U.S. dialogue on embargo more forthright

Critics of the embargo have never been hard to find, but high-level dialogue in the United States has typically been cautious. Recently, however, outright denunciations and demands for the end of the embargo have become more common, and have been embellished with attitude. Tampa port commissioner Carl Lindell publicly called the embargo “insane,” and plans to promote Tampa as a gateway for trade between the United States and Havana. Currently, he points out, legal trade between the two countries includes certain food and agricultural products, none of which is moved through Tampa. Clearly, there is room for profit in a sensible arrangement (location, location, location). Still, the Port Authority Board has opted to wait for a better sign from the Obama administration of its intentions regarding legal travel and the embargo before sending an expedition to Havana for initial discussions.

Colonel Glenn A. Crowther of the Strategic Studies Institute released an op-ed a few days ago with a similar tone. “It is time to kiss the embargo goodbye,” he writes, “Maintaining it makes us look petty and vindictive to the rest of the world.” His further critique is serious, and important to consider: “the embargo,” he says, “provides an excuse for the regime’s tyranny.”

Read about Lindell’s statement in the St. Petersburg Times. Crowther’s op-ed is on the SSI site, here.