Missed Point on Cuba

Ann Louise Bardach’s expose on Castro is simply biased opinion about Fidel’s morality and is entirely off-point [News, “Cuba S-, Subpoenas No,” 10/22/09].

The United Nations has voted again (187-3) to condemn the U.S. trade embargo on Cuba. For the 18th consecutive year, the General Assembly passed this resolution with nearly universal support. For the last eight years, this vote was seen as a rebuke of the Bush administration. But the embargo, as it stands, is Obama’s policy. If the United States is to be a leader in the world community, we have to be a good neighbor, too.

This policy doesn’t work! The embargo has failed on all fronts for 50 years. It has caused great suffering for the Cuban people. Every country in the Western hemisphere now has full diplomatic relations with Cuba, and U.S.-Cuba policy stands in the way of better relations with the rest of Latin America. It’s embarrassing and it harms U.S. interests. – Michael W. Stowell