The EU and Cuba

Human Rights Watch also takes the European Union to task for showing way too much carrot and very little stick to the Castro regime in Cuba:

“Cuba’s recent release of some of the dissidents is a welcome step, but it does not signal a meaningful change in the government’s repressive policies,” said José Miguel Vivanco, Americas director at Human Rights Watch. “President Fidel Castro is using human beings as pawns in a political game aimed at improving relations with Europe.”

Another meaningful step for Cuba would be the establishment of legal reforms designed to protect the rights to freedom of expression and association. The Cuban government continues to restrict freedom of expression, association, assembly, movement and the press. 

Human Rights Watch does not oppose the European Union’s steps toward greater dialogue with the Cuban government, as long as the European Union uses its contacts with Cuban officials to remind them of the pressing need for human rights reform. In particular, the European Union should continue to take every opportunity to call for the release of all incarcerated dissidents in Cuba and the revision of oppressive laws.

I certainly agree with that, but have little faith that much pressure will be put on Castro by the EU. Nevertheless, the EU should consider that rewarding Castro for releasing dissidents without structural changes in the policies that leads to those dissidents being imprisoned to begin with is, for all intents and purposes little more than hostage-taking.

Comments

[Tom DC/VA]

While I am as eager to see a functioning democracy in the one (nominal) holdout in the hemisphere, Cuba really isn't the EU's problem. It's really something that LA countries should take the lead on. There are countries in LA with well established democracies and I think they would have much more moral (if not financial) clout in Cuba than the EU, though perhaps I am wrong about the last bit.