Obama Eases Travel To Cuba (But Not Enough)

President Obama has decided to loosen some of the travel restrictions to Cuba.   He has instructed government departments to allow religious groups and students to travel to the island nation.   He is also making it a bit easier to send money to Cuba.   The new rules will:

Allow religious organisation to sponsor religious travel to Cuba under a general licence

Allow accredited institutions of higher education to sponsor travel to Cuba

Allow any US person to send remittances (up to $500 per quarter) to non-family members in Cuba to support private economic activity

Allow remittances to be sent to religious institutions in Cuba in support of religious activities

Allow US airports to apply to provide services to licensed charters

This is a step in the right direction, but only a tiny step.   Much more needs to be done.   We have had a trade embargo with Cuba for nearly fifty years now, and it has accomplished nothing except to economically hurt both countries.   Other developed nations honored the embargo for a while, but they long ago started trading with Cuba again.

The idea was that the embargo would cause the downfall of the government in Cuba.   But it has been a complete failure in that regard.   Now we just continue it out of hubris or pride -- we just don't want to admit we were wrong.   It's time to end the embargo.   In fact, we should completely normalize relations with Cuba.

There are still those who say Cuba must have the same kind of democratic government that we have.   I think that's ridiculous.   They ignore the fact that we continue normal relations with many countries that treat their citizens far worse than Cuba.   The fact is that no one starves to death in Cuba or goes without good medical care when they need it.   And Cuba has a higher literacy rate than any other country in the Americas.

We would never permit another country to tell us what kind of government we should have or how we should treat our own citizens -- those are internal matters that can only be decided by citizens of the United States.   Why then do we think we should have the right to interfere in the internal workings of Cuba?   Whatever happens on that island is the concern of only the Cuban citizens.

It might be different if they posed some kind of security risk for the United States, but they don't -- and they never have.   It's time for the United States to treat Cuba like we expect all other nations to treat us.   Failure to do so just makes the U.S. look foolish.