEnator Cotton and Senator Rubio, who think that our embassy in Cuba should be shut down, not only for the protection of the remaining 40% of our diplomatic force, but to send a strong signal that we are not playing games and there cannot be a relationship until this unacceptable situation is resolved and the culprits are brought to justice.

Protecting the Nameless Defenders

According to the latest reports, most of the diplomats attacked with sonic devices in Cuba were US intelligence officers operating under diplomatic cover (Admittedly, even without official reports determining as much, this wasn't hard to surmise). This changes absolutely nothing about the course of action that should be taken. Intelligence-related attacks of this sort should not be met with impunity, and the courageous individuals who are facing such extreme danger on behalf of US security on foreign soil should be receiving best possible treatment.

US Should Expel Cuban diplomats and shut down US Embassy in Cuba

Senators Rubio, Cotton, and Cruz (among possibly others) have all expressed concern about the health of the US personnel in Cuba after a series of sonic attacks. All three called for cessation of diplomatic relations with the vile regime, expelling diplomats, shutting down our embassy there, and so forth. The administration has been slow in following this sage advice. The emergency personnel remaining in Cuba is still at risk of attacks. Moreover, our continuing welcoming of Cuban diplomats to the US sends the wrong message after nearly two dozen diplomatic personnel fell victim to mysterious attacks on Cuban soil with not a shred of evidence as to who or what might be responsible. It's time for US to hold the Castro regime accountable for what happens to US diplomats on its soil. Legitimacy and trust should have to be earned.

The Cuba Non-Response Response

The US has taken certain security precautions in response to the ongoing trouble for diplomats in Cuba, namely
1) cutting staff by 60% to leave only "emergency" personnel (what, they are not people?)
2) warning Americans not to travel to Cuba
3) moving visa applications for Cuban visitors to nearby countries
and
4) stopping official delegations to Cuba, though receiving diplomatic visits in the US.

You know what US hasn't done? Assigned any sort of responsibility to the Castro regime for allowing Americans to be repeatedly and continuously attacked on Cuban soil

The Cuban Travesty

What we know about the mysterious sonic  attacks against US diplomats n Cuba...

... Not much,actually.

What we know about the actions of the US government:

- Despite the multiplicity of victims,  most of the US diplomats and staff are still there.
- The State Department is planning to evacuate a "large portion" of the embassy, without clarifying when exactly that's going to happen,  nor giving reasons why it won't evacuate the entire body of our personnel, all potentially open to future attacks by the unidentified entity.
- After announcing that the State Department is considering shutting down the embassy, under pressure from five US Senators, the State Department agreed to a hastily arranged meeting with Cuban representatives, who are urging the US to be involved in the investigation and not to shut down the embassy.
- No further information about the source of the attacks was put forth at the meeting, but interesting, the US is now sure it wasn't Cuba, but no one will state what other actor it is or could be.
- Interestingly, no one raised any questions as to whether Cuba could potentially know who that other party is.
- Cuba is known to engage in friendly relations with a number of anti-Western entities, including North Korea, Russia, Iran, Venezuela, and others.

Let me get something straight here.

Cuba needs us a lot more than we need Cuba.

Yet, despite getting 0 useful information pertaining to the health of our diplomatic personnel, the State Department agrees to a meeting in the US on short notice. And immediately puts aside the question of shutting down the Embassy. And is suddenly sure that it's not Cuba, but appears uncertain of the identify of the mysterious attacker.

Color me skeptical for a moment.

What has changed from before the meeting to after?

Perhaps, the Cubans offered to cut a deal in exchange for not disrupting the relationship. What's a few dozen diplomats when major investments are at stake? The US (and various cronies) get good cuts. The affected diplomats are evacuated, at least for a while, shutting down the criticism about the urgency of the matter, while embassy remains open in a major diplomatic victory for everyone's benefited from the normalized relations (Obama's cronies, most of the career State Department employees, and those Obama appointees who are still in plays), the administration gets the credit for skillfully managing the situation, and everyone walks away happy. The culprit may never be found, but we have bigger fish to fry.

Except the inconvenient truth here is that the affected personnel is STILL in Cuba for reasons that defy logic or explanation - and that haven't, in fact, been directly addressed or explained by Tillerson or anyone else.

Cuba has recently been devastated by Hurricanes, and searching for mysterious sound devices with a flashlight is likely the least of their worries, even if they are honest about the effort.

However, most likely they are not and never have been. Here's why:

The affected territory - in and around diplomatic residences and the embassy, is limited in nature. IF this is a serious investigation involving Cuba, the US, Canada, and possibly other Western actors, if there was a stationary source of sound, it would have been found by now, or else completely destroyed by the storm. If it's a mobile device, the culprits would never leave it out there to be found. So even if Cuba is responsible for the attacks, it certainly won't ever make itself accountable, but it will play along with the United States and wag the tail nicely in order to continue reaping the benefits of normalization. More likely, if there's another entity involved, and Cuba is well aware of who it is, it gets to milk two cows - pretend to cooperate with the US in exchange for goodwill, while also getting paid off by the responsible party.

The whole thing stinks to high heaven.

Most importantly, it can happen again and again, so long as our people are still there.

I am now convinced that simply evacuating the affected individuals, who are not even receiving the best treatment that they can in Cuba, is not enough, though it should have been the first priority.

The embassy has to be shut down for the safety of our foreign officers and other employees. We should not allow Cubans, and their malevolent buddies to play us for fools while they are enriching themselves with our investments, and legitimizing themselves  in the international community through diplomatic contacts and priority visits with our officials. If they want to build a relationship with the US, Cuban government must choose sides now, and give up whoever it is that is behind these unconscionable attacks on our personnel.

And our first duty is to our own citizens. We must regard all such incidents as attacks on our national sovereignty, acts of aggression, and do everything humanly possible to first, remove our people from the zone of danger and ensure the best possible treatment for them all, second sending a clear signal that we take such acts of aggression seriously, and third, leave any of our would-be partners with a clear choice of action: either they ensure that we get whatever we need to defang our adversaries, or they themselves will be regarded as facilitators and accessories of the aggressors and treated accordingly.