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| Caribbean-Latin America |
| Kerry denounces Cuban dissenters as "counterproductive" |
| 2004-06-19 |
| Kerry’s Cruel Realism By DAVID BROOKS, New York Times. EFL. LRR.* Hat tip: Brothers Judd. Sometimes in the unscripted moments of a campaign, when the handlers are away, a candidate shows his true nature. Earlier this month, Andres Oppenheimer of The Miami Herald asked John Kerry what he thought of something called the Varela Project. Kerry said it was "counterproductive." It’s necessary to try other approaches, he added. The Varela Project happens to be one of the most inspiring democracy movements in the world today. It is being led by a Cuban dissident named Oswaldo Payá, who has spent his life trying to topple Castro’s regime. Payá realized early on that the dictatorship would never be overthrown by a direct Bay of Pigs-style military assault, but it could be undermined by a peaceful grass-roots movement of Christian democrats, modeling themselves on Martin Luther King Jr. . . . [T]he Varela Project[’s petition drive] quickly amassed the 10,000 signatures, and more. Jimmy Carter lauded the project on Cuban television. The European Union gave Payá its Sakharov Prize for human rights. Then came Castro’s crackdown. Though it didn’t dare touch Payá, the regime arrested 75 other dissidents and sentenced each of them to up to 28 years in jail. This week Payá issued a desperate call for international attention and solidarity because the hunt for dissidents continues. John Kerry’s view? As he told Oppenheimer, the Varela Project "has gotten a lot of people in trouble . . . and it brought down the hammer in a way that I think wound up being counterproductive." Imagine if you are a Cuban political prisoner rotting in a jail, and you learn that the leader of the oldest democratic party in the world thinks you’re being counterproductive. Kerry’s comment is a harpoon directed at the morale of Cuba’s dissidents. Imagine sitting in Castro’s secret police headquarters and reading that statement. The lesson you draw is that crackdowns work. Throw some dissidents in jail, and the man who might be president of the United States will blame the democrats for being provocative. . . . Over the past several months, Kerry and his advisers have signaled that they would like to take American foreign policy in a more "realist" direction. That means, as Kerry told the editors of The Washington Post, playing down the idea of promoting democracy and focusing narrowly instead on national security. That means, as Kerry advisers told Joshua Micah Marshall in The Atlantic, pursuing a foreign policy that looks more like the one Brent Scowcroft designed for the first Bush administration. . . . let’s be clear about what that means in practice. It means worrying less about the nature of regimes and dealing with whoever happens to be in power. It means alienating people who dream of living in freedom while we luxuriate in ours. It means doing little to confront crimes against humanity; realism gives a president a thousand excuses for inaction. It means betraying people like Oswaldo Payá — again and again and again. There’s a reason Carter, Reagan and George W. Bush all turned, in different ways, against this approach. They understood that democracy advances security, kowtowing to dictators does not. Most of all, they didn’t want to conduct a foreign policy that would make them feel ashamed. *If you don’t have a New York Times registration, feel free to use mine: login: nytisfishwrap password: dowdsucks |
| Posted by:Mike |
| #10 It probably wouldn't win the Cuban American vote but I think the quickest way to dump castro is to remove all restrictions on travel and trade. Give him no excuses for why his nation is a failure. I'd also increase Voice Of America broadcasts into the Island to ensure other points of view are heard and force Castro to block it, force his fans to justfy why censorship is necessary. |
| Posted by: Yank 2004-06-21 6:57:58 PM |
| #9 ...And after all the work the Donks have gone to to try and steal Florida again in '04... Mike |
| Posted by: Mike Kozlowski 2004-06-19 11:29:04 PM |
| #8 Cubanos de Miami, Dem Kerry has spoken with foot in liberal mouth .....again. |
| Posted by: Mark Espinola 2004-06-19 9:57:13 PM |
| #7 Super Hose,true and thanks. |
| Posted by: Stephen 2004-06-19 9:52:50 PM |
| #6 SH Vola, ja, da, oui, si, and yes. Ca-lassic! |
| Posted by: Korora 2004-06-19 8:48:28 PM |
| #5 *If you don’t have a New York Times registration, feel free to use mine: login: nytisfishwrap password: dowdsucks The beauty of that login/password makes it one for the ages. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2004-06-19 5:52:01 PM |
| #4 Ouch. There goes the Cuban vote . . . Don't think he was counting on them. There's so many more felons and ex-felons to cultivate... |
| Posted by: Pappy 2004-06-19 5:02:33 PM |
#3 It’s necessary to try other approaches, he added.What did you have in mind, Kerry? Do you plan to nuance Castro to death? Full-scale invasion works for me. |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2004-06-19 3:09:20 PM |
| #2 I also mentioned that they are productive. Didn't I? I must've. It's my nature. |
| Posted by: John Fn Kerry 2004-06-19 2:34:01 PM |
| #1 Ouch. There goes the Cuban vote . . . |
| Posted by: The Doctor 2004-06-19 12:54:48 PM |