Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - US Embassy in Havana – The Cuba Caper (Koenig)

well, this is a lot
i would begin by assuming that american foreign policy is to try to
develop relations with other countries that serve american interests.
after that, we might ask, will relations that can be forged with
americans that are not hostile lead to better conditions for one's own
country? i.e., what foreign policy would best serve cubans' interests? i
would begin with that to answer all the below.
i don't think that a recognition that all countries develop foreign
relations with the aim of ameliorating their own citizens' lives is
necessarily bad. i would vote to end nation-states. but we are stuck
with them, so let's just agree, all nation states act, or try to act, in
their own interests--unless we are talking about that horrible
authoritarian states like equatorial guinea whose goal is to serve only
the leader's interest.

that said, your points all add up to one: were the cubans' interests
better served when their govt was on hostile terms with the u.s., or
would this imply an improvement.
your questions are all pertinent, but seem to come down to that.
as for the answer, we'd need a cuban expert (pablo? yourself?) who can
speak to conditions in cuba now, and how those might degrade or improve
given open relations with the u.s.

my own hope is that in the long run, things would improve, and looking
at other states in the region might give us a way to evaluate that.
the other point is that i regard the embargo as a blow against the u.s.,
not a blow just against cuba. it is cold war politics, supported by
right wing nutcases.
that's what inspired me to cheer obama.
ken

On 12/26/14, 9:01 PM, Emeagwali, Gloria (History) wrote:
>
>
> "gloria, the embargo and closed doors represented all that we hated
> about cold war politics for 50 years; time to cheer on this change,
> don't you think?" harrow
>
> The foreign policy shift is a wonderful move, but call me a fool, a cynic, paternalist, or whatever you may, as a scholar, I have to look at the big picture,
> and open my mind to various analyses, including those of the
> so-called "conspiracy mongers." I am expected to ask questions,
> and right now, these include the following:
>
>
> 1. Is the ultimate aim of the Obama administration regime change, or, simply peace,
>
> fairness, economic freedom and the removal of economic restrictions, as you and I hope?
>
>
>
>
> 2. Regime change is/ was the objective in Libya, Venezuela, Syria. Is Cuba different?
>
>
> 3. Can the Cubans ultimately avoid caving into neo-liberalism in the form of
>
> privatization of health, education, water etc? Any strings attached in this agreement?
>
>
> 4. Will US corporations inevitably undermine some of the positive gains made
>
> from the revolution as a result of this move.
>
>
> 5. Will the US embassy become a den of CIA agents?
>
>
> 6. Will the Cuban regime ultimately have to hand back property taken during the revolution?
>
>
> 7. What checks and balances will be put in place to avoid a tsunami of claims
>
> from the old Cuban pre-revolutionary elite and their descendants?
>
>
> 8. Will Cuba integrate into a financial system independent of the U.S
>
> monetary system? Can it do so?
>
>
> 9. What is the real reason why the Obama regime is imposing sanctions on
>
> Venezuela and Russia, while lifting sanctions on Cuba? Horse trading- or other reasons?
> Was this shift a reaction to the Russia - Cuba Agreement of May 16, as some suggest?
>
>
> 10. Did business interests have a hand in this policy change? If so, is there a quid pro quo?
>
>
>
> Is the policy shift completely disconnected from most of the above?
>
>
> Then let us bring out a bottle of champagne and celebrate the
>
> historic shift - and stay sober.
>
>
>
>
> Professor Gloria Emeagwali
> History Department
> CCSU. New Britain. CT 06050
> africahistory.net
> vimeo.com/user5946750/videos
> Gloria Emeagwali's Documentaries on
> Africa and the African Diaspora
>
> ________________________________
> From: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com [usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of kenneth harrow [harrow@msu.edu]
> Sent: Thursday, December 25, 2014 12:06 PM
> To: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com
> Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - US Embassy in Havana – The Cuba Caper (Koenig)
>
> nice, informed message from pablo.
> i have a question: wasn't this embargo imposed by congress and not entirely reversible by obama?
> hopefully a non-conflictual relationship will develop. the u.s. dominates the region, and it is hard for economies that aren't independently wealthy to manoeuvre out of the hegemony.
> hopefully what will develop will be a situation that ameliorates life in the long run for cuba's citizens, which would not come by taking a route like that of n korea;
> though i've never been to cuba (though i always wanted to, and especially love icaic and its film tradition), it is hard not to be influenced by garcia alea or espinosa, their dreams and visions of a revolution that moves away from repression, from a pointless exploitation of revolution as if nothing has changed, or that revolutionary purity might solve the problem of dealing with opposition. che was a hero to many of us when we were younger; he shot people he thought might hurt the revolution, ultimately arrogating total power to himself in the process.
> surely we can do better; and that means, better than what cuba had become: a former revolutionary state repressive enough to drive away intellectuals on the left like sartre, who was willing to forgive a great deal. cuba came to use "revolution" to imprison gays and any liberal democratic figures brave enough to resist. our heroes turned into repressive rulers, using u.s. hegemony and revolutionary rhetoric to justify any total state actions. alea and tabio made many films that evoke this shameful abuse of the ideals of the revolution.
>
> we need something better than that. the same question posed on the list, how to imagine a better state for african societies.
> a few on this list have expatiated on this notion: i remember moses, on more than one occasion, doing so.
> i think at least for people of my generation we have to continue asking how we can improve on what our earlier dreams for revolution developed into. to get there, we have to end the practice of putting total faith in heroes like lumumba or sankora or anyone, and ask what system needs to be put in place.
> often i hear on this list that it is an honest, decent ruler who can solve nigeria's woes. i think we need a system that a dishonest guy can't wreck more than a person on whom we must depend.
> anyway, ruminations.
> merry christmas, today, to all, and happy holidays for all
> ken
>
> On 12/25/14, 5:41 PM, Pablo wrote:
> Indeed, Ken, et al,
> It's time to move on, for there is no going back here. This process has, by any measure, been a long time coming, not just the last 50 years, but the last little while, including the intervention of the Pope. The US has been isolated in Latin America and the Caribbean over this, even amongst fairly Conservative governments, like Columbia and Mexico; over 100,000 American visited Cuba last year, likely to be 3 million after the restrictions are lifted. US business wants a piece of this (sugar and tourism alone), the biggest economy in the Caribbean by far-- something that might put Canadians, Spanish, French and Brazilians, amongst other interests out of joint, but i doubt it; there's enough to go around through multiplier effects. Obama has side-swiped the loony Republicans-- and the old right wing, and in fact, dying exiled Cuban gusanos, are increasingly marginalized amongst an increasingly diverse and pragmatic post-generation Cuban communities. They will no longer drive US foreign policy about Cuba. Over.
>
> Also, the Cubans leadership, whatever people might variously think of them, have an astute sense of their own interests, are in fact smart negotiators, and would have not done this were it not in their interests. They have been feeling the domestic pressures, which are political, but also both demographic and economic; and they know that, for example, the doctors and biotech exchanges for oil with Venezuela, for instance, are not going to be sustainable. Further, the lifting of the embargo, in addition to, hopefully, liberalizing the politics, will open up, expand and diversify at least the sources of the Cuban economy, allowing, at over the medium and longer term the benefits that the leadership claimed the embargo denied. There will be no more, or at least, fewer excuses.
>
> Anyone who has been to Cuba knows what a dynamic, but at times dysfunctional, place it can be. Its culture is one of the most vibrant I have witnessed, anywhere being paradigmatically modernistic; and, as Pan Africanist, the Africanist presence is so pervasive, though not always sufficiently recognized, even though it gives so much value added to the the place and in so many respects is the dominant cultural force. This, despite Marti's claim about the the amalgam of the two cultures, African and Hispanic, defining Cuba. One hears and sees, especially musically, so many traditions that come from Nigeria (especially Yoruba and Efik (Carabali)) and the Congo, which, of course Cuba, like much of the Africa diaspora, has given exponentially back to the world, including Africa. Over the last little while, however, the tact liberalization has brought that presence to the fore, despite the leadership, which remains overwhelmingly white.
>
> One can never know the full consequence of one's actions, but the Cuban leadership has viewed this very strategically, and it is not or us to second guess them, even if it is is dispositionally academic to play to the received conceptual and historical speculations. Enough paternalism.
>
>
> Happy Holidays to this list. I am gonna play with my grandchild, Isabel, for whom we can only hope, as all our parents and grandparents hoped for us, a better future: for you, for all your children and grandchildren, families, even some of your foes.
>
>
> On 2014-12-25 2:51 AM, kenneth harrow wrote:
> i had the same reaction to the piece. i don't get it, it seemed like crazy thinking. you open an embassy and all the spies and evil ngos, sneak their spies in?? without the embassy they can't get tourist visas? this is unreal. further, cuban dissidents are all evil too? no, i'm glad to be able to cheer for obama on this after all the other appalling thing's he's done in the war on terrorism. too bad this wasn't done 6 years ago when we wanted the "real" obama to act without continually trying to work with the republicans. they had one agenda, block him no matter what, and sadly they seem to have won. finally he has nothing to lose and good things are taking place.
> this is one of the very very good things. gloria, the embargo and closed doors represented all that we hated about cold war politics for 50 years; time to cheer on this change, don't you think?
> ken
>
> On 12/25/14, 12:45 AM, Moses Ebe Ochonu wrote:
> There is a thin line between healthy skepticism and conspiracy mongering/cynicism, and this article in my opinion crosses that line. Can we wait for things to unravel before we sound the usual, familiar alarms about US imperialist traps and resource quests? What about giving the new shift a chance to see how it unfolds? I am no expert on diplomacy and the Cuba embargo but most of the expert commentary I've read--the ones that are not informed by conspiratorial reflections--conclude that Obama went as far as he could go with executive power. The embargo is an act of congress and only an act of congress can undo it as a legal reality. The incoming Republican congress is unlikely to lift the embargo. What Obama has done, experts have said, is to effectively end the embargo in practical quotidian terms while leaving its shell-- which means that as the various stages of the new rapprochement unfolds and are implemented, the impacts and relational consequences of the blockade will gradually fade away, and the embargo, although its legal framework may remain in place if congress does not act to remove it, will become practically meaningless, inconsequential to actual relations and interactions between the governments and peoples of the two countries. Of course, there is no uarantee that this paper vision will unfold exactly as the expert analysts and the Obama administration hope, but why don't we wait until the pitfalls of this vision manifest before we get hyper-critical about the new policy?
>
> Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
>
> On Wed, Dec 24, 2014 at 4:29 PM, Emeagwali, Gloria (History) <emeagwali@mail.ccsu.edu<mailto:emeagwali@mail.ccsu.edu>> wrote:
> US Embassy in Havana – The Cuba Caper
> By Peter Koenig
>
>
> December 23, 2014 "ICH" -The lame duck, Obama, extending a conciliatory hand to Cuba by opening an embassy in Havana, by reopening, after 54 years of a criminal and crippling embargo, diplomatic relations? – At the same time Obama is making not a single concession in terms of lifting the blockade. This smells like a trap. Cuba beware!
>
> Imagine – a US Embassy in Havana – it would open the floodgates for US NED (National Endowment for Democracy) funded 'NGOs', for Washington's spies and anti-Castro propaganda machine; it would have free hand to destabilize the country. And what would Cuba gain? – Zilch, zero, nothing. Not even a gradual lifting of the embargo had been announced. To the contrary, it would open Cuba's borders to the vultures of Florida Cubans, eventually to theirs and other foreign investments, subjugating the country's huge social gains over the last half a century – universal free education and health services, by far the best social system of the Americas – to the sledgehammer of neoliberal privatization.
>
> Why would Cuba now need a US Embassy? After 54 years of struggling and surviving against Washington's nod? – In fact, nobody needs the empire – the empire's consent to financially and economically survive. Suffice it to look at the 'engineered' decay of the Russian ruble which eventually will leave Russia better off than before the downward slide of its currency and the likewise 'engineered' downward spin of the price of petrol. Everybody knows that the Middle Eastern oil producers, Obama's stooges, will not forever shoot themselves in the foot by flooding the petrol market and foregoing their oil revenues.
>
> What Cuba needs is free access to international markets – outside and independent of the United States. Cuba needs to integrate into an independent financial and monetary system, detached from the corrupt casino dollar. Solidarity by the rest of the world which has already helped Cuba survive the illegal, inhuman US embargo is now more than ever of the order. The support of a unity of nations must now help stem the temptation to bend to Washington's offer of 'diplomacy'.
>
> With the establishment of diplomatic relations, Cuba would be condemned to adopt the dollar as trading currency – no escaping the dollar, if ever Cuba wanted to hope for the good deeds of the empire – the lifting of the blockade.
>
> Look what happened in Bolivia, Venezuela and Ecuador – once a US Embassy is established, all the nefarious destabilizing elements could sneak in, willy-nilly. Plus, economic 'sanctions', would be nearer than ever, if Cuba doesn't behave. Both Bolivia and Venezuela have learned their lessons the hard way. After they closed the US Embassy and sent US organizations and NGOs home, they could breathe again. Though Venezuela is still suffering from Washington's diabolical arm of propaganda and direct interference in domestic affairs, she has no longer the burden of maintaining a 'diplomatic' tie with the northern aggressor.
>
> Most importantly, however – the US is vying for Cuban hydrocarbons, estimated today at 20 billion barrels of offshore oil reserves. Cuba, like Venezuela, is close to US Mexican Gulf shores, where the major refineries are waiting for the crude. During his tour of South America in July 2014, President Putin in a meeting with Cuban President, Raul Castro, signed an agreement whereby the Russian oil company, Rosneft, will assist the Cuban oil producer, Cupet, exploring and exploiting the island's offshore petrol.
>
> Is it coincidence or sheer self-interest, that just now, when Russia is digging for oil in Obama's backyard that he is offering diplomatic ties with the 54 years embargoed Caribbean island? – Your guess.
> Venezuela has the world's largest remaining hydrocarbon reserves, about 300 billion barrels. They are close to the US shores and would be the best bet for US mega-oil. But the White House's destabilizing efforts in Venezuela seem to fail. These efforts and other State Department blunders have helped increase US isolation in Latin America.
>
> Why not trying another approach? – A well disguised lie; insinuating with the opening of an embassy in Havana that the deadly embargo might ease in some undefined future between the brutal Goliath of the north and castigated, downtrodden David of the Caribbean. An embassy in Cuba may also earn some much needed kudos with other Latin American neighbors which have been upset for years about the criminal strangulation by the empire of one of their brothers.
>
> In fact, first reactions from Latin America to Obama's diplomatic initiative were positive. But more than caution is in order. – The establishment of a US embassy in Havana might be more than just a floodgate for US secret service agents and anti-Cuba propaganda. A US Embassy in Havana might begin breaking down US isolation in South America, especially in Brazil and Argentina. It might become a backdoor for Washington to gain access to these countries huge natural resources.
>
> Knowing about Washington's agenda of world dominance, it would be difficult to imagine that there is even a shred of goodwill behind Obama's move to 'normalize' relations with Cuba. – Havana beware!
>
>
> Peter Koenig is an economist and geopolitical analyst. He is also a former World Bank staff and worked extensively around the world in the fields of environment and water resources. He is the author of Implosion – An Economic Thriller about War, Environmental Destruction and Corporate Greed – fiction based on facts and on 30 years of World Bank experience around the globe.
> _______________________________________________________________________________________________
>
> Professor Gloria Emeagwali
> History Department
> CCSU. New Britain. CT 06050
> africahistory.net<http://africahistory.net>
> vimeo.com/user5946750/videos<http://vimeo.com/user5946750/videos>
> Gloria Emeagwali's Documentaries on
> Africa and the African Diaspora
> ________________________________________
> From: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com<mailto:usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com> [usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com<mailto:usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com>] On Behalf Of Emeagwali, Gloria (History) [emeagwali@mail.ccsu.edu<mailto:emeagwali@mail.ccsu.edu>]
> Sent: Tuesday, December 23, 2014 2:45 PM
> To: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com<mailto:usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com>
> Subject: RE: USA Africa Dialogue Series - CUBA: THANK YOU PRESIDENT OBAMA
>
> WB,
> This article captures some of my reservations and the need for caution.
> These are some of the facts to note. What is the point of isolating Russia and
> Venezuela with sanctions, while playing nice with Cuba?
>
> GE
> ............................................................................
> One Step Forward, One Step Back in US-Latin America Policy
> http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/international/227648-one-step-forward-one-step-back-in-us-latin-america-policy
>
> Alexander Main
> Friday, December 19, 2014,The Hill
>
>
> President Obama's decision to normalize relations with Cuba has grabbed headlines and drawn plaudits from around the world. In a short but historic speech, Obama announced a breathtaking series of measures including the reestablishing of full diplomatic relations with Cuba and the significant easing of restrictions on travel to the island nation. He also made a plea to Congress to undo the 54-year-old embargo against Cuba.
>
> But at the same time, Obama has supported a significant hardening of policy toward one of Cuba's closest allies in the region.
>
> Venezuela has just joined Cuba as one of only two countries in the Western Hemisphere subject to U.S. sanctions. Legislation mandating sanctions against Venezuelan officials was approved by voice vote in the Senate on Dec. 8 and then sailed through the House on Dec. 10. On Dec. 18, just one day after his speech on a "new course" on Cuba, Obama signed the sanctions bill into law. Cuban-American Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), who authored the legislation, called it "a victory for the Venezuelan people."
>
> The trouble is, the people of Venezuela don't seem to agree with Menendez. A survey<http://venezuelablog.tumblr.com/post/91270642089/datanalisis-releases-polling-data-on-venezuelans> [1] carried out by independent pollster Datanalisis showed that nearly three quarters of Venezuelans oppose U.S. sanctions. The Caracas-based human rights organization PROVEA — a frequent critic of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro — also vigorously rejects<http://www.derechos.org.ve/2014/07/11/provea-rechaza-posibles-sanciones-de-eeuu-contra-funcionarios-del-gobierno-venezolano/> [2] the measure. Other Latin American governments oppose the sanctions as well. At a May summit, South America's heads of state strongly voiced their opposition<http://www.eluniversal.com/nacional-y-politica/140524/unasur-rejects-intended-us-sanctions-on-venezuelan-officials> [3] to the Senate bill and its House companion, authored by Florida Republican Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.
>
> The stated purpose of the bill is "to impose targeted sanctions on persons responsible for violations of human rights of antigovernment protesters" that took to the streets between February and April of this year demanding Maduro's departure. The bill's promoters mention that over 40 people died during the protests but don't acknowledge that a large number of these deaths included state security forces and pro-government activists<http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/the-americas-blog/venezuela-who-are-they-and-how-did-they-die-new> [4] and were caused by the protesters<http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/26/world/americas/crude-weapons-help-fuel-unrest-in-bastion-of-venezuelan-opposition.html> [5] themselves. Moreover, as human rights organizations have noted<http://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/reports/venezuela0514_reportcover_web_0.pdf> [6], Venezuelan authorities have carried out investigations of abuses and apprehended at least 17 security agents allegedly implicated in violent acts against demonstrators.
>
> Troubling reports of impunity still surround some of the killings and abuses perpetrated during the protests. But does Venezuela's human rights situation really justify sanctions? If so, then why hasn't the U.S. government sanctioned authorities in Colombia, where the army reportedly executed at least 5,763 innocent civilians<http://forusa.org/content/report-rise-fall-false-positive-killings-colombia-role-us-military-assistance-2000-2010> [7] between 2000 and 2010? Why hasn't it sanctioned Honduras, where security forces regularly commit extrajudicial killings<http://news.yahoo.com/ap-impact-honduran-police-accused-death-squads-235203072.html> [8] with impunity? Or what about Mexico, where 43 students recently disappeared, most likely all killed, with the alleged complicity<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/14/missing-students-mexico_n_6321866.html> [9] of both local and federal police? Instead of penalizing the governments of these countries, the U.S. continues to send them hundreds of millions of dollars in security assistance.
>
> So where do the sanctions against Venezuela come from?
>
> For years, a handful of members of Congress with ties to far-right Cuban exile groups has sought to harden U.S. policy toward Venezuela and other left-leaning Latin American governments with close relations to the Cuban government. In 2007, Ros-Lehtinen and three other South Florida representatives sent a letter to President George W. Bush, urging him to declare Venezuela's democratically elected government a "dictatorship" and grant temporary political asylum to Venezuelans who had overstayed their U.S. visas. In 2008, Rep. Connie Mack (R-Fla.), Ros-Lehtinen, Rep. Mario Díaz Balart (R-Fla.) and five other legislators sponsored a resolution calling for Venezuela to join Cuba on the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism.
>
> Though these and other efforts didn't gain momentum, the sanctions legislation, introduced in both houses in March, benefited from intense media coverage around the 2014 protests and an unprecedented mobilization of opposition-aligned Venezuelans in the U.S. It passed the House in May but was held up in the Senate until early December. The administration, meanwhile, announced that it opposed sanctions since, in the words of a U.S. official, it "would reinforce the narrative of this being about the Venezuelan government standing up to the U.S."
>
> A group of Democratic legislators applauded<http://www.wola.org/sites/default/files/Colombia/Labor/VenezuelaLetter05272014.pdf> [10] the administration's position, noting that "unilateral U.S. intervention and sanctions have caused deep resentment throughout Latin America." This is perhaps especially true in Venezuela, where people still remember how the U.S. government supported a short-lived military coup<http://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/apr/17/usa.venezuela> [11] against late President Hugo Chávez back in 2002.
>
> Nevertheless, the administration began carrying out minor, unofficial sanctions — first revoking visas of Venezuelan officials and then barring U.S. exports of equipment with a "military end use" to Venezuela. Then, in late November, Antony Blinken, Obama's nominee for deputy secretary of State, told Sens. Menendez and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) that the administration was now fully supporting sanctions.
>
> The administration clearly dislikes President Maduro but is well aware that an aggressive unilateral measure like sanctions could undermine the divided Venezuelan opposition and further isolate the U.S. regionally. So why is it now supportive of sanctions?
>
> When Obama announced the dramatic shift in U.S. policy toward Cuba, he knew it would trigger outrage in the ranks of Cuban-American members of Congress. Though some of these legislators have fringe viewpoints on Latin America, they happen to have powerful committee positions and could make it even harder for the administration to achieve anything in Congress. The president apparently felt he should throw them a bone to try to appease them; the bone was a promise to back their Venezuela sanctions bill.
>
> Such trade-offs may make sense from a Beltway perspective. But allowing legislators stuck in a Cold War mentality to steer U.S. Venezuela policy is dangerous and risks wrecking the good will that the administration's Cuba detente is generating throughout the region. In the words of President Obama, it's time to fully "cut loose the [policy] shackles of the past." Not just with regard to Cuba, but on policy toward Venezuela and other left-leaning Latin American governments as well.
>
> Main is senior associate for international policy at the Center for Economic and Policy Research.
>
> Links:
> [1] http://venezuelablog.tumblr.com/post/91270642089/datanalisis-releases-polling-data-on-venezuelans
> [2] http://www.derechos.org.ve/2014/07/11/provea-rechaza-posibles-sanciones-de-eeuu-contra-funcionarios-del-gobierno-venezolano/
> [3] http://www.eluniversal.com/nacional-y-politica/140524/unasur-rejects-intended-us-sanctions-on-venezuelan-officials
> [4] http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/the-americas-blog/venezuela-who-are-they-and-how-did-they-die-new
> [5] http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/26/world/americas/crude-weapons-help-fuel-unrest-in-bastion-of-venezuelan-opposition.html
> [6] http://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/reports/venezuela0514_reportcover_web_0.pdf
> [7] http://forusa.org/content/report-rise-fall-false-positive-killings-colombia-role-us-military-assistance-2000-2010
> [8] http://news.yahoo.com/ap-impact-honduran-police-accused-death-squads-235203072.html
> [9] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/14/missing-students-mexico_n_6321866.html
> [10] http://www.wola.org/sites/default/files/Colombia/Labor/VenezuelaLetter05272014.pdf
> [11] http://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/apr/17/usa.venezuela
> Professor Gloria Emeagwali
> History Department
> CCSU. New Britain. CT 06050
> africahistory.net<http://africahistory.net>
> vimeo.com/user5946750/videos<http://vimeo.com/user5946750/videos>
> Gloria Emeagwali's Documentaries on
> Africa and the African Diaspora
>
> ________________________________
> From: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com<mailto:usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com> [usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com<mailto:usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com>] On Behalf Of William Bangura [william.bangura17@gmail.com<mailto:william.bangura17@gmail.com>]
> Sent: Monday, December 22, 2014 5:06 PM
> To: dialogue
> Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - CUBA: THANK YOU PRESIDENT OBAMA
>
> Professor Gloria Emeagwali,
>
> What "facts" do you need? Raul Castro would not have pursued this rapprochement with President Obama without the blessings of his older brother Commandante Fidel Castro. President Obama is the "Moses" for Fidel Castro, his revolution and his Cuban people.
> Obama was born on August 4, 1960 and two months later on September 4, 1961 the United States Congress passed the Foreign Assistance Act on September 4, 1961.
> Sister Gloria, I am an African and a GENUINE Pan-Africanist who does not believe in coincidence.
>
> WB
>
> On Thu, Dec 18, 2014 at 9:10 PM, Emeagwali, Gloria (History) <emeagwali@mail.ccsu.edu<mailto:emeagwali@mail.ccsu.edu><mailto:emeagwali@mail.ccsu.edu<mailto:emeagwali@mail.ccsu.edu>>> wrote:
> Well there are pros and cons. This could be a ploy to isolate Russia further
> and divert attention from the sordid CIA torture record on the news.
> Once Russia and allies are routed, Cuba will be a sitting duck.
> Fear the" Greeks" bearing gifts. These are treacherous times.
>
> On the other hand, it could be what Bangura and others dreamt for, and a real horse rather than
> a Trojan carving. Should that be the case, congrats I say, but
> I need to get an endorsement from Fidel, before I bring out the
> champagne glass.
>
>
>
>
> Professor Gloria Emeagwali
> History Department
> CCSU. New Britain. CT 06050
> africahistory.net<http://africahistory.net><http://africahistory.net>
> vimeo.com/user5946750/videos<http://vimeo.com/user5946750/videos><http://vimeo.com/user5946750/videos>
> Gloria Emeagwali's Documentaries on
> Africa and the African Diaspora
>
> ________________________________
> From: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com<mailto:usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com><mailto:usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com<mailto:usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com>> [usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com<mailto:usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com><mailto:usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com<mailto:usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com>>] On Behalf Of william bangura [william.bangura17@gmail.com<mailto:william.bangura17@gmail.com><mailto:william.bangura17@gmail.com<mailto:william.bangura17@gmail.com>>]
> Sent: Thursday, December 18, 2014 5:15 PM
> To: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com<mailto:usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com><mailto:usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com<mailto:usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com>>
> Subject: USA Africa Dialogue Series - CUBA: THANK YOU PRESIDENT OBAMA
>
> The normalization of full diplomatic relations with Cuba was one of the salient reasons why I had campaigned for the then Sen. Barack H. Obama in the Democratic Presidential Primaries in Alexandria, Virginia and against Sen. John McCain in the General Elections that he will normalize full diplomatic relationship with Cuba before Fidel Castro dies.
> As a young boy living in Freetown, Sierra Leone I supported all the liberation movements in Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde, Angola, Mozambique, Rhodesia, South Africa and South West Africa. But I was very fascinated with the struggle in Angola because of the heavy presence of Cuban troops who were not only equipping and training the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) but were also involved in the fighting.
> In 1975 Cuban intelligence in Luanda, Angola's capital intercepted a signal that the South African Defense, the National Front for the Liberation of Angola (FNLA) and the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) will invade southern Angola at Quinfangondo.
> President Fidel Castro telephoned Soviet President Leonid Breshnev and requested Aeroflots and Russian military transport planes to carry Cuban troops from Havana to Luanda. But there was a problem of refueling, and consequently, he called President Siaka Stevens of Sierra Leone and requested if the planes will refuel in Freetown--which is closer to Luanda--and that SOB (Stevens a faux supporter of the liberation struggle) demanded money. Castro then advised him to "fly a kite".
> Castro then called Sekou Toure of neighboring Guinea who accepted. The Guinean army will establish a five mile circumference around l'aeroport Gbessia in Conakry hours before the Russian planes were refueled en route to Luanda.
> On the eve of the battle at Quinfangondo the Cubans launched"Operation Carlota"<http://www.afrocubaweb.com/carlota.htm> and they were in the line of attack,
> operating the Russian tanks and flying the Russian Migs.
> Castro's admiration and fascination with Africans originate from his relationship with Juan Almeida Bosque<http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/13/nyregion/13almeida.html?_r=0>. Castro had said Bosque was the greatest warrior he had ever seen. He also said that the difference between Bosque and Guevara was that the latter was more philosophical. During a pivotal battle in the Sierra Maestra after they--Fidel, Raul, Bosque, Che and the various rebels--had been ambushed and outnumbered by by Gen. Fulgencio Batista's troops Bosque commanded that, "Here, nobody surrenders". This directive became the mantra of the Cuban revolution.
> The Cuban victory in Angola <http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/42294/pamela-s-falk/cuba-in-africa> culminated to the liberation of South West Africa, Zimbabwe and South Africa.
> President Obama has not only rewarded Fidel Castro and the Cuban people for liberating his (Obama's) people from colonialism, but, he is also fascinated with her social and political enhancement in education, medicine, the arts and in sports.
> In Themne, my people will say "Obai Obama "Moemoe O" which translates to Thank you very much, King--it was British colonialism that devalued our Sierra Leonean Kings to Chiefs--Obama
>
>
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> There is enough in the world for everyone's need but not for everyone's greed.
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> ---Mohandas Gandhi
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> kenneth w. harrow
> faculty excellence advocate
> professor of english
> michigan state university
> department of english
> 619 red cedar road
> room C-614 wells hall
> east lansing, mi 48824
> ph. 517 803 8839
> harrow@msu.edu<mailto:harrow@msu.edu>
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> kenneth w. harrow
> faculty excellence advocate
> professor of english
> michigan state university
> department of english
> 619 red cedar road
> room C-614 wells hall
> east lansing, mi 48824
> ph. 517 803 8839
> harrow@msu.edu<mailto:harrow@msu.edu>
>
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> Listserv moderated by Toyin Falola, University of Texas at Austin
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--
kenneth w. harrow
faculty excellence advocate
professor of english
michigan state university
department of english
619 red cedar road
room C-614 wells hall
east lansing, mi 48824
ph. 517 803 8839
harrow@msu.edu


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