Spanish journalist Ignacio Ramonet wrote an open letter to U.S. President Joe Biden requesting the removal of Cuba from the State Sponsors of Terrorism, a short list of countries the U.S. deems supportive of international terrorist acts. Casa de las Americas, an organization founded by the Cuban government after the Cuban Revolution for the purpose of bettering the state’s social and cultural relations with the world, added an introductory paragraph after Ramonet sent them the letter. This paragraph invited everyone, from writers like Ramonet to regular people who merely support the cause, to give their signature. In his letter, Ramonet blames former U.S. President Donald Trump for reinscribing Cuba on the SSOT list just a few months before his term ended for no apparent reason. He then calls for Biden to reverse Trump’s decision in the final months of his respective term and lists many reasons to do so. These reasons include the fact that Cuba is a promoter of peace and is actually the victim of many terrorist attacks, their citizens have cruel restrictions because of their inclusion on the list, their tourism industry has taken a hit, and many more.
The Cuban people seem to be struggling a good amount because of their designation on the SSOT. I would like to see Biden respond in some fashion instead of sweeping Ramonet’s request under the rug. I wouldn’t be surprised if it didn’t reach his office though. After all, Ramonet is just a popular journalist and doesn’t hold any political power. He’s not even Cuban, he’s just writing on their behalf. However, I believe that Ramonet made some great points. Cuba seems to have a track record of promoting peace in recent years, especially in Colombia. But although he made a strong claim, Ramonet states that “There is not a single valid and reasonable argument to accuse Cuba…” I find that hard to believe. Unless both Trump and Biden have a vendetta against Cuba, I’m sure that there’s something Ramonet didn’t mention that’s keeping the state on that list. Maybe it has to do with Cuba’s history with communism, but putting Cuba on the SSOT because they don’t agree with their style of government would be petty.
This relates to class because the story includes two global actors conflicting in diplomacy, which is a definition of international relations. It also relates to class because I identified the issue and analyzed it, which is how we are told to approach global issues.