Retired Military Officers: End the Cuba Travel Ban Posted by Adam Blickstein

Yesterday, a group of 12 former senior military officials sent a letter to President Barack Obama urging him to support and sign pending Congressional legislation that would repeal the travel ban for all Americans who wish to visit Cuba. The retired officers--including former SOUTHCOM Commanders Gens. James Hill and Barry McCaffrey as well as Major General Paul D. Eaton and Lt. General Claudia J. Kennedy--argue that, based on national security grounds, lifting the ban would  allow us to send our best ambassadors-the American people-to engage our Cuban neighbors, thus giving America a much better chance of influencing the eventual course of Cuban affairs. The letter, coordinated by the National Security Network and the New America Foundation, also examines the negative national security impact the travel ban and overall embargo has on America's interests in the region, creating a situation where  our confrontational policy of isolation towards Cuba hinders, not heightens America's overall security objectives. A full text of the letter can be found after the jump.

April 13, 2009 

President Barack Obama 
The White House 
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW 
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President:

As former senior officers of the United States armed forces, we are writing today to encourage you to support the Congressional initiatives to end the ban on travel to Cuba for all Americans.

The current policy of isolating Cuba has failed, patently, to achieve our ends.  Cuba ceased to be a military threat decades ago.  At the same time, Cuba has intensified its global diplomatic and economic relations with nations as diverse as China, Russia, Venezuela, Brazil, and members of the European Union.  It is hard to characterize such global engagement as isolation.

Though economically weak, the Castro government has kept the broad support of its people by responding to economic shocks and providing universal access to health care and education. There will be no counter-revolution any time soon.

Instead, the current embargo serves more to prop up the Castro regime and shows no sign of triggering a popular uprising against the communist government it runs. When hard times fall on the Cuban people, inevitably, the Cuban government blames the U.S. "bloqueo" for the suffering. And the people, with a strong sense of national sovereignty, rally to their flag.

Even worse, the embargo has inspired a significant diplomatic movement against U.S. policy. As military professionals, we understand that America's interests are best served when the United States is able to attract the support of other nations to our cause. When world leaders overwhelmingly cast their vote in the United Nations against the embargo and visit Havana to denounce American policy, it is time to change the policy, especially after 50 years of failure in attaining our goals.

The congressional initiative to lift the travel ban for all Americans is an important first step toward lifting the embargo, a policy more likely to bring change to Cuba.  It begins to move the United States in an unambiguous direction toward the kind of policy-based on principled engagement and proportional and discriminate action that was the hallmark of your presidential campaign.  Combined with renewed engagement with Havana on key security issues such as narcotics trafficking, immigration, airspace and Caribbean security, we believe the U.S. will be on a path to rid ourselves of the dysfunctional policy your administration has inherited. 

It is a clear cut case. During the Cold War, the U.S. encouraged Americans to travel to the Soviet bloc resulting in more information, more contact, and more freedom for captive peoples, and ultimately the end of the Berlin Wall and the Cold War itself.   This idea of engagement underlies our current policies toward Iran, Syria and North Korea all much graver concerns to the United States - where Americans are currently free to travel.  By sending our best ambassadors-the American people-to engage their Cuban neighbors, we have a much better chance of influencing the eventual course of Cuban affairs. Broader economic engagement with the island through additional commercial and people-to-people contacts will in time promote a more pluralist and open society. And, by actually striking down an element of the embargo, that signal will be sent to the government in Havana.

Mr. President, around the world, leaders are calling for a real policy shift that delivers on the hope you inspired in your campaign. Cuba offers the lowest-hanging fruit for such a shift and would be a move that would register deeply in the minds of our partners and competitors around the world.

Sincerely,

Sincerely,    

Brigadier General John Adams (Ret.)                                    
Lieutenant General John G. Castellaw (Ret.)                                                            
Lieutenant General Daniel W. Christman (Ret.)        
Major General Paul D. Eaton (Ret. 
Lieutenant General Robert G. Gard (Ret.)                 
Rear Admiral Donald J. Guter (Ret.)
General James T. Hill (Ret.)                                        
Rear Admiral John D. Hutson (Ret.)  
Lieutenant General Claudia J. Kennedy (Ret.)          
General Barry R. McCaffrey (Ret.) 
Col. Lawrence B. Wilkerson (Ret.)                            
General Johnnie E. Wilson (Ret.)

Comments

[BAGG]

What is being overlooked in this instance is that according to several recent on the ground polls, the general population in Cuba is in fact wishing for Democracy. If the embargo is unilaterally lifted with no preconditions, any possible leverage we have in pressuring the government to hold free and fair elections will go out the window. The military and government itself will also be in a better position to oppress its people because they will have more US$ while the people will still have no means to rise up and defend themselves.

I urge you to tread cautiously...

[Cristina]

Great post!, now I have an idea that Cuba has a restrictions to American people when traveling their. How about to other people who are not in the US? They still have a restrictions? I know Cuba is a great place to travel with. Thanks for sharing this ideas. You can visit also Travel site here.

[Andres]

We all have our points of view, but why do critics of "lifting the
embargo to Cuba" always presume that the United States and it's
government have the right or duty to change the Government of Cuba.

By the way, there is no accurate "ground poll" in the Country of Cuba.
The Cuban people I have spoken with want increased economic opportunity for a better life. There has been an embargo for 50 years
and it has not given the United States any "leverage".

Also there are no restrictions against U.S. citizens while traveling in the Country of Cuba. The country of Cuba needs to be treated fairly
like any other country.

The Cuban government will change when Cubans change it.

[BAGG]

Andres,

You and I are obviously not reading the same things. Economic opportunities (getting rid of the dual currency system), fair wages, free speech, freedom of movement, self-determination are what I hear.

If there is no veracity in the polls, why are there examples of exactly these demands which have recently leaked out of the island?

http://article.wn.com/view/2009/03/30/YouTube_video_of_critical_art_performance_in_Cuba/

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/americas/02/07/cuba.videos/#cnnSTCVideo

No one is forcing change, but the Cuban government should recognize that its people have a voice, and they should be allowed to express themselves freely and elect their leaders fairly.

The US doesn't have a right to change any other government, but it has a moral obligation to give oppressed people around the world a voice, since no one else in the international community is willing to do so.

[Andres]

Thanks for all your comments. We are all better off if we can
engage in a constructive dialogue.

Lets get back to the "Embargo". We have now had a 50 year embargo
against the country of Cuba. As part of this embargo ships that
travel to Cuba are not allowed to come to the United States for
six months. The Cuban Government cannot purchase goods from
another country if they are manufactured with a process patented
in the United States. As you know it goes on.

We all know of countries where there is room for improvement,but
the United States does not have an "Embargo" against them. We can
go to The Nation April 15th, 2009 and read "What Can Obama Do in
Latin America. At the Montevideo Pan-American Conference,the United
States gave up the "right of intervention". This was in 1933.

I agree that changes are in order in Cuba and I think that they are
happening.

As a positive step for change and improvement I endorse the
"Retired Military Officers: End the Cuba Travel Ban".

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