US Gives Cuba the Terrorism Treatment

[Jimmy2]

Jan. 6) -- What does a small, Caribbean island nation called Cuba have in common with Iran, Sudan and Syria?

They are the four countries deemed "state sponsors of terrorism" by the State Department and, along with 10 other "countries of interest," are therefore subject to new transportation security measures stemming from the failed Christmas Day terrorism plot.

Passengers flying from these countries to the United States will now be subjected to "enhanced screening," which could include full-body pat downs, property searches and screening by advanced-imaging machines in the U.S., according to the Wall Street Journal.

Travel between Cuba and the United States is already difficult. Until April, Cuban-Americans with family living on the island were restricted to one visit a year. Americans cannot travel to the island as tourists, only as journalists, businessmen, academics or religious groups -- and even then they must first obtain a license.

Many are surprised that the U.S. considers Cuba to pose the same level of security risk as Afghanistan, Algeria, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and Yemen, the State Department's "countries of interest."

"There is no history of radical Islam in Cuba. In fact, there is hardly any history of Islam at all," Eugene Robinson wrote in The Washington Post. "With its long-standing paranoia about internal security and its elaborate network of government spies and snitches, the island nation would have to be among the last places on Earth where al-Qaida would try to establish a cell, let alone plan and launch an attack."

The closest thing to terrorism on the island is probably the mass of inmates at Guantanamo Bay.

But Cuba has been considered a "state sponsor of terrorism" since 1982, when the Reagan administration designated it as such, long before "al-Qaida" was a regular phrase in American dialogue. At the time, Cuba had a reputation for supporting revolutionary movements in Latin America.

A 2008 State Department report gives three reasons for keeping the country on the list:

1) By not trying to "track, block or seize terrorist assets" and by providing safe haven for terrorist groups like the Basque separatist group ETA and Colombian militias FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) and ELN (National Liberation Army), the Cuban government wasn't supportive of U.S. counterterrorism policy.

2) The Cuban government provides safe haven for more than 70 fugitives, "most of whom entered Cuba in the 1970s."

3) The Cuban government didn't extradite terrorists during the year.

Today these claims stand on shaky ground. Former President Fidel Castro stopped supporting the ELN in 1991 and never militarily supported FARC. Instead, the Colombian government, the United Nations and the European Union have all said that Cuba has been helpful in advancing peace talks with the rebel groups, according to the Council on Foreign Relations.

A 2005 report by the Congressional Research Service says that in 1992, Castro outwardly gave up his support of insurgencies, largely because of the fall of the Soviet Union and the finances it brought with it.

The State Department has itself acknowledged that in 2006, the Cuban government said it would not provide a safe haven for new American fugitives.

Cuba's official newspaper, Gramma, accused the U.S. on Monday of falling prey to "anti-terrorist paranoia," the Wall Street Journal reports.

But for now at least, passengers on the island's sparse daily flights to the U.S. can expect tighter security, just like passengers from 13 other countries thousands of miles away.

Filed under:

[laficion]

I've said it once and I'll say it again, it has nothing to do with terrorism or anything

else, it's cultural & historic. From the begining, the US has always wanted Cuba as a possession.

The US almost had it it after the Spainish, but it didn't work out. They again, almost had

it in the 40's & 50's, that didn't work because of some bearded guy, Damn, missed again.

What is it with this Island that wouldn't kneel down to it's big brother of the north ?

What is it with this Island that we've been punishing for 50 years and still won't bend over, plus,

they want freedom from their dictator, plus they want to have their own say on their country,

plus they do not want to be ruled economically& socially by the big brother up North. SHEEEESH

No one has to accept my words on all of this.

Just read the History of Cuba and you'll understand why, 50 years later, there's still an embargo,

and why this Island is still treated the way it is.

Now, please don't get me wrong, the Cubans love the American people,

they just don't like the American governments policy towards Cuba.

[celsis]

Now, please don't get me wrong, the Cubans love the American people,

they just don't like the American governments policy towards Cuba.

Exactly! You have to laugh when you hear the State Dept going on about Fidel when American policy is via a revolving door presidency. The face may change but the policies remain the same.

In Scotland, we have a saying, "Better the deil ye ken, than the deil ye dinnae!"

It roughly means, if your gonna get shafted, better to be shafted by someone you know, than someone you don't!