In one of his last decisions before leaving office, President Joe Biden removed Cuba from the list of states that sponsor terrorism. Unsurprisingly, President Donald Trump reinstated Cuba to this list on his first day back at the White House.
We criticized some of the Biden administration’s foreign policy choices, but on this matter, the former president was right. If anything, it should have happened sooner.
Most intelligence analysts agree that there are no grounds to include Cuba in the same list as Iran, North Korea and Syria. A former George W. Bush official told NBC in 2022: “It’s a fiction that we have created.”
This editorial board has called for a complete reset of U.S. policy with Cuba. In 1962, Washington established a trade embargo that has crippled the Cuban economy and its people but has also given the Cuban regime the perfect excuse for its failures. Our dogmatic adherence to that embargo has barely moved the needle.
Opinion
While we have no illusions that the Trump administration will have a change of heart, the conditions in Cuba are ripe for change, and the right diplomatic approach can make a difference. This includes restoring diplomatic relations, which could be an effective tool to bring an end to the autocratic regime, which is weaker but still has support from other Latin American governments.
This past year, Cuba experienced rolling blackouts as its oil-powered electric grid crumbled, in yet another sign of its dwindling economy. As Russian and Venezuelan oil shipments waned, Mexico began supplying oil to the island. U.S. diplomats should see these events as an opportunity that can help open the island to reform.
The terrorist sponsor designation prevents the Cuban government from accessing credit and other financial resources; it also impacts humanitarian aid, business investment and trade. Cubans themselves face dire consequences.
According to the Washington Office on Latin America, Cubans with Spanish citizenship have had special U.S. visa waivers for tourism and business canceled or denied, Cubans living in the European Union are unable to open bank accounts, and faith-based groups have had their funds frozen. Meanwhile, U.S. universities are barred from supporting research and work with Cuban artists, academics or activists.
During his confirmation hearing, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said unequivocally that he believes Cuba is a state that sponsors terrorism. Rubio noted that Cuba has hosted the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, a guerrilla group. He also said Cuba has been friendly with Hamas and Hezbollah.
Rubio’s comments about FARC lacked nuance. In the 2010s, Cuba hosted peace negotiations with Colombia to end its war with FARC, just like Qatar recently played a mediation role between Hamas and Israel. That is not sponsoring terrorism.
To be fair, the Cuban government hasn’t done itself any favors by condemning Israel over its war with Hamas and its actions against Hezbollah. Still, the designation is intended for countries that have “repeatedly provided support for acts of international terrorism.”
Using this designation against Cuba weakens Washington’s geopolitical standing and bungles a policy tool that should be rarely used.
Part of our series The Unraveling of Latin America, this editorial argues that the U.S. government errs by designating Cuba as a sponsor of terrorism.
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Publish date : 2025-01-31 19:00:00
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