Five GOP Senators—Marco Rubio, Tom Cotton, Richard Burr, John Cornyn and James Lankford—have written a letter to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson calling on him to kick all Cuban diplomats out of the country and, if necessary, close the U.S. Embassy in Cuba. From the Hill:“Cuba’s neglect of its duty to protect our diplomats and their families cannot go unchallenged,” the letter reads…“The safety of U.S. diplomatic personnel and their families posted overseas remains one of our high priorities and a shared responsibility of those nations that host U.S. diplomatic facilities,” the senators wrote. “We urge you to remind the Cuban government of its obligation and to demand that it take verifiable action to remove these threats to our personnel and their families.”The letter comes in response to the 21 American diplomats (and five Canadians) who suffered hearing damage while staying in hotels in Havana. Last month, reports revealed the injuries to some of the diplomats was much more serious than originally believed with some Americans suffering traumatic brain injuries.
Of course, the Communist regime in Cuba denies being behind this, but what is a more plausible explanation?
This, folks, is why you don't ever reach out to rogue regimes. You squeeze them with sanctions and let them know you're prepared to address any funny business they pull with whatever is needed.
It's why you don't engage in Agreed Frameworks or Six-Way Talks with North Korea.
It's why you don't enter into JCPOAs with Iran.
It's why you don't ever even hint that the Taliban might have a place at the table in any lasting settlement for Afghanistan.
Cuba has done nothing to improve its human-rights record since the Most Equal Comrade's disastrous move last year.
It is allied with the other rogue regimes of the world.
And it's pretty clear that it's damaged the hearing and brains of American diplomats.
Time to cut the cord.
That's Twilight Zone man.
ReplyDeleteONE WAY: OUR WAY
ReplyDeleteWell, if you mean by "our way," "an at least reasonably humane government that has no interest in conducting foreign policy by posing an existential threat to other nations," yes, that's correct.
ReplyDeleteAllied foreign rogue regimes are just dying societies reacting in a angry hostile manner. Could a species fighting for depleted resources might be doing the same?
ReplyDeleteYeah, we face an existential threat. Countries like North Korea and Israel, though you'll damn me for using them in the same sentence, face real ones, quite explanatory of their behavior.
ReplyDeleteRefusal to be serious is a sad thing to witness.
ReplyDeleteNorth Korea doesn't face an existential threat. The US and all the Pacific Rim nations would gladly ratchet down the readiness drills and call off the sanctions if NK would get rid of its missiles and nuclear bombs. If they'd improve their human rights record and open up their society a little, they'd even get offered a place at the table of legitimate nations.
ReplyDeleteNow, you are right about Israel. It's been facing existence existential threats since the founding of its modern iteration in 1948. Currently from Iran, which is why we ought to scrap the JCPOA yet this morning.
Existential means you're in the dark but you do know you're threatened. NK and Israel know their threats and from whence they come.
ReplyDeleteExistentialism arose out of world wars that God was apparently silent on. Which is why Europe and most Jews sort of hung up the line and became agnostic at best.
ReplyDeleteSo let's have another war to bring more people to the Lord, huh? If we followed him we'd turn the other cheek. Now I'll get accused of not being serious again.
ReplyDeleteAs I said above, refusal to be serious is a sad thing to witness
ReplyDelete"Existential threat" as used in world-affairs discussions usually refers to a threat so overwhelming it would mean the end of a given nation-state as we know it. As I said above, NK faces no such threat. Yes, the US has made it known that it has an apocalypse response at the ready should NK push its exisntial threat to a certain point, but it is NK posing the threat. All we're requiring is for NK to show a desire to join the ranks of civilized nations.
ReplyDeleteWhich is why "So let's have another war" is nothing more than a cathartic outburst that adds nothing substantive to the conversation going on in this world about the existential threat NK poses.
Oh, I like the other existential better I think. Cathartic outburst. I like that though. It relieves my inner sanity but it does not halt the sick feeling in my gut when I ponder an apocalypse(sic) response. Perhaps I'm just a pussy. Or maybe just a selfish prick.
ReplyDeleteSee latest post and let us know what you think.
ReplyDelete