April 30, 2019

By Ricardo Alarcón de Quesada

Between 1993 and 2013, Alarcón was President of the National Assembly of People’s Power of Cuba. This article was published on April 19 at poresto.net and translated by International Action Center Co-Director John Catalinotto.

After three months of threats and threats and on two stages — the State Department in Washington, D.C., and a theater in Miami — the U.S. administration finally announced what it intends to do to intensify its economic war against Cuba.

On April 17, at midmorning in a ceremony of barely a few minutes in the capitol, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that the administration would fully implement Title III of the Helms-Burton Act. He offered no further explanation, although he did say that as of May 2, “Cuban-Americans” will be able to bring suits before U.S. courts against those who use in any way the properties they claim belonged to them or their families.

There were no questions. No text was delivered to answer the questions that such a decision must have provoked among those who remember that for 23 years, presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump himself had adopted a position contrary to what has now been announced.

Official statements were immediately made by Spanish, Canadian, Mexican and European Union authorities who, in addition to protesting, warned that they will take necessary measures to neutralize any attempt to harm their legitimate interests. They also pointed out that they are capable of taking these measures, considering that there is no shortage of U.S.-based investments in their countries.

The most notorious spectacle was reserved for Miami. National Security Advisor John Bolton played the main role. His audience was the remaining members of those who were part of the 2506 Brigade, that is, the wreckage of the invading group that 58 years ago the Cuban people defeated in 66 hours [at the Bay of Pigs].

Bolton repeated what Pompeo had said about the lawsuits. He also announced the re-imposition of severe restrictions on Cuban-Americans’ trips to their country of origin and on the remittances they send to their families on the island. These measures were previously applied by George W. Bush and generated their rejection by the immense majority of that [Cuban-American] community, which has since been reflected in the Miami-Dade County elections.

The Miami show was as pathetic as it was grotesque.

The old and tired veterans flopped when they were young, when, organized by the CIA and supported by the U.S. armed forces, they went to Cuba to recover “their” estates, “their” factories and “their” mansions. Now Bolton promises them that their ancient fantasy will finally come true.

Nicolás Gutierrez Castaño summed up the spectacle: “Even in our most feverish dreams, we could not conceive that a U.S. government would do it. No one ever did. Forget Reagan. Forget Bush.”

Excited, the skillful managing lawyer of Helms-Burton [Gutierrez] believes the time has come to “recover” the large properties stolen by his great-grandfather.

An unabashed dreamer, Bolton, for his part, invited people to make a toast to the Monroe Doctrine that, according to him, is alive and healthy. Intoxicated, “celebrating” their crushing defeat, the guests at the bizarre banquet applauded him with delirium.

It’s time to wake them up.

(PHOTO CREDIT: poresto.net)