Three weeks before the official announcement in Havana of Castro’s deteriorating health, a U.S. presidential commission called for an $80 million program to bolster non-governmental groups in Cuba for the purpose of hastening an end to the country’s communist system.
The report also proposed “assistance in preparing the Cuban military forces to adjust to an appropriate role in a democracy.” It provided no details on this point.
I’m no expert, but I’m going to make an educated guess here: US involvement of this sort is holding political reform back, not enhancing it in any way whatsoever, as it taints anyone open to the idea as a “traitor”. The only thing we have any business at all doing is ending the trade embargo, which we should’ve done the second the Cold War ended.
On a related note: since there’s all kinds of single-issue activist groups and political organizations, the current climate has me wondering: is there one where its single issue is promoting an anti-intervention/restrictionist foreign policy? Like a GOA for isolationists?
If not, and one was created, my first thought for a name was the acronym “LPTFAA” — the Leave People The F**k Alone Association. Obviously that wouldn’t fly, but eh, I suck at sugarcoating.
***Update @12:07 am 080606: The LPTFAA isn’t reality, but Adam of Freedom Democrats proposes a transitional policy of sorts. It’s not as radical as I’m talking about, but politically speaking you have to get your foot in the door first.***
