A group of former officials in the Bush and Obama administrations have sent a letter to President Biden and Vice President Harris. This group inclues former Havana Chief of Mission Vicki Huddleston, former deputy national security advisor Ben Rhodes and Jeffrey DeLaurentis, former acting ambassador to Cuba.[1]
Their letter urged the removal of Cuba from the State Sponsors of Terrorism List, an increase of humanitarian aid to the country and streamlining rules for Cuban nationals to access the U.S. financial system. The letter said the following:
- “As you are aware, the country’s energy grid is failing, child malnutrition is on the rise, basic services are deteriorating and most Cubans have lost hope, precipitating the largest exodus of migrants from Cuba in its history,”
- “In no uncertain terms do we exonerate the Cuban government for its insufficient and incoherent policy reforms that have in large part caused this crisis. Yet we also believe that current U.S. policy has exacerbated Cubans’ hardship, and thus we respectfully request that you take a series of actions in the remaining weeks of your administration to help alleviate these challenges — in the U.S. national interest and in support of the Cuban people.”
- “As many of us have said publicly, there is no credible evidence that Cuba sponsors international terrorism. The designation has hindered Cuba’s access to international finance, reduced tourism revenues to pay for imports of food, fuel and medicine and obstructed the arrival of humanitarian relief,” wrote the officials.”
- “Our closest allies in the region have repeatedly requested we remove this designation to ameliorate the regional impacts of surging Cuban migration, and we are confident the United States will be applauded worldwide for making this fact-based determination.”
- Jeffrey DeLaurentis added, “In my view the only reason the Trump Administration put Cuba back on the SSOT in its waning days in January 2021 was to make it more difficult for the incoming Biden Administration to reverse Trump Administration reversals of President Obama’s wise and forward-leaning policy.”
- “Instruct the Office of Foreign Assets Control to guide financial institutions on how to serve qualified Cuban nationals without stepping astride of U.S. sanctions. They also called for a general license to allow U.S. citizens to invest in Cuban enterprises not linked to the country’s government.”
- “As you said in 2020, Vice President Harris, the U.S. embargo is a failed policy that only emboldens hardliners in both Miami and Havana who do not represent the Cuban people’s aspirations for a brighter and more prosperous future. We commend the steps that you have taken while in office, President Biden, to restore remittances, resume visa processing, support independent Cuban entrepreneurs and expand travel for Cuban Americans.”
- “However, to address the scope of the current crisis in Cuba, we believe that your administration must pay close attention and act decisively to mitigate the potentially dire implications of having a failed state just 90 miles off our shores.”
Reactions
This blogger agrees with this letter’s requests to the Biden Administration.
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[1] Bernal, Bush, Obama alumni ask Biden administration to ease up on Cuba before Trump takes office. The Hill (Dec. 17, 2024);Former US officials call on Biden to ease restrictions on the regime before the end of his term, Diario de Cuba (Dec. 19, 2024)
