Larry Birns and Faizaan Sami
U.S.- Cuba Policy Staggers from the Inept to the Pedestrian: President Obama's Woeful Performance
Matters could not be more misspent when it comes to U.S.-Latin American relations than they have been when U.S.-Mexico policy has been in focus. This seems to be particularly the case as of now when it was revealed that Texas hunting lands owned by the Perry family included a marker using the "n" word, which should be enough to abruptly settle the presidential campaign of Governor Perry, if good conscience is any guide. After all, a similar act of vulgarity was enough to end the promising campaign of Governor of Mississippi Haley Barbour.
Further hurting matters, Governor Perry's insignificant knowledge of Mexican taboos as part of his gringo kit of the Tex-Mex lore fell under the weight of his flimsy insights into his neighbor and completely gave way when he advocated that U.S. troops may very well be needed to be dispatched in order to aid Mexico's war against drugs. Anyone even remotely familiar with that conflict will instantly realize how adamant Mexicans are that nothing be done on the U.S. side of the border to compromise the inviolability of Mexican sovereignty, as judged by the inhabitants of the country.
If Mexico took several disastrous hits on its ties with its U.S. neighbor, Washington's links with Cuba also revealed their fundamental bankruptcy when President Obama continued to fumble time and again when it came to U.S.-Cuban relations. These pitfalls seemed avoidable back in the 2008 presidential elections when Obama seemed to be promising much more substance for U.S.-Latin American policy when he called for "change" and "hope," but failed to deliver even marginally when it came to respectable US-Cuban links under his presidency.
To suggest that the President has welched on his pledges since then is an understatement of the betrayal of his promises. While the President's critics had good grounds all along to claim that, aside from relatively minor tweaks here and there to the status quo, like allowing Cuban-Americans but not U.S. citizens at large to freely travel between the two countries and permitting unrestricted remittances by the same sector of the U.S.–Cuban population, those who had hoped that the new U.S. president would greatly affect change were sorely disappointed by his inability to discard his Mickey Mouse slogans or repudiate his sterile formulas, hack rhetoric, or hypocritical lingo, which made up the bulk of U.S.-Cuban policy for the past five decades, including during Obama's tenure. Rather than accept the Castro brothers' offer to negotiate every subject anywhere and at anytime, President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have debased their U.S.-Caribbean policy by non-stop Cold War rhetorical remnants and a policy bereft of professionalism and stature; it could not even be described as bespeaking a foreign policy. In fact, it can be argued that U.S. policy toward North Korea has always been more open and positive than it has ever been toward Cuba, even though the U.S. fought a war with Pyongyang in which tens of thousands of Americans were killed, which certainly was never the case with Havana.
This analysis was prepared by COHA Director Larry Birns and COHA Research Associate Faizaan Sami.
- Provided by the Council on Hemispheric Affairs (COHA)
Twitter: @ihavenet
- Beyond the Nation-State
- The Human Rights Council: 5 Years On
- United States Prepares Sanctions Against Iran for Bomb Plot
- Iran Denies Alleged Plot to Kill Saudi Envoy
- Cyber Security as a Wicked Problem
- An Alternative Eulogy for Steve Jobs
- Americas to Become Mecca of World's Energy
- Time for United States to Think Big on Latin America
- Latin Universities Index Doesn't Tell Full Story
- Blind Eye to Colombia's Questionable Human Rights Record
- United States - Cuba Policy Staggers from Inept to Pedestrian
- Rick Perry Proposal of American Troops in Mexico Stirs Criticism
- GOP Candidates Look at Narco-Terrorism Risks
- Dexia Bank's Collapse and the European Financial Crisis
- European Crisis: Precise Solutions in an Imprecise Reality
- Slovakia Thumbs Down on Euro Bailout Fund Hike
- Greek Anger and Greece's Survival
- A Win-Win Strategy for Investors in Greece
- Amid Strikes, Greek Workers are Hurting
- Without Textbooks Greek School Year Starts in Confusion
- Putin's Comeback: Fast Forward to the Past
- NATO and Russia: Missile Defense Sticking Point?
- Russia's Arctic Embrace: Cold War Reloaded
- Putin Calls For Eurasian Union In Former Soviet Space
- United Kingdom Riots: State of Denial
- UK Unemployment Rises to 17-year High
- Study Estimates 3 Million British Children in Poverty by 2013
- Bank of England Pours More Money Into Quantitative Easing
- Britain Shuts Down Family Access Immigration Route
- EC Recommends Serbia Gain EU Candidate Status
- Spanish Court Won't Let Cameraman Couso Killing Die
- Poland's Tusk Wins Historic Second Term
- Turkey: Making Room for Religious Minorities
- Cyprus: Waters Roil in Eastern Mediterranean
- A Nuclear Retaliation Alternative for India
- Strategic Partnership with Afghanistan: India Showcases Soft Power
- The India - Bangladesh Border: A New Beginning
- Pakistan's Sponsorship of Terrorism Is Undeniable
- Energy Crises and Riots in Pakistan
- Dante in Karachi: Circles of Crime in a Megacity
- Children in 2005 Pakistan Earthquake Zone Still Lack Schools
- Afghanistan: The Regional Complex
- Afghanistan's Energy War
- Afghanistan War Marks 10th Year Quietly
- Bono's African Philanthropy Could Use a Remix
- The Dadaab Camps: The Daemon in the Detail
- Dadaab Camps: A Day in the Life of a Refugee
- Senegal: Demining Machine Clears Path For Better Future
- Somalia: African Union Forces Attack Al Shabaab's Strongholds
- Worst Forms of Child Labor Still Widespread in Africa
- South Africa: Deportations of Zimbabwean Migrants Set to Resume
- Uganda: New facility to Concentrate on Cancer
- Africa: Why Involving Men is Crucial
- Zimbabwe: Poverty Alleviation Program Targets Kids
- The Economics of the Arab Spring
- Many Arabs Stay Hopeful Even as Economies Sag
- Arab World Poised for Economic Growth Spurt
- Fear of an Islamic Planet
- Riots in Cairo
- Egyptian Army Turns Guns on Its Citizens
- Timeline of Egyptian Sectarian Violence
- A New Phase in Post-Mubarak Egypt
- Boycott Looms as Egyptian Elections Near
- Anxious Campaign Season Opens in Tunisia
- Saudi Security Force Ramps Up
- Sectarian Rifts Erupt Again in Saudi Arabia
- Libya: Winning the Peace Collectively
- Concerns Over 'Rampant Torture' Rise in Syria
- Syria: Redrawing the Political Foundations
- Lieberman Calls for No-Fly Zone Over Syria
- Syrian Crackdown Reaches London and Paris
- Anwar Al Awlaki Death Doesn't Solve Yemen's Problems
- Yemen: Fallout from the al-Awlaki Airstrike
- Why America Should Pay Attention to Egyptian Elections
- Boxed in on the Middle East
- Even Non-Violent Palestinian Intifada Seems Unlikely Now
- Art Comes to Jerusalem Open Market
- Israel: Bittersweet Reunion of Righteous Gentiles
- Jewish Extremists Burn Mosque in Israel
- Israeli 'Price Tag' Vandals Mark Up Violence
- Rise of the Renminbi as International Currency
- China: Significance and Implications of Tiangong 1
- China Orders Closure of 13 Wal-Marts for Selling Mislabeled Pork
- China Launches Own Iron Ore Price Index
- South Korea's Naval Base on Ulleung Island
- Why 2012 Will Shake Up Asia and the World
- Rights Groups Moves High Court on Beheading of 8 Bangladeshi
- Bangladesh World's 5th Most Vulnerable Country for Climate Change
- Bangladesh's Grameenphone and Teletalk Partner on Cell Phone Early Disaster Warning System
- How Space Technology Aids Flood Response
- Philippine Supreme Court Reverses Ruling Favoring Fired PAL Cabin Crews
- Malaysia Refugee Swap Deal Gets Support from UNHCR
- Australian Alps Could Be Bare of Snow by 2050
- Qantas Orders 110 Jets from Airbus
- Coal Exports Boost Australian Trade Balance
- Hard Facts: The World Is Getting Better
- United Nations Can't Save the Oppressed, But It Can Give Them a Voice
- Obama's International Outsourcing
- Radical Islamist Cleric Anwar al-Awlaki Killed in Yemen
- Anwar Al-Awlaki's Death Major Victory For Counter-Terrorism
- United States Gaze Turns to Uzbeks
- Fiscal Union for the Euro: Some Lessons from History
- German Parliament Approves Hike in EU Loan Guarantees
- Preparing for Greece's Failure
- Despite Austerity Measures Greece Will Still Miss EU Budget Cut Targets
- Greece Working to Convince EU it Can Meet Austerity Demands
- Greek Parliament Approves New Property Tax
- Greeks to Face Further Tough Measures
- Albania's Unsettled Past
- Balkans Summit Extols Regional Co-Operation
- Erdogan Pushes for Common Future with Balkan States
- Turkey's Sinking Lira Defies Soaring Economy
- Kukan: Dialogue Not Barricades
- Arab Spring Turkish Harvest
- Iran at a Crossroads
- Iran's Support of Syria Is Backfiring
- The Mottled Relationship: Iran and Latin America
- Is It a Mistake to Draw Solace From Iran's Long Bomb Gestation Period?
- Arab Spring Added Pressures to Middle East Peace Process
- Israel Accepts Quartet Proposal to Resume Peace Talks
- Blocking Palestinian Statehood
- The Occupation That Time Forgot
- Israeli Parliamentarians Call for Annexation of West Bank
- U.S. Congress: Standard Bearer for Israeli Expansion
- Michele Bachmann 'Blames' Obama for Arab Spring
- Saudis Tussle Over Textbook
- Saudi Arabia Grants Women Limited Right to Vote
- Egypt Eyes New Arms Suppliers
- Saleh Return Deepens Crisis In Yemen
- Other Leaders Should Copy Brazil's Anti-graft Measures
- Obama's U.N. Omission: The War Next Door
- The Drug War Spreads the Bloodbath South
- Mexican Cartels and Pan American Games: A Threat Assessment
- Mexico: Death by Social Media
- Big Agriculture's Latin American Exploits
- Is Free Trade Good for Colombia
- China in Search of Energy Security
- Cuba's Domestic Reforms Surge Past Immobilized United States
- Fears Over Environmental Affects Prompt Court To Halt Mega-Dam Project
- Bolivian Workers Strike to Protest Controversial Highway
- Afghanistan is Obama's Gordian Knot
- Why Are Pakistan's Militant Groups Splintering?
- Questions Raised About Haqqani Network Ties with Pakistan
- Russia Strives to Clarify Vision for Central Asian Alliance
- Azerbaijan Faces Difficult Choice Between Turkey and Israel
- Azerbaijan Wrestles with Iranian Predicament
- In Post-Soviet Central Asia Russian Takes Back Seat
- Stabilizing Congo
- The Balkanization of Somalia
- Refugees Still Vulnerable in Southern Kordofan
- Al Shabaab Attacks Kill 16 at Key Somali Border Town
- Is Africa New Breeding Place for Terrorism?
- Somali Media Press on with Work Despite Deadly Challenges
- China-Indian Trade: Smoothening the Rough Edges
- The Survival of North Korea
- The 'Orchid Revolution' in Singapore
- Counterinsurgency and 'Op Sadhbhavana' in Jammu and Kashmir
- Indian Foreign Policy in Search of a Balance
- Philippines Struggles After Two Typhoons
- Typhoon Nesat Death Toll Rises to 20
- State Department Answers For Congressman's Criticism Of Mexico Policy
- Central American Migrants in Mexico
- Mexico Shock: Gunmen Dispose of 35 Bodies in Two Trucks
- Chevron Charged $18 Billion in Reparations to Ecuador
- Latin America's Blind Love With China May Be Over
- Drug War Madness
- Brazil's Really Big Problem
- Ex-Border Security Chief Calls Fence a Dumb Idea
- Argentina Funding for a Cause
- Mexico and the United States: Surgical Strikes in the Drug Wars
- Despite Victory, Argentine Leader Faces Hard Choices
- Chilean 'Model' Is Shaken, but Very Much Alive
- Student Protests May Lead to a Better Chile
- Winds of Change: Uruguay's Sustainable Energy Plans
- The Pain in Spain
- Latin America's Security Dilemma
- A President-for-Life in Argentina? Not Likely
- There's Hope for Mexico and Central America
- Chile: The Fight to Make Education a Guaranteed Right
- Global Economic Downturn: A Crisis of Political Economy
- Latin America Not Immune to U.S. Debt Deal
- Brazil Joins Race for Globalized Students
- OAS Is a Basket Case - but a Needed One
Available at Amazon.com:
Aftermath: Following the Bloodshed of America's Wars in the Muslim World
Displacement and Dispossession in the Modern Middle East (The Contemporary Middle East)
The End of History and the Last Man
The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order
The Tragedy of Great Power Politics
Copyright 2011, iHaveNet.com