One-third of the way into the article "Biden Has Refused to Move an Inch on Cuba Policy," Medea Benjamin begins to lay out her criticism of the Biden administration's policy toward the island. She starts by quoting his presidential campaign promise to "promptly reverse the failed Trump policies that have inflicted harm on the Cuban people and done nothing to advance democracy and human rights."

The claim that the president "has not moved an inch" while true, is unfair and premature, especially if we consider other major national and international crises: the ongoing pandemic, the aftermath of Jan. 6, a bloody flare-up in the Israel-Palestine/Lebanon conflict; Russians hacking U.S. businesses and critical infrastructure; and the Chinese being up to no good. Need I say more?

I believe we can cut the Biden administration some slack; it has been in power fewer than six months. Compared with much larger fish to fry, Cuba is a mere sardine. And let's not forget that, traditionally, Latin America has been on the State Department's back burner, minded only whenever the boiling pan overflows.

Speaking of inches, the Obama administration gave Cuba an entire yard of concessions, including diplomatic recognition, removal of the unfair designation as "state sponsor of terrorism" and relaxation of trade and travel restrictions. President Barack Obama even traveled to Havana to meet Raul Castro, the first presidential visit since Calvin Coolidge in 1928. Cuba, meanwhile, has refused to move an inch toward democracy or respect for human rights; in fact, both have deteriorated.

Obama was clearly duped, and President Joe Biden should avoid the same mistakes, demanding instead improvements in human rights and democracy, especially considering a heightened wave of repression since November 2020, after Biden made the campaign promise quoted above.

One of Benjamin's, let's call it "weakest claims," for the sake of civil conversation, is her contention that "a push for action has also come from the grassroots." She uses the example of anti-blockade caravans in Miami, the largest of which included 200 people. I would call that a "mini-Miami caravan." Miami-Dade has 2.7 million inhabitants; any person dressed as a pirate with a parrot perched on his shoulder in an empty Miami parking lot would attract a larger crowd.

What about the grassroots movement for freedom and democracy in Cuba? It is easy and safe to ride in a caravan of airconditioned vehicles in Miami or for me to write this column at my desk. But hundreds of brave Cubans are risking detention, imprisonment and state-organized mob violence for their plight for the basic freedoms that Benjamin and I enjoy.

Benjamin mentions a recent report by OXFAM demanding the end of the U.S. trade embargo — they call it "blockade" — which also gently encourages the Cuban government to "continue implementing the transformations enshrined in the new Constitution, approved in 2019, in order to guarantee human rights, social justice, and the enjoyment of freedom, solidarity, wellbeing, and individual and collective prosperity as described therein." Good luck, OXFAM!

Readers interested in a fuller picture may want to read Freedom House's "Cuba: Government Must Cease Repression of Critics": "The international community must demand accountability from the Cuban government for its actions and to immediately stop unlawful arbitrary detentions, house arrests, forced exile, and smear campaigns against dissenting voices"; as well as Amnesty International's latest report on the island: "Authorities continued to clamp down on all forms of dissent, imprisoning political leaders, independent journalists and artists."

Benjamin's article ends on an odd note: "Biden ignores the crisis in Cuba ("the blockade") at his own peril. The dire food and medicine shortages may well spark a migration crisis." She also quotes cubanologist Bill LeoGrande's prediction of "a mass exodus of desperate people."

I wish to end with these closing questions: Are Cubans less deserving of democracy and human rights than citizens of Honduras or Guatemala? And why is their immigration to the United States more of a problem than the massive inflow of their brethren from Central America?

Readers can reach Luis Martinez-Fernandez at [email protected]. To find out more about Luis Martinez-Fernandez and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

Photo credit: gabrielmbulla at Pixabay