A weak "commitment" to Cuba will only lead to misery

Last month, vandals from the Cuban regime brutally assaulted pro-democracy activist José Daniel Ferrer in a state prison in Santiago de Cuba. His wife and two children were forced to witness this outrage. When Ferrer's young daughter tried to protect her father, the officials also mistreated the girl. This is not an isolated incident. For years, Ferrer has endured cruel and inhumane treatment simply for speaking out against the Cuban dictatorship.

Tragically, there is no sign of relief from the repression against Ferrer, his family, or the more than 1,000 Cubans unjustly imprisoned simply for raising their voices.

These are not the actions of a "government" seeking greater openness and a good faith commitment. These are the actions of criminals solely interested in their own self-preservation. They are individuals who routinely use force to repress, intimidate, and silence those who dare to challenge the illegitimate regime. And yet, there are people in the Biden Administration who mistakenly advocate for weaker sanctions and greater "engagement" with the dictatorship.

While the U.S. Departments of State, Justice, and Homeland Security engaged in a "dialogue" with the Cuban regime, former officials from the Obama administration are doing everything in their power to reverse the common-sense policies established during President Trump's era. Their ultimate goal suggests lifting sanctions and removing Cuba from the State Department's list of state sponsors of terrorism. This would be a significant victory for the regime and would indicate that the socialist-leaning ideologues in the White House have learned nothing from their previous mistakes.

When President Barack Obama sought to appease the Cuban regime, the outcome from any objective perspective was a total failure. In fact, repression intensified during Obama's presidency. Political prisoners who were released as part of an agreement were arrested again a few months later. Meanwhile, the benefits from increased trade and travel to the island went to enrich the elite of the Communist Party and the military, not the Cuban people.

None of this was a surprise to those of us who know the history of the Castro brothers and their puppet, Miguel Díaz-Canel. We know from experience that they use every gesture of goodwill from the international community as an opportunity to strengthen their control and power. That is why activist Jorge Luis García Pérez (Antúnez) referred to the actions of the Obama administration as a "betrayal of the Cuban people's aspiration for freedom."

So, why do officials in the Biden Administration insist on repeating these actions once again? It’s for the same reason they want to normalize relations with the Venezuelan narco-dictator and remain diplomatic with the Chinese Communist Party. Everything is based on a globalist economic theory influenced by Marxist sympathies that believes "engagement" with dictators and the opening of markets will lead to universal freedom and prosperity.

The history shows the exact opposite. If we implement appeasement in our relations with Cuba, we will lose the tool we need to prevent a further wave of oppression against individuals like Ferrer, the Ladies in White, the San Isidro Movement, and other dissenting voices. We cannot forget that we are dealing with criminals who use illegal migration as a weapon against the U.S., who support international narcoterrorists like the ELN and the FARC, and who remain unwavering allies of America's greatest adversaries, including Nicaragua, the Maduro regime, Iran, North Korea, Russia, and China.

President Biden should not lift the sanctions against the dictatorship in Cuba or remove it from the list of state sponsors of terrorism. There are real ways in which the U.S. can help the Cuban people, such as providing them with access to uncensored internet and broadcasts from the U.S. Additionally, the U.S. should continue to impose sanctions on human rights violators, including the Cuban army, and advocate for the hundreds of political prisoners who are unjustly detained following the protests of July 11, 2021.

The path of "compromise" with the criminal dictatorship of Cuba will neither help the Cuban people nor the United States. On the contrary, appeasing the Cuban regime will only encourage and enrich the oppressors.