Pantagraph.com Weather forecast, local radar and more
Pantagraph EditorialThursday, February 21, 2008 12:42 AM CST
Fidel Castro's resignation an opportunity for progress
Advertisement

The resignation of Fidel Castro as Cuba's president provides an excellent opportunity for the United States to ease its restrictions against Cuba - including the trade embargo.

The embargo and travel restrictions clearly have done nothing to bring positive change to Cuba in nearly 50 years.

Imposed within a year of Castro seizing power in 1959, they have done little more than give him an excuse to blame the United States for suffering brought about largely by Castro's own policies.

The sanctions have done more to harm average Cubans and Americans who want to travel to or do business with Cuba. They haven't pressured Castro or his government to change.

However, reopening the door - at least a crack - could encourage reform.

We are under no illusions that Castro's brother, Raul, who is expected to formally be named president on Sunday, is about to democratize the island nation 90 miles off the coast of Florida.

However, Raul Castro did make positive overtures during the time he was "interim" president such as reducing the number of political prisoners and promising to recapture any al-Qaida terrorists who escaped from the U.S. base in Guantanamo, Cuba.

The strict embargo has never made much sense. While making it difficult for Cuban exiles to visit dying family members and barring most business transactions with Cuba, the United States has freely traded with repressive regimes such as China and the former Soviet Union.

In 1999, then Illinois Gov. George Ryan became the first U.S. governor to visit Cuba since Fidel Castro took power. Although billed as a humanitarian mission, clearly Ryan and those on the visit had more in mind.

Agriculture officials have estimated that Cuba could purchase as much as 2 million tons of U.S. grain if the embargo ended.

State Sen. Dan Rutherford was part of that 1999 trip, while representing this area in the Illinois House.

The Chenoa Republican expects the transition in power to start the normalization process, but "I think it will be very baby steps," because of reluctance on both sides to change their ways.

"I don't agree with everything that's been done in this administration toward Cuba," he said.

Rutherford thinks the United States needs to normalize its relations with Cuba, starting with trade in health care equipment, pharmaceuticals and agricultural products - which he notes are big industries in Illinois.

At 76, "little brother" Raul isn't much younger than the retiring 81-year-old Fidel. It might not be long before a younger generation moves into leadership.

By moving now to improve relations, it would send a strong signal to the next generation of leaders about the advantages of loosening the totalitarian grip on economic and individual freedoms.

Video stories
Most commented stories
Community calendar
Browse online archives
Recent issues:
Reader comments on this story - 4 total

Note: All views and opinions expressed in reader comments are solely those of the individual submitting the comment, and not those of the Pantagraph or its staff.

Greed wrote on Feb 21, 2008 4:53 PM:

" I will not vote for anyone that supported Bush's Stupid War. A trillion dollars for a country smaller than California, and he didn’t win! Yet? Bush’s henchmen pumped up the economy by allowing bank regulators to look the other way while the Liar Loan Mortgage Fiasco went on. Whoever is elected president will have a hard time with the mess Bush is leaving. Budget deficits, nonwinnable wars, bloated bureaucracies, ineffective State Department, and world hatred from Bush’s lies. He took a lucky attack, (9-11, which should have been prevented.) and stole our freedoms for nothing. Every other word from The Bush People's mouths is them claiming to keep Americans safe. As for me, give me my freedoms back. Liberty is more valuable that false protection. Benjamin Franklin once said “one who will trade his liberty for safety will have neither.” The enemy they claim to be at war with, is a small bunch of rag tag, third world, unorganized, limited ability operatives, that they have used to grab power. If The INS, FBI, and Bush’s Cabinet had did what we pay them to do, 9-11 would not have happened. "

to greed wrote on Feb 21, 2008 8:45 AM:

" you must be a demo from the sounds of your letter iam still a bush backer and will always be lets think before we vote and not put a dummiecrat in office it will show the other countries and terroists that we are weak and ready to be set forth upon with terror and as for cuba i think if fidels brother gets put into power there will be little change i think that a younger person would bring change and thats what cuba needs that is unless every dummy crat thinks that 19 dollars a month is a fair wage thats the avarage wage in cuba "

Never happen wrote on Feb 21, 2008 8:14 AM:

" The U.S. spy agencies need a place off the grid and Cuba fits the bill nicely since investigatory branches (news groups, oversight committees, etc.) can't get access. Cuba's the best thing to happen to the NSA since transistors. "

Greed wrote on Feb 21, 2008 6:30 AM:

" Democracy? It's pushed for others, but there is no outcry for fairness here. Talking heads have picked the candidates for the presidential run this fall. So called "democracy" is what got Bush43 in office, in spite of Gore getting more votes. The only thing we know about politicians is what we are told. We vote based on that, and party affiliation. Currently, every U.S. news outlet is slobbering over Obama, while doing everything possible to torpedo Hillary. There was no outcry by the media in 2000 for the Republican Supreme Court to allow a recount in Florida. (what could be more fair?) Here's what the AP itself wrote on 11-11-01: "A full, statewide recount of all undervotes and overvotes could have erased Bush's 537-vote victory and put Gore ahead by a tiny margin ranging from 42 to 171.” (The story was quickly quashed.) The 2004 election fraud in Ohio, along with the destruction of ballots by Republican election officials, despite court orders, is not covered. The ones who count the votes and control the media pick our leaders. Democracy here or Cuba? "

Add your own comments

Please read the rules before posting comments.

You must be logged in to leave comments.
If you don't have a member ID, please register.

*Member ID:
*Password:
Remember login?
(requires cookies)
  Forgot Your Password?