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Minneapolis Police Chief Defends Derek Chauvin’s Conviction For Murder of George Floyd

Brian O’Hara, the Chief of the Minneapolis Police Department, declares in the StarTribune. “Millions of us watched in horror as Derek Chauvin pressed his knee on Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes, ignoring his cries for help, the pleas of bystanders and ultimately the absence of any movement from Floyd’s body. Police officers and even police union leadership around the country condemned Minneapolis for allowing this to happen and for causing us problems in cities around the world that summer. We all knew what we saw, and we all knew it was wrong.” Here are O’Hara’s other comments on this subject:[1]

“Chauvin’s actions were indefensible, and his choice to kneel on a handcuffed, unresponsive man’s neck for an extended period was not in line with any legitimate police training in the civilized world.”
“During Chauvin’s trial, multiple experts — including Blackwell and several otherMPD officers — testified that what he did was not taught or condoned by MPD. This wasn’t just opinion. It was a fact backed up by training records, other courageous officers’ testimony, and the public condemnation of Chauvin’s actions by dozens of his own colleagues. In the immediate aftermath of Floyd’s death, 14 MPD officers signed an open letter to the public explicitly stating that Chauvin’s actions ‘were not the values we were trained in’ and that his use of force was completely unjustified.”
“Now, nearly five years later, some are attempting to rewrite history by attacking Assistant Chief Katie Blackwell, a longtime Minneapolis police officer and one of the highest-ranking enlisted women in the Minnesota National Guard, for her testimony in Chauvin’s criminal trial. Alpha News and reporter Liz Collinhave accused Blackwell of lying when she stated that Chauvin’s actions were not part of the Minneapolis Police Department’s training. But let’s be clear: Chauvin’s actions were indefensible, and his choice to kneel on a handcuffed, unresponsive man’s neck for an extended period was not in line with any legitimate police training in the civilized world.”
These recent attacks on Blackwell’s testimony are prompted “to sow doubt about the legitimacy of Chauvin’s conviction and to undermine efforts to reform policing in Minneapolis.”
But “Chauvin was not a scapegoat — his actions betrayed the values of our noble profession. Blackwell, in her difficult role as a witness, simply did what any professional and any true leader would do: She told the truth. She testified to what every reasonable officer knows — that kneeling on the neck of a handcuffed, non-resistant suspect for more than nine minutes, to the point where he is lifeless, is not proper policing, nor is it a trained technique.”
“We must remain focused on what truly matters: building a police department of integrity, one that is able to self-correct. This starts with recognizing that Chauvin acted well outside the bounds of his training and his duty. It also means defending those, like Assistant Chief Blackwell, who courageously spoke out against misconduct rather than enabling those who would excuse it.”

The recent controversy over Chauvin’s conviction and the criminal trial testimony of Katy Blackwell have been discussed in another blog post and newspaper articles.[2]

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[1] O’Hara, The truth about the tragic actions of Derek Chauvin, StarTribune (Feb.11, 2025). This blog has an extensive number of posts about the trials and convictions of Chauvin and the other three Minneapolis policemen involved in the killing of Mr. Floyd. (List of Posts to dwkcommentaries—Topical: George Floyd Killing.)

[2] More Litigation About the George Floyd Killing, dwkcommentaries.com (Jan. 17, 2025); Day, High-ranking Minneapolis Police Department officer sues Liz Collin, Alpha News for defamation, StarTribune (Oct. 15, 2024); MPD Assistant Chief Katie Blackwell calls Alpha News ‘extremists in ‘garbage’ lawsuit. Alpha News (Oct. 15, 2024);Day, Defamation lawsuit against ‘The Fall of Minneapolis’ documentary faces high legal hurdles, StarTribune (Oct. 25, 2024); 14 current and former Minneapolis cops say Assistant Chief Katie Blackwell LIED during trial of Derek Chauvin, The Post Millennial, (Jan. 7, 2025); Over a dozen current and former officers say they believe MPD’s Katie Blackwell perjured herself during Derek Chauvin trial, Law Officer (Jan. 7, 2025); Day, Ex-MPD officers, politicians defend ‘ The Fall of Minneapolis,’ Liz Collin in defamation lawsuit, StarTribune (Jan. 7, 2025); Director of ‘The Fall of Minneapolis’ responds to defamation lawsuit after bombshell court filings, Alpha News (Jan. 8, 2025);Packed courtroom listens as Alpha News seeks dismissal of defamation lawsuit brought by Minneapolis police officer, StarTribune (Feb. 7, 2025); Gorkowski, Judge hears motion to dismiss defamation lawsuit against Alpha News, Liz Collin, Alpha News (Feb. 8, 2025).

Issues Facing Marco Rubio on Trip to Latin America

On his trip to Latin America starting on February 1, Secretary of State Marco Rubio will be facing at least the following issues.

Panama.

“The Panama Canal will be the most important issue.”

“Mr. Trump falsely accused Panama of allowing China to station troops on the canal and of treating U.S. ships and goods unfairly by charging exorbitant fees. The Panama Canal Authority, which operates the waterway independently of the government, has denied those claims.”

“While there are no Chinese troops to be seen on the waterway, a Hong Kong-based company called CK Hutchison Holdings has operated two seaports at each end of the Panama Canal for decades.”

“Mr. Trump may not be serious about using the U.S. military to retake the canal, analysts say, instead staking out an extreme negotiating position in order to clinch another deal. He may be eyeing lower fees for American goods traversing the canal or greater cooperation on migration.”

“The other major issue Mr. Rubio and Panamanian leaders are likely to discuss is immigration and the Darién Gap, the perilous jungle route between Panama and Colombia that hundreds of thousands of migrants have used in recent years to make their way to the United States.”

“Panama has struggled to slow the flood of migrants traversing the gap, with more than 520,000 people passing through in 2023. That number declined to 302,000 in 2024. Last summer, Mr. Mulino signed an agreement with the Biden administration that tightened security in the gap. Around the same time, President Biden also blocked the vast majority of asylum claims at the U.S.-Mexico border and allowed agents to turn people back quickly.”

“Panama will likely ask the United States to invest more in Panama if it seeks to curb Chinese influence in the region. Panamanian politicians and business leaders complain that when the country puts out tenders for big infrastructure projects, U.S. companies are often absent while Chinese are eager to bid.””

“In exchange, Mr. Rubio could ask Panama to sign a safe-third country agreement, which would see it absorb non-Panamanian migrants. Analysts say Mr. Rubio could use the threats to retake the canal to pressure Panama to accept those asylum seekers or get them to to kick out CK Hutchison Holdings from those ports.”

Guatemala

“Guatemala has emerged as a country eager to show it is open to cooperating with the Trump administration, particularly when it comes to migration. The Guatemalan government was the first country to receive U.S. military flights carrying deportees, which have served to support Mr. Trump’s claim that migrants are criminals best dealt with by force.”

“Rather than speak out about deportations, the government launched the “Return Home” plan to reintegrate Guatemalan deportees.”

“For us, the most important thing is to present ourselves to the U.S., to the new administration, as a reliable and strategic partner in the region,” Guatemala’s foreign minister, Carlos Ramiro Martínez, said in an interview this past week.”

“About 675,000 undocumented Guatemalans lived in the United States as of 2022, according to the Pew Research Center, making it one of the largest sources of illegal migrants after Mexico, India and El Salvador.”

“Guatemala also shares a border with Mexico, and migrants from around the world trek through it on their journeys north. Mr. Rubio could call on the nation to do more to prevent migrants from reaching Mexico, analysts say.”

“When asked if Guatemala would host asylum seekers deported from the United States as part of a “safe third country” agreement, Mr. Ramiro said nothing was off the table ahead of the visit. “I’m not ruling anything out because the negotiation is still ongoing,” he said at a news conference this past week.”

“Also on the table will be countering illicit drug trafficking and organized crime, Mr. Ramiro said.”

“Guatemala’s president, Bernardo Arévalo, faces intense internal opposition and will most likely try to find an ally in Mr. Rubio, both to shore up his position at home and to protect the economy. The United States is Guatemala’s primary trading partner, accounting for more than 30 percent of the country’s exports, including coffee and bananas.”

El Salvador

“Of all of the countries in the region that Mr. Rubio is planning to visit, El Salvador stands out for having already established a somewhat warm relationship with the Trump administration.”

“Within the inner circle of MAGA loyalists, Bukele has a lot of appeal,” Manuel Meléndez Sánchez, a Salvadoran political scientist at Harvard University, said of El Salvador’s president, Nayib Bukele.”

“The Salvadoran government’s recent crackdown on vicious gangs that terrorized the country has enthused traditional law-and-order Republicans. Mr. Bukele’s antiglobalist and what he calls “anti-woke” policies have captivated American conservatives. And his embrace of technology, including Bitcoin as an official currency, has won over tech billionaires, like Elon Musk.”

“In a phone call between the leaders last week, Mr. Trump praised Mr. Bukele’s leadership before discussing the two main issues Mr. Rubio is likely to resurface during his visit: illegal immigration and a crackdown on gangs.”

“A priority for the Trump administration is to get the country to take in non-Salvadoran deportees from the United States.”

“The country signed a similar deal in 2019 after Trump administration officials cut off some aid to El Salvador, accusing the country of not doing enough to curb illegal migration. But the agreement never took effect and was terminated by the Biden administration.”

“In a briefing call on Friday, Mauricio Claver-Carone, Mr. Trump’s special envoy for Latin America, told reporters that the United States was committed to efforts “to revive that agreement.”

“A spokeswoman for Mr. Bukele declined to comment.”

“During Mr. Rubio’s visit, Mr. Claver-Carone added, he will also try to persuade El Salvador to accept deported members of the notorious Tren de Aragua gang, a Venezuelan criminal group that has spread its reach into the United States.”

““If Caracas does not accept them, Bukele will receive them,” María Elvira Salazar, a Republican congresswoman, said this past week. “And Bukele’s prisons are very big.”

Costa Rica

“Mr. Rubio’s visit will most likely focus on American investment, migration policy and the continuing fight against international drug trafficking, according to Costa Rican authorities.”

“President Rodrigo Chaves anticipates a more transactional relationship with Mr. Trump.”

“It is going to be about international trade issues, capital flows, and investment,” he told reporters last week.”

“Mr. Trump’s criticisms of the Biden administration’s CHIPS and Science Act — and his overall stance against American companies investing overseas — have been received nervously in Costa Rica, a hub of semiconductor manufacturing. The Biden-era program was meant to reduce the United States’ reliance on China for microchip production by encouraging neighboring countries to enter the industry.”

“Beyond trying to maintain U.S. investments, Costa Rica will portray itself as a crucial ally in the war against drugs during negotiations with Mr. Rubio. Costa Rica has become a major transshipment point for cocaine destined for the United States, contributing to the country’s record-high murder rate since 2022.”

“Arnoldo André, Costa Rica’s minister of foreign affairs, described the joint fight against organized crime and drug trafficking as “issues that we are sure we will be able to reconcile with the new U.S. authorities.”

“If Mr. Trump wants Costa Rica to continue to clamp down on drug trafficking, economic investments must be maintained, current and former government officials say. Or poverty may make the country ripe for the cartels that run amok in the region.”

Dominican Republic

“During his Senate confirmation hearings, Mr. Rubio mentioned the Dominican Republic as one of the countries in Latin America that was “doing it the right way.”

“By that, Mr. Rubio may mean the Trump way. The Caribbean country is building a wall along its border with Haiti, and the government has pledged to deport 10,000 Haitians a week — a move human rights groups have criticized as rife with abuses.”

“The Dominican Republic, a country of 11 million, shares an island with Haiti, a nation that has descended into chaos since the assassination in July 2021 of its last elected president, Jovenel Moïse. Gangs earning income from illegal checkpoints, extortion and kidnappings have used the political vacuum to expand their territory to control some 90 percent of the Haitian capital.”

“Some one million Haitians have fled their homes, according to the International Organization for Migration, many crossing the porous border into the Dominican Republic.”

“Riding a wave of nationalism, President Luis Abinader was re-elected last May in a landslide, bolstered by anti-Haitian sentiments that run rampant among the population, while pledging stricter immigration policies.”

“The Dominican Republic has also emerged as a key security partner for Washington, cracking down on drugs and gun smuggling routes that fuel violence across the region. The Trump administration wants more cooperation there.”

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Abi-Habib, Correal, Mega, Wagner & Bolanos, Latin America Gets Into Deal-Making Mode for Rubio’s Visit, N.Y. Times (Feb. 1, 2025).

The Six Principles of Stupidity

That is the title of a fascinating column by David Brooks.[1]Here is what he said.

Preamble

“This was the week in which the Chinese made incredible gains in artificial intelligence and the Americans made incredible gains in human stupidity. I’m sorry, but I look at the Trump administration’s behavior over the last week and the only word that accurately describes it is: stupid.”

“I am not saying the members of the Trump administration are not intelligent. We all know high-I.Q. people who behave in a way that’s as dumb as rocks. I don’t believe that there are stupid people, just stupid behaviors. As the Italian historian Carlo Cipolla once put it, “The probability that a certain person be stupid is independent of any other characteristic of that person.”

“And I am certainly not saying Donald Trump’s supporters are less intelligent than others. I’ve learned over the years that many upscale Democrats detest intellectual diversity. When they have power over a system — whether it’s academia, the mainstream media, the nonprofits or the Civil Service — they tend to impose a stifling orthodoxy that makes everybody within it duller, more conformist and insular. If Republicans want to upend that, I say: Go for it.”

“I define stupidity as behaving in a way that ignores the question: What would happen next? If somebody comes up to you and says, “I think I’m going to take a hike in a lightning storm with a copper antenna on my head,” stupidity replies, “That sounds like a really great idea!” Stupidity is the tendency to take actions that hurt you and the people around you.”

“The administration produced volleys of stupidity this week. It renewed threats to impose ruinous tariffs on Canada and Mexico that would drive up inflation in America. It attempted a broad and general purge of the federal work force, apparently without asking how that purge would affect government operations. But I’d like to focus on one other episode: the attempt to freeze federal spending on assistance programs, and Trump’s subsequent decision to reverse course and undo the freeze.”

“When announcing the freeze, the administration stated its clear goal — to defund things like the diversity, equity and inclusion programs that Trump disapproves of. A prudent administration would have picked the programs it opposed and focused on cutting those, through a well-established process known as rescission authority. But the Trump administration decided to impose a vague, half-baked freeze on what it claimed amounted to more than $3 trillion in federal spending. Suddenly, patients in cancer trials at the National Institutes of Health didn’t know if they could continue their treatments, Head Start administrators didn’t know if they could draw federal funds, cities and states across America didn’t know if they would have money for police forces, schools, nutrition programs, highway repair and other basic services.”

“This Trump policy was like trying to cure acne with decapitation. Nobody seems to have asked the question: If we freeze all grant spending, what will happen next? Once the ramifications of that stupidity became obvious, Trump reversed course. And this is my big prediction for this administration: It will churn out a steady stream of stupid policies, and when the consequences of those policies begin to hit Trump’s approval rating, he will flip-flop, diminish or abandon those policies. He loves popularity more than any idea.”

The Six Principles

“But it is still true that we’re going to have to learn a lot about stupidity over the next four years. I’ve distilled what I’ve learned so far into six main principles:”

“Principle 1: Ideology produces disagreement, but stupidity produces befuddlement. This week, people in institutions across America spent a couple of days trying to figure out what the hell was going on. This is what happens when a government freezes roughly $3 trillion in spending with a two-page memo that reads like it was written by an intern. When stupidity is in control, the literature professor Patrick Moreau argues, words become unscrewed “from their relation to reality.”

“Principle 2: Stupidity often inheres in organizations, not individuals. When you create an organization in which one man has all the power and everybody else has to flatter his preconceptions, then stupidity will surely result. As the German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer put it: “This is virtually a sociological-psychological law. The power of the one needs the stupidity of the other.”

“Principle 3: People who behave stupidly are more dangerous than people who behave maliciously. Evil people at least have some accurate sense of their own self-interest, which might restrain them. Stupidity dares greatly! Stupidity already has all the answers!”

“Principle 4: People who behave stupidly are unaware of the stupidity of their actions. You may have heard of the Dunning-Kruger effect, which is that incompetent people don’t have the skills to recognize their own incompetence. Let’s introduce the Hegseth-Gabbard corollary: The Trump administration is attempting to remove civil servants who may or may not be progressive but who have tremendous knowledge in their field of expertise and hire MAGA loyalists who often lack domain knowledge or expertise. The results may not be what the MAGA folks hoped for.”

“ Principle 5: Stupidity is nearly impossible to oppose. Bonhoeffer notes, “Against stupidity we are defenseless.” Because stupid actions do not make sense, they invariably come as a surprise. Reasonable arguments fall on deaf ears. Counter-evidence is brushed aside. Facts are deemed irrelevant. Bonhoeffer continues, “In all this the stupid person, in contrast to the malicious one, is utterly self-satisfied and, being easily irritated, becomes dangerous by going on the attack.”

“Principle 6: The opposite of stupidity is not intelligence, it’s rationality. The psychologist Keith Stanovich defines rationality as the capacity to make decisions that help people achieve their objectives. People in the grip of the populist mind-set tend to be contemptuous of experience, prudence and expertise, helpful components of rationality. It turns out that this can make some populists willing to believe anything — conspiracy theories, folk tales and internet legends; that vaccines are harmful to children. They don’t live within a structured body of thought but within a rave party chaos of prejudices.”

Conclusion

Brooks concludes, “As time has gone by, I’ve developed more and more sympathy for the goals the populists are trying to achieve. America’s leadership class has spent the last few generations excluding, ignoring, rejecting and insulting a large swath of this country. It’s terrible to be assaulted in this way. It’s worse when you finally seize power and start assaulting yourself — and everyone around you. In fact, it’s stupid.”

This blogger endorses the need for rationality in U.S. politics and life today: “the capacity to make decisions that help people achieve their objectives.” This involves “experience, prudence and expertise.”

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[1] Brooks. The Six Principles of Stupidity, N.Y. Times (Jan. 30, 2025).

President Trump Revokes Biden’s Cancellation of Cuba as State Sponsor of Terrorism

The U.S. position on whether Cuba is a state sponsor of terrorism recently has gone through several significant changes.

On December 24, 2024, the U.S. State Department released its latest annual report on countries that were state sponsors of terrorism, and it again included Cuba.[1]

On January 14, 2025, President Biden announced that his administration intended to remove Cuba from that list.[2]

On January 20, just after being sworn in as U.S. President, Donald Trump signed an executive order cancelling various President Biden’s actions, including his Presidential Memorandum of January 14, 2025( (Certification of rescission of Cuba’s Designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism.[3]

Miguel Diaz-Canel, the Cuban President, said this Trump action was “an act of arrogance and disregard for the truth. It is not surprising. Their goal is to continue strengthening the cruel economic war against Cuba for the purpose of domination, The result of the extreme economic blockade measures imposed by Trump has been to cause shortages among our people, and a significant increase in the migratory flow from Cuba to the United States. This act of mockery and abuse confirms the discredit of the lists and unilateral mechanisms of coercion of the US Government. The legitimate and noble cause of our people will prevail, and once again it will win,. [4]

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[1] U.S. Announces that Cuba Is Still a State Sponsor of Terrorism , dwkcommentaries.com (Dec. 13, 2024).

[2] E.g.,, Biden moves to lift state sponsor of terrorism designation for Cuba, part of deal to free prisoners, AP News (Jan. 14, 2025).

[3] White House, Executive Order: Initial Rescissions of Harmful Executive Orders and Actions (Jan. 20, 2025) .

[4] Donald Trump revokes Cuba’s exclusion form the list of state sponsors of terrorism, Diario de Cuba (Jan. 21, 2025); Donald Trump reversed the removal of Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism, Granma (Jan. 21, 2025).

Washington Post Calls for Closing Guantanamo Bay Prison

In the following January 15 Editorial, the Washington Post called flor closing the U. S. prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.[1]

“President Joe Biden is set to leave office Monday as the third president to try — and fail — to close the U.S. military prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. This ugly symbol of one of the most regrettable policies in recent American history will persist into another administration, and very likely beyond.”

“President George W. Bush opened Guantánamo at the height of the “war on terror” and quickly filled it with 780 men. After belatedly realizing that its existence had become a terrorist recruiting tool and a blight on America’s global standing as a beacon of justice, Bush wanted to close it but settled for reducing the population to 242 inmates. Barack Obama campaigned on a promise to close the prison, but once elected he was stymied by Congress, managing only to reduce its population to 40. President Donald Trump, in his first term, pledged to keep the prison running and fill it with “some bad dudes,” but added no prisoners.”

“Biden deserves credit for bringing Guantánamo’s inmate population down to 15. This month, in the largest-ever transfer of detainees, 11 Yemeni men were sent to Oman. This followed the movement in December of two detainees to Malaysia and one to Kenya.”

“The remaining prisoners are from Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia. There is also one Palestinian and one stateless Rohingya Muslim who was captured by Pakistani troops near the Afghanistan border in 2001.”

“The inmate population might have been reduced further in August, had Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin not stepped in at the last moment to nix a plea deal with three men accused of plotting the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Walid bin Attash and Mustafa al-Hawsawi had agreed to plead guilty before a military commission hearing their cases in exchange for the government taking the death penalty off the table. The men would have served life in prison instead. Austin’s decision to revoke the plea deal was inexplicable — he would have, or should have, known about it long before it became public — and can only be marked down to the political calendar; the presidential election was three months away, and the families of the 9/11 victims might have been outraged by a deal that spared the lives of some of the terror plot’s masterminds. Austin’s decision was overturned by a military judge, and the deal is now stalled.”

“Biden also could have moved more quickly early in his term if he had made emptying Guantánamo a higher priority — as might have been expected from a president who said “democracy promotion” was a core tenet of his foreign policy. Keeping inmates detained for decades in a parallel legal structure, without charges, after many were subjected to torture and denied basic due process (the presumption of innocence and speedy trials, for instance) contradicts core principles of American justice. For 23 years, Guantánamo’s dark stain has hampered America’s ability to honestly condemn other countries for using arbitrary detention and torture, and for denying basic human rights for the accused.”

“Opening Guantánamo was a mistake from the start, and presidents since Bush can be blamed for not correcting it. But Congress has thrown up obstacles. Biden and Obama were both hamstrung by foolish legislation that tightly restricted detainee transfers to other countries and altogether prohibited sending them to prisons on U.S. soil because of specious concerns about security. Federal prisons already hold convicted terrorists, including shoe bomber Richard Reid and Zacarias Moussaoui, sometimes called the 20th hijacker.”

“Leaving only 15 detainees in Guantánamo Bay at an estimated cost of about $500 million a year — $33 million per prisoner — exposes the absurdity of keeping the prison open at all.”

“Abuse of detainees during wars or periods of mass trauma is tragically common. Think of the forced relocation and imprisonment of people of Japanese ancestry during World War II. But it is left to future leaders to acknowledge and correct such wrongs. President-elect Trump, who signed an executive order in 2018 to keep Guantánamo open, has expressed no interest in closing it. But in 2019 he did acknowledge that the cost of maintaining the prison was “crazy.” If he is now serious about wanting to improve government efficiency, he should work toward transferring the remaining inmates to secure federal prisons.”

Conclusion. Give thanks to the Washington Post for this Editorial.

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[1] Editorial, After 23 shameful years, close Guantanamo, Wash. Post (Jan. 15, 2025).

Cuba’s Combatant March of December 20

On December 20, Cuba’s Combatant March of more than 500,000 Cubans, representing the people of the entire nation, flooded the Malecón in Havana [in front of the U.S. Embassy]. . . to send a message across the ocean to the United States government to protest against the blockade and to ensure that Cuba no longer remains on the list of alleged state sponsors of terrorism.[1]

Diaz-Canel, the President of Cuba and the leader of its Communist Party, delivered the following lengthy speech at the end of the march:

“The current US administration, which today has exactly one month left in the White House, has done nothing to move away from the line of reinforced blockade and economic suffocation of Cuba that was left as a legacy by the Republican administration that returns to the Oval Office in January.”
“By implementing the 243 additional measures and keeping Cuba on the list of countries sponsoring terrorism, Biden has cruelly and disciplinedly complied with the policy that Trump approved during his term in office.”
“In recent weeks and days, there have been numerous statements by personalities from the United States and other parts of the world demanding that Biden use his power to at least remove from that spurious list the name of a nation that should never have been on it.”
“To point to Cuba as a state that supposedly sponsors terrorism is at the very least false and immoral, no matter where the accusation comes from, but it is doubly so when the accusation comes from US territory, where paramilitary groups are currently training to organize, promote and finance terrorist actions against social and economic structures in Cuba.”
“They are based in South Florida and do not hide away to train. They do it publicly, in plain sight and with the protection of local authorities, even violating their own laws and international treaties.”
“This is how they have acted for many years, sheltering in their territory confessed terrorists from this continent, such as Luis Posada Carriles and Orlando Bosch, masterminds of the abominable crime in Barbados who, however, died peacefully in the United States without ever paying for their crimes.”
“Knowing such antecedents, no American ruler can classify Cuba as a terrorist state.”
“The current government of that country knows this well. Secretary of State Antony Blinken acknowledged this last May when he told the media that there was no justification for Cuba to remain on that list.”
“They acknowledge this but do not act, because US policy towards Cuba was hijacked more than six decades ago by a mafia stronghold of the Batista regime, based in South Florida, and against which they have shown weakness when it comes to acting coherently towards our country.”
“Cuba’s continued presence on that list and the intensification of the blockade policy are ruthless actions towards the Cuban people that must cease now!”
“When our international trade is persecuted and financial transactions are prevented, the Cuban people are being denied food, medicine, fuel, goods, supplies and merchandise essential to their survival.”
“When obstacles are placed in the way of our exports or when relations with our companies are persecuted and penalized, the country is being deprived of the currency that is essential for our development and for financing our project of social justice.”
“When onlineservices are prevented or academic and scientific exchanges are restricted, a blow is dealt to a nation that seeks to develop and move forward with its own talent and efforts, in the midst of an increasingly interconnected world.”
“When a people are denied medical oxygen in the midst of a pandemic, and even other countries or foreign companies that can do so are intimidated, this is criminal action.”
“This is the day-to-day life in which Cuba, its people and its government struggle to make their way.”
“The United States’ attempt to undermine the dignity of this people by means of the club has been destroyed today with this rally and combat march, which demonstrates how high the honor of our country still is!”
“Since we launched the call for this march, the prophets of anti-Cuban hatred have been hysterically shouting that it would be a failure, calling for a boycott and lying about their motivations.”
“How little they know about the Cuban people! How much they still underestimate our patriotic and revolutionary convictions!”
“Other spokesmen for the US government and the anti-Cuban mafia in South Florida insisted on poisoning the networks with the false idea that this was an anti-American march.”
“We do not profess the slightest feeling of hatred or animosity towards the American people. Towards the noble citizens of that country we have all our respect, and our hand is always extended to strengthen the bonds of brotherhood between the two peoples.”
“It is the same hand that we have extended to all governments of the United States, from the triumph of the Revolution until today, always based on a serious, respectful relationship on equal terms.”
“But if the United States persists in its efforts to undermine our sovereignty, our independence, our socialism, it will only encounter rebellion and intransigence!.”
“Every administration that has tried has outlived the Cuban Revolution, and will continue to do so.”
“This will be a march, yes, a very anti-imperialist one! Against American imperialism and its attempt to impose itself in Cuba by force or seduction, we will march now and always!”
“We are marching now to tell the United States Government: Let the Cuban people live in peace!”
“Down with interference! (Shouts of ‘Down!”)

“Down with the blockade!”(Shouts of “Down!”)

“Down with unilateral coercive measures against Cuba!” (Shouts of ‘Down!”)

“Down with Cuba’s continued presence on the list of state sponsors of terrorism!.”” (Shouts of: “Down!”)

“Down with the genocide against the Cuban people!“ (Shouts of: “Down!’)

“Socialism or Death!”

“Homeland or Death!”

“We will win!”(Exclamations of: “We will win!”)

Reactions

Although this blogger wants as soon as possible to see the end of the U.S. Cuba embargo (blockade) and designation of Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism, this march was not a reason for that opinion.

[1] ‘Allow a counter-march. If they overtake us there, their strength will have no objections,’ Diario de Cuba (December 21, 2024); On the march to victory, and with the foot in the stirrup, Granma (Dec. 21, 2024); Against the attempt to impose itself in Cuba by force or seduction, we will march now and forever! Granma (Dec. 20, 2024); A march that was, yes, very anti-imperialist!, Granma (Dec. 20, 2024).

Cuba Planning March Challenging Biden To Cancel Hostile U.S. Policies

The Call for a Cuban Combatant March

On December 14 (the last day of the IX Plenary Session of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba) Cuban President Diaz-Canel delivered a speech in which he said that the Cuban people “expect changes and solutions to their problems, which cannot always come from the nation [of Cuba]. But at all levels, we must act with sensitivity to these problems, we must involve them increasingly in the response. Popular participation is simply indispensable.”[1]

Diaz-Canel then said there was the U.S. blockade that “has been intensified, there is an economic war, they despise us, they vulgarly, obscenely and hatefully poison us on social media. In response to this hostile policy, we call on the heroic Cuban people to march in combat on December 20. It will be a strong condemnation of the imperial blockade and the unjust inclusion of Cuba in the list of countries that supposedly sponsor terrorism.”

Therefore, he called for a “March of the Combatant People for next October 20.”

Granma Editorial Endorsing the Combatant March[2]

Here is what that editorial said:

“Far from fulfilling his electoral promise regarding relations with Cuba, President Joseph Biden, in his four years in office, has kept in force and in application almost all of the draconian economic coerción mesures imposed by the Trump administration, and has approved others, such as the recent legislation that legalizes the shameless theft of the Havana Club brand in the US market.”

“The policy of maximum pressure applied, the cornerstone of which is the reinforcement of the blockade, has had markedly harmful effects on the quality of life of the Cuban people, their access to food, health services, medicines, decent housing and numerous essential goods, and has caused the migration of thousands of people, sometimes in extremely risky conditions.”

“It is the rigorous concretization of the imperialist action design towards Cuba, outlined in the well-known memorandum of the Assistant Undersecretary of State, Lester Mallory, 64 years ago, who defined that the only way to confront the Cuban Revolution “… is through the disenchantment and dissatisfaction that arise from economic malaise and material difficulties… all possible means must be quickly employed to weaken the economic life of Cuba… a line of action that, being the most skillful and discreetly as possible, achieve the greatest advances in depriving Cuba of money and supplies, in order to reduce its financial resources and real wages, provoke hunger, desperation and the overthrow of the Government.”

“Since then, the strategy has consisted not only of bringing hunger and misery to the Cuban people, but also and, above all, in trying to make it seem that the cause of such misfortunes is the “inefficient management” of the Cuban government, and not the so-called “sanctions” of Washington.”

“But the numbers are clear in showing who is holding back the necessary development of the Cuban nation. The blockade affects our people to the tune of more than 421 million dollars a month, more than 13.8 million dollars a day, and 575,683 dollars in damages for every hour of its application.”

“The blockade is the most comprehensive, complete and prolonged system of unilateral and extraterritorial coercive economic measures ever applied against any nation.”

“”No country, even with economies much more prosperous and robust than Cuba’s, could face such a ruthless, asymmetric and prolonged aggression, without a considerable cost to the standard of living of its population, its stability and social justice,” says the report presented by Cuba this year to the United Nations General Assembly, where the overwhelming majority of UN member countries condemned this policy of force and suffocation.”

“In addition to the considerable damage caused to the economy, finances and trade by this aberrant policy, there are the restrictive measures resulting from the decision to include Cuba, in a malicious manner, in the infamous arbitrary and illegitimate list of countries that supposedly sponsor terrorism. It was a perverse move by the Trump administration, a few days before leaving the White House.”

“This designation is cynical, because Cuba, far from sponsoring terrorism, has been and is the victim of recurring terrorist activities financed and organized from US territory, with the consent of the authorities of that country.”

“Cuba has a clear and firm position in the fight against terrorism in all its forms. It has served as a key intermediary in the peace talks between the Colombian government, the ELN and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), in the same spirit with which it called on the member states of CELAC a decade ago to declare the region a Zone of Peace, ‘based on respect for the principles and norms of International Law.’”

“It is a cruel act because it is designed to maximize the suffering of the Cuban people. The inclusion of our country on the list of nations that support terrorism not only makes international transactions difficult, has export obstacles and financial restrictions, or hinders assistance to the country with humanitarian aid, but also threatens or penalizes citizens of countries that enjoy the privilege of traveling to Cuba, which includes Cuban nationals. It also interferes with banking transactions of natural persons and new non-state economic actors. It prevents the contracting of online services and restricts academic and scientific exchanges.”

“In May 2024, the State Department removed Cuba from the list of states that “do not fully cooperate” with the United States in the fight against terrorism, further highlighting the nefarious and opportunistic nature of the 2021 designation.”

“In defending the rational change of attitude, Secretary of State Antony Blinken not only cited the current position of the Colombian government, but also highlighted Cuba’s police cooperation and the non-existence of terrorist elements on Cuban territory.”

“But this is not enough. Cuba continues to suffer as a result of its cynical, cruel and illegal exclusion from the international economy and finances, given its continued inclusion on the arbitrary list of alleged sponsors of terrorism.”

“President Biden can put an end to that lie and heed the call of dozens of governments, numerous former presidents and prime ministers, hundreds of members of parliament, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and other religious leaders, and thousands of organizations around the world and in the United States itself.”

“In the days remaining in his term, President Biden can remove Cuba from the List of State Sponsors of Terrorism; he has the authority to do so. If he wants to leave some decency as a legacy in the final days of his political life, he can take that symbolic step. There is still time to do so.”

“The Cuban people will continue to fight against unjust aggression, against the genocidal blockade, against manipulation and lies, against spurious and coercive lists, against the million-dollar funds to subvert internal order and feed disinformation operations, and will demand with all their might justice and peace for Cuba and for our world.”

“This is what will happen on December 20, when, in their name, the people of the capital will march in combat along the Havana seafront to express, in front of the United States Embassy, their demand for an end to hostility, their condemnation of imperial ignominy, and their unyielding spirit of struggle and victory.”

“We will march with the profound conviction, instilled by Fidel, that there is no force in the world capable of crushing the power of truth and ideas.”

Reaction

As a U.S. citizen and resident, this blogger was involved in Minneapolis’ Westminster Presbyterian Church’s establishing a partnership with a Cuban Presbyterian Church in the city of Maranzas over 20 years ago, including making three mission trips to that church, and has maintained contact with fellow Westminster members so involved today and with visits of Cuban pastors to our church. As a result, this blogger has paid close attention to the ongoing bilateral relations and written many blog posts about same.

Although I do not subscribe to the negative comments about the U.S. in the current Cuban effort to promote the upcoming Combatant March, I do support the U.S. in the last days of the Biden Administration cancelling its current designation of Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism because I think it is not justified and because Cuba has been going through a horrible time, politically and economically, and needs all of the help it can get. I also would like the embargo to be cancelled, but that would take congressional action, which is not possible now.

Tomorrow we will see the actual march.

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[1] With no solutions to the crisis that is overwhelming Cubans, Diaz-Canel calls on them to a ‘combatant march’, Diario de Cuba (Dec. 14, 2024).

[2] Editorial: A march against imperial ignominy, Granma (Dec. 16, 2024); Extreme pressure on Biden: the Cuban regime shows the purpose of the December 20 march, Diario de Cuba (Dec.17, 2024).

Former U.S. Officials Plead for Biden Administration To Relax Cuba Restrictions

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)

U.S. Blames Cuba for Failure of U.S.-Cuba Reconciliation

On December 16. 2024, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Brian Nichols made a statement about the U.S.-Cuba relationship to the editors of Marti Noticias, a Cuba organization founded in 1983 “to serve as a reliable and authoritative source of accurate, balanced and complete information for the Cuban people,” which is “a closed society where all media outlets continue to be controlled by the State, [while] Radio Martí and Martinoticias.com focus on essentially covering the Cuban issue with an alternative vision that breaks censorship.”[1]

Nichols said, ““The restoration of diplomatic relations under the Obama administration was an important step in trying to improve the lives of Cuban citizens and address challenges such as the lack of democracy on the island. However, the reforms we would have liked to see in Cuba did not occur.”

“Relations quickly cooled after Donald Trump came to power in his first term, mysterious health incidents involving US diplomats in Havana and then the brutal repression of peaceful protests by hundreds of thousands of Cubans demanding freedom.”

“In 2021 we saw a wave of repression that truly stunned the world, a huge setback for the well-being of the Cuban people and the international community. It was a missed opportunity by the Cuban regime,” Nichols added.

“Since mass protests in July 2021, the Cuban regime has imprisoned more than 1,000 political prisoners, many of them young people who took to the streets to peacefully demand fundamental freedoms. The sentences imposed amount to decades of imprisonment. Despite repeated calls from the United States for their release, Havana has ignored these demands.”

“’Our focus in Cuba is to promote private sector development and address some of the humanitarian challenges, such as the lack of economic resources and food,’ said Nichols.”

“’There is hunger, maybe not a famine, but a lot of hunger in Cuba. The economic activity of the private sector supports the well-being of ordinary people, and we have tried to support this with changes in economic regulations.’”

“In May 2024, the Joe Biden administration implemented measures to strengthen the private sector on the island, allowing Cuban entrepreneurs to open bank accounts in the United States and carry out international transactions. Cloud services were also authorized to improve Internet access and financial options were expanded to benefit the population.”

“However, the Cuban regime has hindered this development. It has restricted wholesale trade for private actors, limiting it exclusively to contracts with state entities. In addition, it eliminated incentives for new businesses, imposed higher requirements for entrepreneurship, increased taxes and tightened accounting regulations, further hampering private sector growth.”

“’’The solution to the problems Cuba faces at this time is democracy and increased freedoms,’ Nichols stressed, arguing that greater openness would allow for ‘more economic growth’ and general well-being for the population.”

“’You cannot treat the symptoms, such as the blackouts, without addressing the real disease: the lack of democracy in Cuba,’ Nichols concluded.

Reactions

There is a lot of truth in these remarks by Deputy Secretary Nichols. However, it misleadingly omits referring to U.S. actions that have contributed to the current unpleasant state of the relationship: maintenance of the U.S. embargo of the island and the U.S. designation of Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism.

Note shold also be made about this blog’s posts about President Obama’s leadership in fostering a normalization of this bilateral relationship and the first Trump administration’s abandonment of these Obama efforts and the failure of the Biden Administration to return to the Obama normalization campaign.

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[1] Ten years after the ‘thaw’ with Havana, the U.S. says it was a ;missed opportunity,’ Diario de Cuba (Dec. 17. 2024); Penton, “A missed opportunity,’ says the US a decade after the thaw with Cuba, Marti Noricias (Dec. 16, 2024); Get to know us, Marti Noticias. See also Why Are Cuba and the U.S. Still Mired in the Cold War?, dwkcommentaries.com (Dec. 16, 2024).

Why Are Cuba and the U.S. Still Mired in the Cold War?

This is the title of a lengthy article in Foreign Policy by William H. LeoGrande, professor of government at American University in Washington, D.C. and a respected commentator on the important topic of this bilateral relation.[1]

Obama’s Normalization Effort

The starting point for his analysis is a review of the 10^th anniversary of President Obama’s public announcement of his Administration’s start of normalization of relations with Cuba. Highlights of that effort were “ending the U.S. designation of Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism, reopening of both countries embassies, President Obama’s visit to Cuba, loosening of restrictions on U.S. citizens travel to the island and resumption of U.S. airlines travel to Cuba, resulting increases in U.S. travel to the island, establishing a bilateral commission to oversee the work of 18 diplomatic working groups; and Obama’s prediction of an end to the U.S. embargo” (that did not happen). Nevertheless, this effort at normalization “was immensely popular both at home and abroad. Pope Francis blessed it, the Cuban people loved it, and the general U.S. public supported it, including more than half of Cuban Americans.”[2]

Trump’s First Term’s Return to Hostile Relations

LeoGrande then notes that in his first term, Trump adopted new regulations to restrict U.S. travel to the island, impose limits on remittances, block business with Cuban companies managed by its military, disband bilateral working groups on various issues plus returned to Cuba’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism.[3]

Biden’s Failure To Return to Obama’s Normalization

Leo Grande then had these brief remarks about President Biden. “During [Biden’s] campaign, he criticized the impact of Trump’s policies on Cuban families and promised to restore Obama’s policy of normalization ‘in large part.’ But he never did. Biden did adopt some ‘half-measures.’ Most importantly, he left Cuba on the lise of state sponsors of terrorism. The result has been an incoherent hybrid policy . . .and there is little indication that he will use his lame-duck period to finally keep the Cuba-policy promises he made in 2020.” [4]

Trump Redux

Leo Grande says, “Trump’s return to the White House could presage a return to maximum pressure, especially with Rubio as secretary of states and Rep. Mike Waltz as national security advisor. Rubio and Republican Cuban Americans on the Hill will surely push for it, just as they did in Trump’s first term. They will point out that 70 percent of Cuban Americans in Florida voted for him and that a recent Florida International University (FIU) poll found 72 percent of Cuban American respondents support maximum pressure to promote regime change.” [5]

“But resuming maximum pressure would stir a political hornet’s nest. After eight years of intense sanctions exacerbated by the Cuban government’s policy mistakes, the island is suffering an unprecedented economic and social crisis. Life is so hard and prospects for the future are so grim that more than a million Cubans—9 percent of the population—emigrated in the past three years. Three-quarters of them have come to the United States, 690,000 arrived undocumented at the southern border, another 100,000 admitted under Biden’s humanitarian parole program. If Trump adopts policies that deepen Cuba’s crisis, the new surge of migrants could dwarf these numbers, which would seriously complicate his plans to end irregular immigration.”

Conclusion

LeoGrande concludes his article with the following words:

“[T]he key lesson from the fleeting rapprochement that began 10 years ago on Dec. 17, 2014, is that engagement benefits both countries and that bold and determined leaders can make it happen. The enthusiasm with which Cubans, Americans, and people around the world embraced the prospect of peace between the United States and Cuba underscored just how long overdue reconciliation was. Both Obama and Raúl Castro spoke of rebuilding bridges between their countries, and both acknowledged it would be hard to put decades of animosity to rest. It has proven harder than anyone expected in the halcyon days following Dec. 17, but the ties that bind Cuba and the United States—ties of family, commerce, culture, and the shared interests that come from living next door to one another—will eventually overcome the resistance of even the most recalcitrant politicians. As Henry Kissinger recognized half a century ago, ‘perpetual antagonism’ between the United States and Cuba need not be normal.’”

“Cuban Americans are not likely to support closing the southern border to Cuban migrants, and immigration law prohibits discrimination on the basis of nationality. If the administration tries to make an exception for Cubans, the policy will certainly be challenged in court. Trump’s plans to deport undocumented immigrants could face even bigger problems. Tearing recent Cuban migrants from their families, many of whom paid traffickers thousands of dollars to bring their relatives here, would cause a political firestorm in south Florida. The FIU poll found that 72 percent of respondents support humanitarian parole for Cuban migrants and that half are planning to bring relatives still in Cuba to the United States in the future.”

“In foreign policy, tougher Cuba sanctions would complicate relations with Mexico. President Claudia Sheinbaum is supporting Cuba by sending it cheap oil. In 2023, her predecessor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, warned the Biden administration that Cuban migration spurred by U.S. sanctions was causing problems for Mexico and complicating cooperation with Washington on migration issues. Cooperation with Mexico, as Trump learned in his first term, is indispensable for limiting undocumented migration and narcotics trafficking across the southern border, which are all top priorities for him.”

“Escalating sanctions on Cuba could also complicate Trump’s desire to improve relations with Russia. Moscow has grown closer with Havana in recent years, expanding relations beyond economic cooperation into a ‘strategic partnership,’ as the two countries describe it. Cuba has defended Russia’s rationale for its invasion of Ukraine, making Havana a valuable ally in the Global South. And Russian President Vladimir Putin clearly values having an outpost in the United States “near abroad,” if only as a geopolitical thorn in Washington’s side. In short, Russia has a clear interest in the survival of the Cuban regime.”

“I f sanctions succeed in destabilizing Cuba to the point that the state fails and social violence erupts, the pressure from Cuban Americans for U.S. military intervention will be immense. Cuban American elected officials demanded intervention in July 2021, in response to the Cuban government’s suppression of nationwide demonstrations, even though the largely peaceful protests only lasted a few days. U.S. intervention would poison relations with Latin America for a generation.”

“But the key lesson from the fleeting rapprochement that began 10 years ago on Dec. 17, 2014, is that engagement benefits both countries and that bold and determined leaders can make it happen. The enthusiasm with which Cubans, Americans, and people around the world embraced the prospect of peace between the United States and Cuba underscored just how long overdue reconciliation was. Both Obama and Raúl Castro spoke of rebuilding bridges between their countries, and both acknowledged it would be hard to put decades of animosity to rest. It has proven harder than anyone expected in the halcyon days following Dec. 17, but the ties that bind Cuba and the United States—ties of family, commerce, culture, and the shared interests that come from living next door to one another—will eventually overcome the resistance of even the most recalcitrant politicians. As Henry Kissinger recognized half a century ago, “perpetual antagonism” between the United States and Cuba need not be normal.”

Reactions

This blog recently has been publishing posts about the horrible times currently being suffered in Cuba and hence the need for the U.S. to return to the normalization efforts of President Obama/ [6]

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[1] Leo Grande, Why Are Cuba and the U.S. Still Mired in the Cold War?, Foreign Policy (Dec. 12, 2024).

[2] See the posts listed in the following sections of List of Posts to dwkcommentaries—Topical: CUBA [as of 5/4/20]: U.S. (Obama) & Cuba Relations (Normalization), 2014; U.S. (Obama) & Cuba Relations (Normalization), 2015; U.S. (Obama) & Cuba Relations (Normalization), 2016; and U.S. (Obama) & Cuba Relations (Normalization), 2017.

[3] See the posts listed in the following sections of that List of Posts: U.S. (Trump) & Cuba Relations, 2016-17; and U.S. (Trump) and Cuba, 2018.

[4] I concur in LeoGrande’s analysis and conclusion.

[5] Another concurrence.

[6] E.g., U.S. Congressmen Ask President Biden To Provide Sanctions Relief and Other Aid to Cuba (Nov. 20, 2024); Cuba’s Unstoppable Spiral of Misery, dwkcommentaries.com (Dec. 4, 2024);Diario de Cuba’s Editorial on Its 15^th Anniversary, dwkcommentaries.com (Dec. 5, 2024); Will Cuba Lose Almost Half of Its Population by 2100?, dwkcommentaries.com (Dec.14, 2024).