I first saw this interview with Senator John McCain posted on the "Uncommon Sense" blog. Check out this blog when you can, it provides updates on Cuban political prisoners, of whom we should demand immediate release from the Cuban government, even through negotiation.
In the McCain interview, conducted by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, the US senator proposes a plan after Fidel Castro's death. He says:
"I think that that is the time that we offer a package of trade, of assistance, of economic development, of assistance in democratization—and tell them we will give them all of those things and in return we are asking them to embark on the path to democracy. Including setting a date for free and fair elections."[1]
This sounds reasonable, but asking for political prisoners to wait is not. Hopefully this proposal also includes commitment to direct bilateral negotiations, and equal concessions from both parties. These are key elements to a fair process of negotiations, which should take place now.
McCain has also shown interest in possible negotiations with Iran and Syria, as suggested by the recent report by the Iraq Study Group to ameliorate the situation in Iraq. In this case McCain states:
"On the issue of a regional conference with countries in the region, as long as we understand that the interests of Iran and Syria are not the same as ours... And if the price of negotiations with Iran is acquiescence to their nuclear weapons program, then that's not good enough. And if the price of negotiations with Syria is their control of Lebanon, we cannot accept that."[2]
Many against negotiations with Cuba believe that such a gesture of compromise is a sign of weakness or acquiescence. On the contrary, negotiations between parties, where conflict escalation is foreseen, should be a serious response to dire grievances that demand immediate remedy and allow equal concessions from all parties leading to future long-term stability.
There is no acquiescence in equal compromise.
[1]http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_489826.html
[2]http://www.cnn.com/POLITICS/blogs/politicalticker/2006/12/mccain-cautions-about-negotiating-with.html
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1 comment:
Lies will not get you anywhere. Things have a way of getting clear, eventually. There's no blockade. Cuba doesn't pay its debts, and the Fecesgovernment by FecesCastro and the rest is incapable of running even an old Chinese bicycle.
Hello all you "mambises encueros" of the apologist movement for the Castro Brothers. Just out of curiosity, how much are you paid for trying to dishearten the "gusanos" who continue bravely fighting against Fidel el Gastronomo Castro? Tokyo Rose had nothing on you guys, you know that?
Amazing that Cubans would stoop so low to defend Castro, Che, and all those goons.
Subject: Tokyo Rose Remembered- On the Garbage Detail
From Walt, a WW II vet from the Pacific war zone
She had the best music on her station and most people just laughed. The ship I was on was sunk no less than five times but each time Davy Jones threw her back up.
Tokyo Rose During World War II -- the Japanese developed a way to demoralize the American forces. Psychological warfare experts developed a message they felt would work.
They gave the script to their famous broadcaster "Tokyo Rose" and every day she would broadcast this same message packaged in different ways, hoping it would have a negative impact on American GI's morale.
What was that demoralizing message? It had three main points:
1. Your President is lying to you.
2. This war is illegal.
3. You cannot win the war.
Does this sound familiar?
Is it because Hillary, Harry, John, Teddy, Nancy, etc. have picked up the same message and are broadcasting it on CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC, etc., to our troops?
The only difference is that they claim to support our troops before they demoralize them.Come to think of it, Tokyo Rose told the troops she was on their side, too.
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