Sen. Lugar says US must rethink Cuba embargo

Breitbart ^ | 22 Feb 2009 | ANNE FLAHERTY

[AreaMan]

The U.S. policy of shunning communist Cuba by imposing a strict trade embargo has failed to prod the island nation toward democracy and should be re-evaluated, according to the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

"We must recognize the ineffectiveness of our current policy and deal with the Cuban regime in a way that enhances U.S. interests," wrote Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., in a report dated Monday.

President Barack Obama has promised a fresh look at the U.S. policy. He says he would be open to meeting with Castro, who took over as Cuba's president for his ailing brother, Fidel. Obama also supports easing limitations on the number of visits and the amount of money sent to Cuba by family members in the U.S.

But like his predecessor, George W. Bush, Obama has said he believes the embargo provides important leverage with the country's leaders.

Lugar's suggestion that the U.S. rethink that position was included in an assessment of U.S.-Cuban relations written by his senior staffer, Carl Meacham, who traveled to Cuba in January. The report was scheduled to be distributed this week among Lugar's Senate colleagues.

While the report stops short of calling an end to the ban, it offers a harsh assessment of U.S. policies. It charges that the existing embargo provides the Cuban government a convenient "scapegoat" for the nation's economic difficulties, ignores recent political developments and keeps the U.S. from gaining a "broader understanding of events on the island."

"By directing policy toward an unlikely scenario of a short-term democratic transition on the island and rejecting most tools of diplomatic engagement, the U.S. is left as a powerless bystander, watching events unfold at a distance," the report states.

[pompelmous]

FYI

The new Anheuser-Busch InBev has a 45% share of the Cuban market.

[John W]

John W say US must rethink Dick Lugar.

[AreaMan]

The new Anheuser-Busch InBev has a 45% share of the Cuban market.

I wonder how many of the people that are SO eager to start doing business with the Cuban communists were squealing about doing business with South Africa while apartheid was the law of the land? Anyone remember "I Won't Play Sun City"?