CUBA
Raúl won't face OAS challenge
BY MARIFELI PEREZ-STABLE
MarifeliPerez-Stable.com
Cuba isn't back. On Wednesday, the OAS General Assembly repealed the
1962 resolution that had excluded the Cuban government from its ranks.
It also established a path for reintegration: Havana needs to take the
initiative and open a dialogue that would be conducted according to OAS
``practices, purposes and principles.''
Almost 35 years ago, another General Assembly resolved to end collective
sanctions against Cuba and set member states free to restore relations
with Havana. In 1975, the Ford administration, which had opened a
discreet dialogue with Havana, green-lighted the OAS move. Still, the
vote then passed only with the requisite two-thirds majority. Chile,
Paraguay and Uruguay, then military dictatorships, voted No;
military-led Brazil and Somoza's Nicaragua abstained.
Except for the United States, all countries in the region have normal
relations with Cuba. This year, 10 Latin American presidents have met
with Raúl Castro on official visits. Without Barack Obama's proclamation
of ''a new beginning,'' however, rescinding Cuba's OAS exclusion would
have been unthinkable. Unlike 1975's, the new resolution was reached by
consensus.
''An historic error,'' the more militant member states called the 1962
resolution. But was it? Hindsight is 20-20, but it can also be
forgetful. The missile crisis was yet to come. Cuba was arming
guerrillas in Latin America, a move that, in part, constituted Havana's
response to Washington's activities to undo the revolution. In short, it
was the height of the Cold War. So, yes, let's bid a cheerful adieu to
the anachronistic resolution but without forgetting its history.
Cuba is a potent symbol in Latin America and the Caribbean. Some
countries -- Brazil, Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic and Mexico,
among them -- take a realistic approach based on diplomacy and trade. In
contrast, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Bolivia, Ecuador and Honduras wave the
flags of solidarity and anti-imperialism. Caracas and Managua, in
particular, threatened to leave the OAS and are still pining for an
alternate organization without the United States.
Having Obama in the White House is challenging for militant populism. At
the Summit of the Americas in April, for example, Obama established a
strong connection with his counterparts in the English-speaking
Caribbean. In Honduras, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton continued the
rapport at a special breakfast meeting with the region's foreign
ministers. Caribbean governments have been unrelenting critics of the
U.S. embargo but are willing to cut Obama some slack. Most in Latin
America are as well.
At one level, this week's OAS discussion was about revoking Cuba's
suspension. Some hailed the resolution for not imposing conditions on
Cuba, technically true except that the onus is now on Havana. In the
unlikely event that it takes the initiative, Cuba's leadership knows
that the resolution calls for a dialogue ''in accordance'' with OAS
principles. At another, the more complicated issue lies with the
Inter-American Democratic Charter (2001).
After the resolution passed, Manuel Zelaya, Honduras' president, hailed:
''We begin a new era of fraternity and tolerance.'' The Democratic
Charter, however, doesn't brook tolerance of repression. If Cuba knocks,
the OAS would surely be in a bind that might well bury it. In the
meantime, the Democratic Charter is not forceful enough to prevent
militant populism from subverting democratic rights and institutions.
Democracy, after all, is more than elections.
In the past two months, Havana has thrown one epithet after another at
the OAS. I don't think Raúl Castro will take up the challenge contained
in the new resolution. If he did, it'd be a sign of troubles all around
regarding the OAS, U.S.-Latin American relations and, especially, the
incipient Washington-Havana dialogue. Cuba, in fact, may be a moderating
influence on militant populism.
Now that Cuba's OAS suspension is history, Latin America and the
Caribbean should take a deep breath. Neither Cuba nor the United States
wants to mend their estrangement quickly. Cuba is facing daunting
domestic challenges. So is the Obama administration, if of a different
order altogether. The region should take its cues from Washington and
Havana, and let them make progress, one step at a time.
Marifeli Pérez-Stable is vice president for democratic governance at the
Inter-American Dialogue in Washington, D.C., and a professor at Florida
International University.
Raúl won't face OAS challenge - Other Views - MiamiHerald.com (5 June 2009)
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/other-views/story/1082384.html
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