Critics of Obama's Cuba moves have a lot of brass given past U.S. policies in Latin America
Wed Apr 15, 2015 at 09:45 AM PDT.
Critics of Obama's Cuba moves have a lot of brass given past U.S. policies in Latin America
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President George H.W. Bush shakes hands in 1990 with a product of U.S. Latin American policy,
Augusto Pinochet, the one-time fascist dictator of Chile who continued to wield massive influence
even as the nation moved toward democracy.
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President Obama's decision to take Cuba off the "state sponsors of terrorism" list is a welcome if belated move, something that should have happened long before he became president. It's another step on the way to normalizing relations, a change that will soon mean an exchange of embassies between the two nations. Despite his attempt to make himself the voice of youth in his quest for the presidency, in his opposition to Obama's move, Cuban-American Marco Rubio speaks not for his own generation but rather the hoary policies of the past.
Cuba was placed on the State Department's list of state sponsors of terrorism in 1982. Quite ironic given U.S. policy in Latin America at the time. Washington, in fact, should have included the U.S at the top of its own list of state sponsors of terror.
Said Geoff Thale, the Director of Programs at the Washington Office on Latin America:
More:“Taking Cuba off the list of terrorist states is a sensible, and long overdue step. Whatever U.S. and Cuban differences, the Cuban government has not been a supporter of terrorism. Taking Cuba off the list will remove an unnecessary irritant in the relationship, and perhaps allow us to discuss the real differences we do have in a more serious way. ...
“This decision aligns U.S. policies with the realities of today, and it communicates a new approach to the whole region. This announcement paves the way for additional changes in the process of normalizing relations with Cuba.”
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/04/15/1377888/-Critics-of-Obama-s-Cuba-moves-have-a-lot-brass-given-past-U-S-policies-in-Latin-America?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+dailykos%2Findex+%28Daily+Kos%29#
Good reads:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1016120301