Cuba Eases Travel Restrictions
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2012-10-18/cuba-eases-travel-restrictions
For the first time in 50 years, the Cuban government has eased travel restrictions for its citizens. Please join us to discuss who may leave, for how long and what the new rules could signal about Cuba's future.
Guests
Tomas Bilbao
executive director, Cuban Study Group.
Tom Gjelten
NPR national security correspondent and author of "Bacardi and the Long Fight for Cuba: The Biography of a Cause."
Peter Brookes
senior fellow for national security affairs at the Heritage Foundation; former deputy assistant secretary of defense for Asian and Pacific affairs in the second Bush administration; author, "A Devil's Triangle: Terrorism, WMD and Rogue States."
Comments
Please familiarize yourself with our Code of Conduct and Terms of Use before posting your comments.
Recent photos from Cuba:
"See See Havana"
http://www.efn.org/~hkrieger/cuba.htm
During a recent trip to Cuba I was surprised at the large number of groups of tourists from Canada and Europe wandering in Havana. If the U.S. government were to ease the travel restrictions for Americans wanting to visit Cuba, I think the they would overwhelm the available resources, and Cuba would no longer be the same.
That's good news, looking forward to visiting Cuba!
Will this mean that the Cuban Adjustment will go away? They come here under political asslym but after one year and one day later they return to Cuba to visit. So where is the political persecution?
Shouldn't we address the U.S. blockade? Isn't it time to declare peace with Cuba -- an island with 11 million people -- certainly no threat to the U.S.
On Nov. 13 for the 21st time the United Nations will vote overwhelmingly against the U.S. blockade/embargo. Five Cuban security agents who monitored the violent attacks on the Cuban tourist industry that were engineered from Florida during the 1990s are now serving their 15th year of U.S. imprisonment -- widely regarded as resulting from a tainted and questionable trial (amnesty international, UN Commission on Arbitrary Detentions, for example).
Let's end the U.S. travel ban imposed on U.S. citizens and residents and remember that former colonialized nations, like Cuba, have a right to determine their own way of life.
Shouldn't we address the U.S. blockade? Isn't it time to declare peace with Cuba -- an island with 11 million people -- certainly no threat to the U.S.
On Nov. 13 for the 21st time the United Nations will vote overwhelmingly against the U.S. blockade/embargo. Five Cuban security agents who monitored the violent attacks on the Cuban tourist industry that were engineered from Florida during the 1990s are now serving their 15th year of U.S. imprisonment -- widely regarded as resulting from a tainted and questionable trial (amnesty international, UN Commission on Arbitrary Detentions, for example).
Let's end the U.S. travel ban imposed on U.S. citizens and residents and remember that former colonialized nations, like Cuba, have a right to determine their own way of life.
Two dissidents complaining about Cuba is not stimulating conversation. I would very much like to hear what a supporter of the Cuban government has to say.
The caller is correct. MOST (10-15 yrs) recent immigrants from do not really simmulate to the US as my parents who came 54 yrs ago. They do not want to learn the langauage and they critize this country on a regular bases. They do collect Social Security checks although they did not work here, in fact they get more then my mother who worked for 45 yrs in this country. They also get Medicare and Medicaid. Their attitudes is that they are entitled to this.
They come here under the pretenses of political asslym..please...they are back visiting Cuba after one year and one day of arrival to the US. Where is the political persecution. It's all one big joke.
We need to do away w/ the Cuban Adjustment.
Yet again, as can always be predicted when Cuba is the topic in the US mainstream media, no guest on the show to represent even a hint of even a neutral much less a positive view of the Cuban government. Ironic since NPR can otherwise be found bending over backwards to at least pretend to present "both" sides of a topic.
Good point, Noor. This show is in Washington, D.C. Cuba has an Interests Section -- the equivalent of an Embassy. It should be easy to get a Cuban representative.
Thank you Cheryl. I think that the Cubans would have quite a bit to say about the situation on the ground there. I bet they'd also have quite a bit to say about terrorism and the dirty war we've been waging on them since 1959. You'll never hear about that on Diane Rehm, or anywhere else on npr.
Please, someone address this question:
Why is it necessary for the US Gov't to take away freedoms from its own citizens in order for us to press Cuba to give more freedoms to their citizens?
This is the most hypocritical long term foreign policy I know. I am an American who can travel most anywhere in the world, except Cuba. And that is because my govt prohibits me from doing so, not Cuba. My gov't has taken away my freedom.
Julia Guth
And what about the Cuban 5, who are beginning their 15th year of imprisonment in the U.S. for monitoring the violent terrorists plotting attacks on Cuba? See the testimony of a U.S. general at their trial at www.theCuban5.org, a general who is now the U.S. Director of National Intelligence.
As a Miami resident since the late 1960's, I must ditto the caller Gloria's comment. When the Cubans first came here they were welcomed -- for various unique historical circumstances. They have received special treatment that differs from the situation of immigrants from other places. Many do not make much effort to learn English and when a businesses hire they give preference not just to bilinguals (English/Spanish) but specifically to those who speak Cuban Spanish (not an easy dialect to pick up [unlike say Colombian]).
Too true -- during the 5 Days for the Cuban 5 in Washington, DC last April, there were many attempts to get through to the Dianne Rehm show, none successful.
There are plenty of worse countries out there than Cuba. They aren't even in the Axis of Evil.
Neither presidential candidate wants to talk about Cuba. Maybe if Romney gets in Cuba will be made available for US investors.
Just read the Cuban five website. Ummm, they were kind of spying. That's illegal in any country and often punished by firing squad. I think that Cuba's getting a raw deal but I'm still an American first and we can't tolerate espionage. Sorry.
Excellent point. One of the guests mentioned the authoritarian state of Cuba as a justification for continued U.S harassment; but no one seemed concerned with the idea that US sanctions are have what lead to the state of Cuba today.
The new regulations are just a joke. The Cuban people now don’t need any more “la tarjeta blanca”, but still the regimen decide who can travel or not.
I’m no seeing any change in China regimen, and they have a lot of tourist. How the tourist drinking mojito en the regimen hotel can help freedom? Why the American tourist could be different that European or Canadian???
Carlos A. Saladrigas want to do business with the Cuba regimen and Tomas Bilbao work for Saladrigas, so they are working for theirs self-business and theirs pockets.
Alan Gross American Jews is still dying in Cuban regimen jail because he went to Cuba to help Jews community in the island. This is the result of “people to people contact”.????
Cuba has long been host to tourists from other countries. I think this isn't generally known to most Americans.
How is it that we can have trade and travel with China yet we have restrictions on travel and trade with Cuba. Wasn't the argument that opening up trade with China would facilitate change? Why is Cuba different?
On the Diane Rehm show today, and in regards to the comment that Cubans refuse to speak English, let me add my 2 cents. As a Hispanic American (from South American descent) I have to thank the Cuban community in Miami for keeping my native language, Spanish, alive. In so many communities in the Unites States, children have lost Spanish due to the extreme racism and anti-Latino feelings that imposes the use of "English only" and a radical assimilation. By doing that, children are losing important linguistic resources that can benefit the U.S. economically-- to name just one of the many advantages of bilingualism--We live in the 21st century and in an era of globalization where more than 2/3rds of the world population is bilingual. Why is it that we continue to go against world trends and persist on the monolingualism illness???? Thank you Cuban -Americans for your commitment to bilingualism!! let's remember that Cubans have one of the highest literacy rates in the world. The more educated a person is, the more languages he/she wants to speak!!
caller who critiqued Miami culture was not rude or disrespectful from an objective point of view - mine - as I have no personal connection to the situation. Everything she stated as fact is probably statistically provable.
I had to stop listening to the show after hearing the biased response from guest, not because bias is unacceptable but because of the accompanying attitude of self-righteousness - also noted in other comments, and from other callers. This radio show is normally more intelligent than to pander to that much "attitude".
I don't disagree with those saying that travel ought to be opened up. But other than seeing (what from the photos the first poster shared) seems to be a very quaint antiquated way of life, why would anyone want to go there?
Perhaps for the "excellent healthcare"?!
Why is so important to talk about 5 spy that collaborated with the Cuban regimen to kill 4 American people???
A caller to this show surprised me by stating that Cubans are an advantaged group, such as they are allowed to come here and receive government benefits, which isn't true for other immigrant groups. In response. Tomas, one of the guests, described his work for Cuban born politician Mel Martinez, and said that Cubans had made a great contribution to this country.
I was surprised that Diane let this non-response stand as a response. I had no idea that Cubans had vaulted themselves above all other immigrant groups, though I then looked it up and read about the 1966 "Cuban Adjustment Act" which first dispensed such largesse to this privileged faction.
I would expect a discussion of the point. Without dismissing the Cuban contribution to America, how does anyone justify one group getting such a handout? I wish Diane had followed up and asked her guests how they felt about this enormous preference.