The Cuba Opening Was a Baby Step in the Right Direction

I received an unsolicited email the other day from an organization called Global Exchange, which claims to be a worldwide promoter of social, economic and environmental justice. The message, which I’ve included below along with my response, was an invitation to sign their petition to Barack Obama to end the American travel ban to Cuba.

On its face, that request is fine. I am not a big fan of organizations promoting environmental justice, since I am unsure of who exactly gets to be the arbiter of such a lofty standard (the whales?). And I’m even less of a fan of unsolicited emails from groups with which I have no connection. But I understand that in 2014, email and social media “SPAM for a cause” is somewhat standard operating procedure for non-profits. As a non-profit co-founder myself, I understand very well the need to be scrappy and push your message assertively and often.

But I also understand the importance of tailoring an appropriate message to your audience and being careful to avoid controversy, particularly when attempting to reach people outside your core followers. On this standard, the Global Exchange fails miserably.

It seems that, while pushing a legitimate cause—ending the travel ban to Cuba—this organization shows its true colors: bringing the U.S. down to equal footing with the rest of the world. There isn’t much talk in the message of vanquishing the adversity of daily life brought on by collectivism, nothing about increasing the civil rights of regular people or of doing anything that might lead to a regime change on the communist island. Instead, the letter is a short dissertation on American imperial bullyism, directly blaming American policy for the hardship of the Cuban people. Based on its characterization of Cuba-America relations, I can only imagine the kind of anti-American sentiment that permeates the membership of this organization.

But I am not surprised. In recent days we’ve seen a number of movements twist and distort legitimate causes as a cover for ulterior motives. The complicated questions surrounding the Ferguson police shooting went literally up in smoke when rioters bent only on destruction, many of whom were members of the New Black Panther Party and similar organizations, began to systematically target local businesses. Protests in New York City over the Eric Garner killing reportedly were organized by important members of the Occupy Wall Street movement and the Communist Party USA. Many of these groups have a modus operandi to diminish American power around the globe, which they see in the form of ubiquitous U.S. institutions such as the military and businesses (McDonald’s, Starbucks). Ironically, these same voices can be heard around the fringes of the mainstream media lamenting a future Havana populated with fast food restaurants and giggling, selfie-taking American tourists.

But back to the point. Change is inevitable and change is good. But when someone advocates for an important change and asks for your support, pay attention to what they really want. It is clear that the Global Exchange is less concerned with the safety and welfare of the Cuban people and more concerned with promoting its own dangerous ideology. Everyone involved in their tactics should be ashamed.

Pasted below is the letter and after my response. Not surprisingly, I haven’t heard back.

Friends,

Today’s historic announcement by the Presidents of the United States and Cuba that they intend to normalize diplomatic relations is cause for celebration on both sides of the Straits of Florida. Global Exchange applauds the two governments, their Canadian interlocutors, Pope Francis and all who played a role in bringing us to this important moment.

The agreement between the two governments — which broke normal diplomatic contact in 1961 — provides an opportunity to begin a new chapter in U.S. / Cuba relations, based on dialogue and mutual respect. For the past fifty-plus years, the United States has pursued a thoroughly failed policy of political and economic hostility, a policy that has divided families and hurt ordinary Cubans. It is a policy that has been roundly condemned around the world and by business, cultural and government leaders here in the United States. This agreement to normalize diplomatic relations is long overdue.

For the past 25 years, Global Exchange has encouraged people-to-people ties between Cubans and Americans by bringing hundreds of American delegations to the island. We have great hope for the future relationship between our two countries based in no small part on the friendships and partnerships these delegations have forged between Cubans and Americans and the common desire for peace and reconciliation they have revealed.

While today should be a day of celebration both in the United States and Cuba, there is still much work to be done. We are mindful of the profound challenges the American embargo of Cuba has inflicted on the Cuban people and we call on the U.S. government to end this inhumane policy immediately. We also know that the same forces that have kept our relationship with Cuba in a deep freeze for five decades will do everything in their power to scuttle this emerging agreement.

There is much common ground on which the people of our two countries can find spaces for partnership — from immigration and the environment to the fight against Ebola and the violence unleashed by the drug war in Latin America.

Partnership and mutual respect should and must be the guideposts for the United States and Cuba as we embark on a new era in our relationship.

Walter Turner Board President

And my message in response:

Hi there,

I am sending this note only because I received an unsolicited message from Walter Turner directly to my personal email inbox.

Let me preface my reply by stating clearly that I am an American who supports the opening of diplomatic and economic relations with Cuba. However, I believe it is important to receive in return some concessions from the Cuban government on behalf of its own long-suffering people (i.e. right to technology, free speech, etc.).

My personal beliefs aside, it is insulting to receive a message from a group like yours—ostensibly operating from inside the safe confines of a free republic—which does not think it irresponsible to blame the “profound challenges” of Cuba on the USA for its “inhumane policy.”

Recognizing the imperfections of many American actions in Cuba and throughout Latin America, I appreciate the complex nature and history of the Cuban embargo and am a supporter of ending it. But I find it troubling that you would endeavor to rally American voices and petition our president while attributing the suffering of Cuban citizens to American policies, without uttering a single word about the actions of the brutal, repressive dictatorship ruling the country for the past 60 years.

I am saddened to read such an outrageously false and one-sided interpretation of political issues coming from an organization dedicated to fighting injustice. It is also in bad taste to use a dishonest, sensational narrative to drum up support for a supposedly humanitarian effort.

Sincerely,

Joey Campbell