Public Comment

Cuba is yet another example of our government’s penchant of imposing its will and military might on smaller nations – with disastrous results. Our relations with Cuba have been frayed for more than half a century. The botched attempt by the CIA to overthrow the Castro government is generally considered one of the greatest military fiascos of the modern era.  

Fabian Escalante, the former head of Cuban counterintelligence, estimated at least 638 assassination attempts on Castro’s life. Preceding Castro’s rise to power was the thoroughly despised dictator, Fulgencio Batista, who was closely allied to the US mafia making huge profits from opulent hotels and casinos. His regime engaged in arbitrary arrests, torture and executions. Under his rule, the Cuban people suffered in dire poverty with virtually no access to education, health care or decent paying jobs. This established the climate for a violent revolution and Castro was initially lauded as a great hero of the Cuban people.  

While Castro certainly has his detractors, today Cubans enjoy the same life expectancy as the US and experience less infant mortality. Cuba has one of the highest literacy rates in the world far surpassing the US. The island has developed one of the finest medical systems in the world sending doctors to the Ebola crisis and, earlier, to victims of Hurricane Katrina. President Obama made the right decision to begin the process of normalizing relations with Cuba. Congress should follow his example by lifting the crippling embargo.