For the National Health System, increasing the survival of cancer patients is and will continue to be a priority. Photo: Estudios Revolución
Financing was secured for the acquisition of new equipment to produce cytostatics, which will increase the availability of these medicines
June 17 (Granma) First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Party and President of the Republic Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez headed yesterday a working meeting with health experts and scientists, in which the progress of the Integral Program for Cancer Control was presented. Although economic shortages affecting the development of the health sector – caused by the effects of the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by U.S. government – have prevented Cuba from allocating to this program all the material resources, supplies and medicines it requires, the country continues to look for alternatives to maintain actions at the three levels of care of the National Health System. Dr. Luis Eduardo Martín Rodríguez, Director of the National Institute of Oncology and Radiobiology, described the approach to cancer in Cuba as a complex problem, which requires multifactorial work, not only from the different structures of Public Health, but also from many others, including the government and the industry. After a brief account of the impact of that disease in the world, which affects millions of people, Martin Rodríguez said that in Cuba, 60% of the patients live in the provinces of Havana, Matanzas, Villa Clara, Camagüey, Holguín and Santiago de Cuba. Since the early years of the Revolution, several actions have been carried out to develop and strengthen strategies for the prevention, control and fight against a disease that is currently the second leading cause of death among the Cuban population. In addition to the Integral Program for Cancer Control, which has allowed a better organization at all levels of care of the National Health System, he highlighted as a strength the existence of a National Oncology Network, made up of specialized hospitals, oncology units, oncology services in provincial hospitals, Radiotherapy departments and Oncopediatric care services. Referring to the actions that are being carried out, he highlighted those associated with prevention, early detection, diagnosis and treatment, as well as palliative care, all of which are essential for the control of the disease, in the midst of enormous complexities of material resources, including the availability of oncological drugs. For the National Health System, he assured, increasing the survival of patients with this disease is and will continue to be a priority, and their care is provided by multidisciplinary teams of specialists, which allows for a comprehensive evaluation and treatment of each one of them.
Even though not all solutions are at hand for relief, the Ministry of Public Health has not ceased to promote alliances with the biopharmaceutical industry and the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment (Citma) in the search for sovereignty and sustainability in the supply and production of medicines. According to the explanation of Mailín Beltrán Delgado, Head of the Department of Pharmaceutical and Optical Services of the Ministry of Public Health, multiple actions are being carried out in order to continue to overcome obstacles in the treatment of the disease, despite the blockade. As part of these actions, and the financing that is being allocated, Deputy Prime Minister Eduardo Martínez Díaz commented on the acquisition, by BioCuBafarma, of new equipment for the production of cytostatics, which will increase the availability of these medicines. President Díaz-Canel insisted on the importance of continuing to develop science and innovation in all processes related to oncology. In this regard, Dr. Ileana Morales Suárez, Director of Science and Technological Innovation of the Ministry of Public Health, stressed that this is a priority issue for the sector, on which there is solid research and several clinical trials. In that regard, Dr. Ileana Morales Suarez, Director of Science and Technological Innovation of the Ministry of Public Health, stressed that this is a priority issue for the sector, on which there is solid research and several clinical trials. Among other developments in Cuban science, Dr. Carlos Alberto Martínez Blanco, head of the Cancer Control Section of the Ministry of Public Health, talked about the production of the Cuban vaccine against the human papillomavirus, the main cause of cervical cancer, on which important steps have been taken.
We speak with Carlos Fernández de Cossío, Cuba’s deputy foreign minister, about the Trump administration’s tightening restrictions on the country. Since returning to the White House, President Donald Trump has reinstated Cuba’s designation as a so-called state sponsor of terrorism, recommitted to upholding the decadeslong economic embargo and targeted Cuban immigrants for deportation. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is now going after Cuba’s medical program that sends Cuban doctors and healthcare workers to assist other countries. The island nation was also among the countries on Trump’s travel ban that went into effect last week, severely limiting Cuban nationals from entering the U.S. This all comes as the Trump administration is reportedly planning to transfer thousands of immigrants to be detained at Guantánamo Bay. Fernández de Cossío says the influence of anti-Cuban politicians in the U.S. is “greater than any previous moment,” which allows them to push “this narrow approach, which is not relevant to the interests of most Americans.”
Transcript
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org. I’m Amy Goodman, with Juan González.
We end today’s show looking at the Trump administration’s tightening restrictions on Cuba, with the island nation among a dozen countries on Trump’s travel ban that went into effect last week. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a former Florida Republican senator whose parents were born in Cuba, has spearheaded Trump’s attacks on Cuba as a leading supporter of the decades-old economic embargo against the island nation. On his first day in office, Trump reinstated Cuba’s designation as a so-called state sponsor of terrorism, after President Biden removed Cuba from the list when his term ended.
Meanwhile, Rubio has now shifted his focus to target Cuba’s medical program that primarily sends Cuban doctors and healthcare workers to assist other countries, including disaster sites and during disease outbreaks. Rubio has accused the Cuban government of forced labor and earlier this month announced several Central American government officials who the U.S. says are linked to Cuba’s medical assistance program will face visa restrictions.
This all comes as the Trump administration is reportedly planning to transfer thousands of immigrants to Guantánamo to be detained there. Just last week, Trump’s Homeland Security Department ordered over half a million immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela to self-deport or face arrest, after stripping them of their humanitarian parole status, which authorized them to temporarily live and work in the U.S.
For more, we’re joined here in the New York studio by Carlos Fernández de Cossío. He is Cuba’s deputy foreign minister. He just addressed the U.N. General Assembly yesterday, where he again demanded the U.S. lift the catastrophic embargo on Cuba.
Welcome back to Democracy Now! We last spoke to you before Trump’s second term. If you can start off by talking about your demands at the U.N. yesterday?
CARLOS FERNÁNDEZ DE COSSÍO: Well, thank you for having me.
Yesterday, the U.N. had a special session for an item in the agenda of the General Assembly, which is the rejection of unilateral coercive measures. So, we were invited to speak. And our main — the main message that we took is that the measures that the U.S. take against Cuba go beyond a simple coercive measures or a simple commercial embargo. It’s the aim of isolating Cuba or blocking Cuba from the international community and from international economic and trade activity, which has been the aim for a long time to try to choke the Cuban economy. And that was the main message yesterday, where, by the way, a resolution was adopted by the General Assembly designating December 4th of every year U.N. Day Against the Use of Unilateral Coercive Measures.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And, Deputy Foreign Minister, can you talk about the annual vote that occurs at the General Assembly on this issue, where usually it’s just the United States and Israel as practically the only nations in the world that continue to support the U.S. embargo?
CARLOS FERNÁNDEZ DE COSSÍO: You’re correct. Since 1992, there have been resolutions by the U.N. General Assembly demanding the lifting of the U.S. economic blockade against Cuba. And as you say, only the United States, Israel and every now and then some other state reject this resolution. It’s a long call by the U.N. which the United States simply disrespects.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And now that the Trump administration has elevated a Cuban American from Florida, Marco Rubio, as secretary of state, what has that meant in terms of U.S. foreign policy toward Latin America?
CARLOS FERNÁNDEZ DE COSSÍO: It means that there’s a presence and an influence of anti-Cuban politicians in the U.S., which is — there’s an increase in their influence greater than any previous moment, and allows them to push this narrow approach, which is not relevant to the interests of most Americans, and this narrow approach against Cuba and against other countries in the region.
AMY GOODMAN: I want to play for you Secretary of State Marco Rubio taking questions during a joint news conference in March with the Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness in Jamaica.
SECRETARY OF STATE MARCO RUBIO: It’s not that they’re Cuban doctors. It’s that the regime does not pay these doctors, takes away their passports, and basically it is, in many ways, forced labor. And that, we cannot be in support of. Again, not speaking about here in particular, but in general, about the program..
AMY GOODMAN: If you can respond to Marco Rubio’s allegations?
CARLOS FERNÁNDEZ DE COSSÍO: He has been for several years, since he was a senator, attacking Cuba’s medical programs around the world, that most people know have been able to deploy more doctors in Third World countries than the World Health Organization. He has tried to discredit it, beginning by saying that they were spies, that they were political officials, not doctors. He has changed course. Now he’s saying that they’re slaves. And he alleges a set of ideas which are absurd, because the program is very similar to any program taken by U.S. organizations, European organizations or even U.N. agencies when they carry out support in terms of how they hire the doctors, how they are paid, how they are provided for and how they perform their tasks.
AMY GOODMAN: I want to ask you about the group of migrants that were supposedly en route while they were being deported from the United States to South Sudan. Two of them were from Cuba. We have reports of them being kept in a truck container along with the ICE guards that are guarding them. They were stopped by a judge, so they’re in Djibouti. But if you can talk about the deportations and if Cuba is accepting deportation flights, now that the U.S. has stripped those who are here on humanitarian grounds from being here?
CARLOS FERNÁNDEZ DE COSSÍO: We have with the U.S. bilateral migration agreements that go back to the 1980s. And within them, it includes regular deportation flights for people that the United States considers are inadmissible in the United States. And that continues to go on today.
But the real picture here is the hundreds of thousands of Cubans that have come to the U.S., invited by the government. It is known that there has been, for decades, a policy of a privileged flexibility for Cubans. So, now you take this great mass of Cubans, which have been invited — they haven’t — they didn’t have to tear down a wall to enter the United States. And now the government changes their mind and tells them, “No, now you have to return.” These are not furniture. This is not cattle. These are real human beings. And migrating is a dramatic decision, that have taken the decision to come here, have a family here, have a job here, and now the U.S. tells them that they have to go back. We find it very cruel. We’ve expressed it to the U.S. government. We’ve said it publicly. And we think it’s — and we find that the politicians, some of them very hostile to Cuba, that have invited these people, are now silent and are complicit with their expulsion to Cuba or to another country.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And, Deputy Foreign Minister, I wanted to ask you about some reports over the last year or two in right-wing media outlets in the United States, but also some in more establishment media, like the BBC and El País from Spain, that there have been hundreds of Cubans fighting as soldiers for Russia in Ukraine. And some are alleging that the Cuban government is backing this. I’m wondering if you could clarify the position of Cuba on this issue?
CARLOS FERNÁNDEZ DE COSSÍO: This became public in — I think it was in August of 2023. And it was Cuba that made it public, when we found that there was a network, coming out of Russia and coming out of Ukraine and other countries, trying to recruit soldiers for that war for both sides. And we were very firm on it. We made it public. We spoke with the Russian Embassy. We spoke with the Ukrainian Embassy. And we said that this is unacceptable. And we’ve been very clear that by going to any other country and to try to fight as a soldier from Cuba, you are breaking the law in Cuba. So, Cuba has a strong position. We know that there have been found people both on the Russian side and on the Ukrainian side which are Cubans or of Cuban origin. But it’s not — absolutely not something that Cuba is encouraging or where the Cuban government is participating.
AMY GOODMAN: Deputy Foreign Minister, can you respond to what’s happening now between Israel and Iran? I know that the foreign minister, Bruno Rodríguez, has publicly condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza. If you can talk about Gaza, as well?
CARLOS FERNÁNDEZ DE COSSÍO: Our president and our foreign minister and our government in general has put a very strong condemnation of Israel’s unilateral attack against Iran and for the targeted assassinations that it has carried out. We have been very clear that we reject that. We see it as part of Israel’s aggressive role in the region. And it’s a — it’s a follow-up of the genocide that it’s committing against the people of Palestine.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And I’m wondering also if you could comment on the continued use of the U.S. government of Guantánamo as its sort of — of its own — this place outside U.S. law, where it can do whatever it wants and ship people in as prisoners onto the Guantánamo base?
CARLOS FERNÁNDEZ DE COSSÍO: The Guantánamo base is a U.S. military enclave in territory that it has taken from Cuba. It is Cuban territory, as recognized by the U.S., but the presence there is against the will of the Cuban people. And we demand for that base to be removed from it. Now, it’s used for housing criminals, as it’s done for many years. It’s used for taking migrants and putting them there. We also reject it, because of the inhuman treatment that they receive, but also because a great amount of individuals housed there by the U.S. government or imprisoned there, it’s a danger to peace. That is a highly militarized zone. It’s a danger for peace and tranquility in Cuba and for the countries of the region.
AMY GOODMAN: Could Cubans be deported from the United States to Guantánamo?
CARLOS FERNÁNDEZ DE COSSÍO: Well, not from — the U.S. government, it seems that they think that they can do anything. I don’t know if they have deported any Cuban to the base in Guantánamo. We know that they are deporting Cubans to Cuba on regular flights, but we don’t know of any Cuban that has reached there.
AMY GOODMAN: We just have 20 seconds. We started with the embargo. Let’s end, the sanctions. What’s the actual effect on people of Cuba?
CARLOS FERNÁNDEZ DE COSSÍO: It’s a huge effect. It influences daily life, the standard of living, the tranquility, the peace of people. And it is the aim of these coercive measures to make life as difficult as possible for the Cuban people, so that they can have political goals.
AMY GOODMAN: Carlos Fernández de Cossío, I want to thank you so much for being with us, Cuba’s deputy foreign minister. We’ll be doing an interview in Spanish and posting it online at democracynow.org. I’m Amy Goodman, with Juan González.
Which neighborhoods did you visit during the Postcards from Cuba program and how did those experiences expose you to the local arts and culture?
Alexandra Blanco: Primarily our home neighborhood of Vedado seemed to be full of local art and culture. The convenient, around the corner location of our house to the Ludwig Foundation allowed us to attend several art exhibition events held there that gave us the opportunity to connect with local artists and talk about our work with them. I will also never forget the dance studio rehearsal we were allowed to sit in on, also within walking distance of our house; I was awestruck by the talent and precision of the dancers, and it reminded me how much I’ve always loved watching ballet. Additionally, our field trip to the town of Veradero to see the art galleries and shops along the water there was equally exciting, and provided fun insight into the visual art scene in Cuba.
Describe a favorite moment from the program.
Alexandra Blanco: It’s so hard to pick one favorite moment; the entire three weeks there were some of the most fun weeks of my whole life up to this point, and I think about them all the time. I think one of the most fun nights we had was at the reopening of La Fábrica, which was a combination art gallery/museum, and dance club. There were different genres of music in every room, and so many exciting things to see and people to meet, and I had such an amazing time dancing the night away with my friends in the program and experiencing the exuberant energy of Havana’s nightlife. Another very memorable moment was when I attended a small gathering with my friends hosted at the house of one of our teaching assistants, and I met an older gentleman there who, as it turns out, had been a featured composer on many of the songs I grew up listening to, which was very, very cool.
What is your main takeaway from the program? What did you learn?
Alexandra Blanco: I learned that there are so many different ways to make art, and it can be made and found in truly any kind of environment; surrounding circumstances can never fully stifle the inherent human need for freedom of expression and the natural instinct to create.
Why do you think an arts student should study abroad?
Alexandra Blanco: I think it is extremely important for artists to simply experience worlds that are entirely outside of the bounds of what they know, in order to further their understanding of the human condition, which will, in turn, allow them to diversify their creativity and imagine more kinds of people they want to be able to reach with their art.
Postcards from Cuba is being offered as a full-time program in spring 2026 and includes these required courses: Postcards from Cuba, Art and Culture of Cuba, The Cuban Image: 1959-Present, and Introductory Spanish. The program does not have any pre-requisites and is open to all undergraduate NYU students and visiting undergraduate students. Please review full Postcards from Cuba program and course information. The application deadline is August 15. Review application requirements and apply.
By: Roberto Morejón — Radio Havana Cuba – June 13, 2025
Cubans appreciated the importance of the official visit of Monsignor Paul Gallagher, the Holy See’s Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations, and the country’s high authorities expressed their pleasure at receiving him again.,
Meetings with President Miguel Díaz-Canel and Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez allowed the interest in strengthening respectful, ethical and constructive dialogue to be renewed.
The Head of State emphasised his respect and esteem for Monsignor Gallagher, who arrived in Havana a few weeks before the start of Pope Leo XVI’s pontificate.
Amidst the inevitable tasks of this new stage following the death of Pope Francis, Cuba and the Vatican seized the opportunity to commemorate the 90^(th) anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations.
Coincidentally, the tenth anniversary of Pope Francis’ pastoral trip to Cuba is also approaching, and Cubans praise his friendly stance towards the Cuban people, even in opposition to the US blockade.
Cubans remember the late Pope as a good friend and express their admiration and gratitude for his understanding of their internal difficulties.
With this new stage having been initiated, the government of the Caribbean archipelago sent a cordial greeting to the new Pope Leo XIV through Monsignor Gallagher, inviting him to visit.
In this way, Cuba proposes the continuation of a fruitful dialogue, revitalised in the 90^(th) year since the establishment of relations, through communication capable of overcoming long-standing obstacles.
Meanwhile, in the land of José Martí, the expansion of links with different churches continues as part of freedom of religious expression.
This contrasts with U.S. media campaigns that describe limitations to religious freedom.
In the largest of the Antilles, the homeland of Félix Varela, they are proud to have welcomed the last three popes.
Pope Francis even intervened in the process that led to the re-establishment of diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States, an achievement later undone by Donald Trump.
Following Monsignor Gallagher’s visit, Cuba has reaffirmed its commitment to engaging in constructive dialogue with the Vatican to foster mutual understanding.
Declaration of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cuba
June 14, 2025 — Granma
Cuba vigorously condemns the attacks perpetrated by Israel against the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The Cuban Government observes with extreme concern the events taking place in the Middle East and strongly condemns the attacks perpetrated by Israel in the early hours of morning on June 13, 2025 and the threat of war against the Islamic Republic of Iran, in flagrant violation of the United Nations Charter and International Law, including the principles of sovereignty and the no threat or use of force against the territorial integrity of any State.
The aggressive policy of the State of Israel and its reprehensible and irresponsible actions are only possible thanks to the military, financial, logistic and political support granted by the government of the United States, thus placing international and regional stability and security in greater danger, with unforeseeable consequences for humanity.
Cuba reaffirms its solidarity with the people and the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran and alerts to the danger of a further escalation in the region and a larger conflagration and calls on the international community, particularly the Security Council and the United Nations General Assembly, to exercise their primary responsibility to maintain international peace and security and put an immediate end to this aggression and the impunity with which the Zionist regime is acting.
The ceasing of the genocide against Palestine is of the essence.
Once again, we reiterate that peace in the Middle East should be based on a comprehensive, fair and lasting solution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which includes the creation of a sovereign and independent Palestinian State based on the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio walks with diplomatic security during a visit to Rome earlier this month. (State Department /Freddie Everett)
Lawrence Davidson on how the history of the Cuban American lobby, in copying the Israel lobby, has prepared the U.S. secretary of state to carry out Trump’s often unconstitutional and inhumane bidding.
Marco Rubio has turned into one of President Donald Trump’s “go to” guys. Appointed secretary of state at the beginning of Trump’s second term, and recently appointed acting national security adviser, he has proven effective in translating Trumpian goals into policy practices.
It is not that difficult for Rubio because he shares many of those same biases. For instance, a seemingly absolute belief that the Israelis must be supported even as they lay waste to humanitarian principles and international law.
To this end, as secretary of state, Rubio dedicated himself to revamping the State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. Why? Because, it allegedly “waged vendettas against ‘anti-woke’ leaders in nations such as Poland, Hungary, and Brazil, and [sought to] transform their [the Bureau’s] ‘hatred of Israel’ into concrete policies such as arms embargoes.”
Meanwhile, Rubio has supported Trump’s practice of arresting Palestine supporters and selectively deporting their leaders.
1). “Senator Rubio opposed the Iran nuclear deal and supported the move of the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem. He supported the Taylor Force Act, which states that no American governmental funds shall be given to a Palestinian entity that financially rewards ‘terrorists’ or their families. He also criticized the U.N. Security Council Resolution 2334, which claimed that Israel’s settlements have no legal validity, and cosponsored legislation that objected to the resolution.”
2). “Senator Rubio opposes the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement and cosponsored the Israel Anti-Boycott Act and the Combating BDS Act of 2017, two bills that aim to fight discriminatory boycotts that target Israel. In 2019, he voted for the Strengthening America’s Middle East Security Act which, among other things, strengthened Israel’s security and allowed a state or local government to adopt measures to divest its assets from entities that boycott Israel.”
3). “Senator Rubio is a cosponsor of the Anti-Semitism Awareness Act, which aims to provide for the consideration of a definition of anti-Semitism for the enforcement of Federal anti-discrimination laws concerning education programs or activities.”
On the surface Rubio appears to be an opportunistic politician, ultimately indifferent to the rules set by the U.S. Constitution, much less international law. He certainly is ready and able to do Trump’s often unconstitutional and inhumane bidding. But there is much more to the story when it comes to Marco Rubio.
Rubio’s Relevant Background
Surrounding by family and supporters, Marco Rubio delivers remarks to State Department as the new secretary of state on Jan. 21. (State Department /Freddie Everett)
Rubio was born in 1971 to Cuban exile parents residing in Florida. That means he was born into a community and culture that was overtly opposed to the rule of Fidel Castro and his successors.
One cannot emphasize enough that this was a relatively closed, yet highly organized community, where to challenge the prevailing anti-Castro stance was tantamount to “treason.”
It was also a politically influential community when it came to lobbying the federal government on foreign policy relative to Cuba. For instance, politicians like Rubio pushed for the economic embargo of Cuba without regard to either the increasing poverty of the Cuban people, or the friction this approach caused with U.S. allies involved in trade with Cuba.
Most Cuban Americans who can trace their family’s arrival in the U.S. to a reaction against Castro’s takeover have consistently voted Republican. There is no mystery here. They believed that the Republicans were more consistently anti-Castro than the Democrats, especially after the failed invasion attempt at the Bay of Pigs.
Thus, Rubio’s lifetime affiliation with the Republican Party, both in his career in Florida state politics and during his tenure in Congress, is a sign of cultural conformity.
It also helps explain his ready alliance with Trump who has always sought the support of the American Cuban community (a Trumpian example of “good” immigrants).
But how would this background explain Rubio’s obvious dedication to Israel and the Zionists?
Cuban Americans & the Zionists
Rubio delivering a press statement in Jerusalem on Feb. 16. (State Department / Freddie Everett)
In 1981, a Cuban exile and veteran of the Bay of Pigs fiasco, Mas Canosa, founded the Cuban American National Foundation (CANF). The Foundation was shaped by Canosa’s obsessive hatred of Castro’s Cuban government. Its operating tactics also reflected Canosa’s authoritarian and one-dimensional character.
For instance, as far as CANF was concerned, only the demise of the Castro regime would do. Those suggesting negotiations with the Cuban government were labeled traitors. Impoverishing the citizens of Cuba to the point where, it was assumed, they would overthrow the regime, was the acceptable and preferred strategy.
Over a relatively short time, CANF’s outlook became the dominant one among, first Miami’s Cuban exile community, then those living in the rest of Florida and beyond.
Yet CANF’s ambitions went beyond the Cuban American public. What the organization ultimately aimed at was the control of American foreign policy toward the nation of Cuba.
According to Mas Canosa, soon after CANF was founded,
“we realized pretty soon that to influence the U.S. political system we must copy … the Jewish model and we became very closely allied with the Jewish lobby … in Washington.”
Bust of Jorge Mas Canosa in Miami Beach, 2019. (MosheA / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0)
AIPAC was the source of inspiration and the mentor of the Cuban American lobby. As a consequence, the unquestioned support of Zionism was incorporated into the community ideology promoted by CANF. (For more on this, see my book, Privatizing America’s National Interest, University Press of Kentucky, pp. 76-78.)
Marco Rubio is a product of that community’s ideology and this helps explain his uncritical support of Israel. In his position as secretary of state, he has repeatedly declared that “Hamas must be eradicated” and the Palestinians “resettled.” And, once that is achieved, Gaza will be ready for a great make-over, the “Gaza Riviera” project. Rubio has told us that “the United States stands ready to lead and Make Gaza Beautiful Again.”
Present disagreements between Trump and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu can put Rubio in an awkward position. However, these disagreements are over strategy. Rubio will stay loyal to Trump and he may even express criticism of Netanyahu. But, he will also remain a loyal proponent of material support for Israel.
Rubio is now “the top foreign policy adviser” in the Trump administration. He controls the State Department and also functions as the president’s national security adviser.
He has achieved this status because: 1). The political environment that shaped his life proved compatible with Trump’s overall political ends, and 2). his upbringing shaped him into a reliable agent of a leader (Trump) who broadly reflects the behavior and outlook of the Cuban American hero, Mas Canosa.
The way Trump runs his cabinet, reminds one of the “democratic centralism” that was the governing principle of the early Communists in Russia.
Debate was initially allowed on an issue (one can imagine lots of back and forth among the strange bedfellows backing Trump). But in reality, everyone is trying to sense the direction the leader favors. As that becomes evident, everyone else coalesces around that course of action. At that point all debate ceases and everyone was expected to get in line and cheer.
It is questionable if Trump even listens to the debate. He probably has a preference from the start — whether or not it has any semblance to reality.
The way this sort of “governance” is playing out, Trump only hears an echo of his own voice. This ultimately closed environment will shape the fate of Marco Rubio’s career, as well as Donald Trump. The end product looks to be a real mess both domestically and in terms of foreign policy.
In the end, it is probable that Rubio will return to the backwater of Florida politics where he will merge once more into the myopic and biased community from which he came.
Lawrence Davidson is professor of history emeritus at West Chester University in Pennsylvania. He has been publishing his analyses of topics in U.S. domestic and foreign policy, international and humanitarian law and Israel/Zionist practices and policies since 2010.
Cuban doctors arrive at the Jose Marti International Airport in Havana, Cuba, June 8, 2020, after traveling to Italy to help with the COVID-19 emergency response. (Ismael Francisco/Pool via AP, File)
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — An unusual request from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights about Cuban medical brigades that operate worldwide and provide much needed help has roiled countries in the Caribbean and the Americas.
In a letter obtained by The Associated Press, the commission asks members of the Organization of American States, OAS, for details including whether they have an agreement with Cuba for medical missions, whether those workers have labor and union rights and information about any labor complaints.
“This was an unprecedented move,” said Francesca Emanuele, senior international policy associate at the Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington. “It’s deeply troubling.”
Cuba has more than 22,000 doctors working in more than 50 countries, including in the Caribbean and the Americas, according to its government. A breakdown for the region was not available, but many impoverished nations in the Caribbean rely heavily on those medical professionals.
The commission, an independent body of the OAS, which is heavily funded by the U.S., said it plans to analyze the data collected as well as offer recommendations “given the persistence of reports of rights violations.”
A spokesperson for the commission declined comment, saying the letter is private.
The letter was sent after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced visa restrictions in late February for Cuban or foreign government officials accused of involvement in Cuba’s medical missions, which he called “forced labor.”
“The timing is really suspicious,” Emanuele said, noting that the information requested “falls squarely” within the member states’ sovereign decision-making. “The role of this organization should not be distorted.”
In June, the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump slapped several unidentified officials from Central America with visa restrictions.
A deadline looms
Silence has prevailed since the human rights commission issued its May 24 letter giving OAS member states 30 days to respond.
“I’m awaiting a regional approach,” said Ralph Gonsalves, prime minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
He said in a phone interview that he would raise the issue next week during a meeting of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States as chairman.
“There are no human rights issues involved here,” he said, noting that St. Vincent is party to several international and labor conventions. “They have not been breached and will not be breached.”
Gonsalves said Cuban doctors run the sole hemodialysis center in St. Vincent that provides free care to 64 patients at a rate of $5 million a year.
“Without the Cubans, that dialysis center will close,” he said.
When asked if he worried about potential visa restrictions, Gonsalves said he met earlier this year with Rubio and provided a lengthy letter that he declined to share detailing the work of Cuban medical professionals in St. Vincent.
“We didn’t scrimp on any of the details,” he said. “I didn’t walk away from that meeting thinking that there was any possibility or threat of sanctions.”
A divided region
Guyana ‘s foreign minister, Hugh Todd, told The Associated Press on Friday that the government plans to amend its payment and recruitment system involving Cuban medical professionals.
He said their main concern “is to make sure we are compliant with international labor laws.” Todd did not say whether the planned amendments are related to concerns over U.S. visa restrictions.
Late Thursday, Guyanese Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo said the government wants to ensure that “the conditions of work here don’t run afoul of the requirements set by the United States of America.”
Some Caribbean leaders have said they would risk losing a U.S. visa, noting that Cuban medical professionals provide much needed help in the region.
“If we cannot reach a sensible agreement on this matter…if the cost of it is the loss of my visa to the U.S., then so be it,” Barbados’ Prime Minister Mia Mottley told Parliament in March as legislators pounded a table in support.
No Cuban medical workers are currently in Barbados.
Echoing Mottley’s sentiment was Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Keith Rowley.
“I just came back from California, and if I never go back there again in my life, I will ensure that the sovereignty of Trinidad and Tobago is known to its people and respected by all,” he said in March.
“There is no doubt that that desperate campaign to block Cuban cooperation has two clear objectives: to close off any avenue of income for the country, even in an activity as noble and necessary to other nations as healthcare services,” he said.
“The other reason is political and ideological: they want to sweep Cuba away as an example. And they resort to methods as immoral as threatening any foreign official involved in that activity,” he added.
Rubio has defended visa restrictions, saying they promote accountability.
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Associated Press reporters Bert Wilkinson in Georgetown, Guyana, and Andrea Rodríguez in Havana contributed.
Like any developing country, Cuba faces the disadvantages of an international economic order inherited from colonialism and neocolonialism, which perpetuates the subaltern status in the international system of those who suffer from underdevelopment, unequal exchange, and limits on the transfer of technology and capital from developed countries, most of them former colonial metropolises, beneficiaries of the regime of exploitation, plunder, and slavery that this regime represented.
It also experiences the condition of being a country with scarce natural resources.
But what is unique about Cuba, what distinguishes its situation above all other factors, is the fact that it is the target of a ruthless, prolonged, and extremely asymmetric economic war by the United States, the world’s greatest economic, technological, and military power. There is no similar example in the long and disastrous history of the use of unilateral coercive measures for political purposes by developed countries against developing countries. Without acknowledging this fact, any analysis of the Cuban situation is superficial or deliberately biased.
The impact of the US effort to hinder Cuba’s trade relations worldwide is overwhelming. The US ability to impede, obstruct, and sabotage Cuba’s access to sources of financing in any country or region is more effective today than ever before, as is its ability to impede or severely limit Cuba’s access to technology. The intimidation of citizens of more than 40 countries to renounce their right to visit Cuba is absurd and supposedly unacceptable, but effective. Actions to impede the supply of fuel to Cuba are criminal and extremely damaging.
Representatives of the current US administration have acknowledged that their objective is to refine the design of the maximum pressure policy to make it more effective in terms of harm to the Cuban economy and people. They have stated that they will be more creative in identifying and attempting to cut off Cuba’s external sources of income, with the clear objective of collapsing the economy.
Cuba is going through a period of great challenges, represented by instability and economic imbalances. It faces inflation, low purchasing power for a representative segment of the population, and a shortage of essential services such as health, transportation, communications, water supply, community services, and electricity generation, among other realities. The impact on well-being, standard of living, and the satisfaction of needs and aspirations is visible. It is also evident in the morale and feelings of the population.
Before judging the skill, wisdom, or effectiveness of the Cuban government’s economic management by the many who observe us and feel empowered to express an opinion, ask yourself what country would have had the capacity like Cuba to sustain itself, advance social development, achieve justice for all, ensure public peace, and even practice solidarity. Consider what country would have had the capacity like Cuba to confront such a ruthless war under such disadvantaged conditions. The recent shock among many countries at the US government’s tariff measures provides a very faint and comparatively insignificant signal of the damaging effect that that country’s coercive measures can have.
Consider the goals Cuba’s aggressors have set for themselves, what they have pursued since the 1960s with the confidence of achieving their objective, the predictions they have made for more than 60 years, the nature, content, and extraterritorial scope of the economic coercion measures they have applied against our country.
The economic blockade is the fundamental obstacle to Cuba’s economic development and to the progress and well-being of Cubans. There is no factor that can compare in its impact and the damage it causes.
Carlos Fernández de Cossio is the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cuba
