The EU/Cuba Riddle

The E.U.'s stance on Cuba is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. Here's the timeline as best I can tell.

Winter of 1996 - The European Union a "Common Position" on Cuba that seeks "to encourage a process of transition to a pluralist democracy and the respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, as well as a sustainable recovery and improvement in the living standards of the Cuban people.”

Spring of 2003 - In what's now known as the Black Spring, the castro regime arrests 75 dissidents, independent librarians, and independent journalists sentencing them to prison terms of up to 25 years. The regime also captures three afro-Cubans who tried to steal the Regla launch, tries, convicts and executes them inside one week.

Summer of 2003 - The European Union imposes diplomatic sanctions on Cuba which include restrictions against high level diplomatic meetings and also encourages European diplomatic missions in Cuba to dialogue with Cuba's political opposition.

Summer of 2005 - At the behest of Spain and its socialist government, the 2003 sanctions are "suspended" but the suspension is subject to review every six months. Cuba remains ineligible for an EU economic cooperation agreement.

Summer of 2008 - The EU formally lifts the 2003 sanctions but the text of the declaration includes language that they will be re-examined yearly in light of the human rights situation in Cuba.

I guess that Europe is trying to foster that transition by sending ever weaker signals to the executives of castro, inc. The irony is that fidel castro is livid about the latest EU move because it still contains language that is critical of the regime and contains the specter of renewed sanctions if improvements aren't made in the arena human rights.

So the question is who wins and who loses here?

The United States neither wins nor loses Despite the fact that the State Department was pressuring Europe to maintain the suspended sanctions on Cuba, the U.S. comes out of it looking reasonable because castro, like the petulant child he is, couldn't leave well enough alone. We'll call it a wash.

The European Union loses. As I said above, sending progressively weaker signals is not a way to obtain change in Cuba. It has been demonstrated that the regime only acts when backed into a corner.

Spain loses. As Cuba's spokesman within the EU, the Spanish have egg on their face. The regime has shown utter contempt for any democracy, even those that are friendly and sympathetic.

Cuba's dissidents, the regime's political opponents and the political prisoners lose. As Beatriz Roque said, with the sanctions in place "the government was tremendously aggressive with us and with the people -- now that (the sanctions) have been eliminated, their aggression will double." As if to underscore that point, shortly after the announcement, the notable Cuban dissident known as "Antunez" was detained for several hours.

castro wins. He has once again captured a piece on the chess board without surrendering as much as a pawn and to top it off, he gets berate everyone as he does it.

Posted by Henry Louis Gomez at June 23, 2008 10:33 PM