In what could be the start of a bid to reengage Latin and South America, the Obama Administration has announced it is normalizing diplomatic relations with Cuba after months of secret talks.
Given the Cold War ended nearly three decades ago, the US has had a working relationship with Russia since then, and we live in a dynamic world that continually forces us to overcome serious rifts with other nations, easing the 54 year-old Cuban Embargo seems like a seriously overdue policy change. There is, however, still the Castro issue. Although there was great hope in 2008 when Fidel’s transferred power to his younger, more reform-minded brother Raul would mean major policy and political shifts within Cuba, such changes have been extremely slow to material. Considering a number of Democrats and Republicans are united in their criticism of Obama’s Cuba policy, it would be very difficult, if not impossible, for the Obama Administration to lift the Cuban Embargo. That is unless the Cuban government demonstrates it is truly on a sustained path toward fundamental changes.
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In countries struggling with unresponsive governance, such as the oppressive governments of Arab Spring Revolution countries and the dysfunctional government of the United States, populations start to suffer from a kind of social combat fatigue. In other words, people want their governments and their countries to change for the better, but too much struggle for too long leads individuals to seek the comfort of stability and the status quo.
The passage of the “Cromnibus” spending bill, which underhandedly included many policy riders that represented a winning compromise for politicians in Washington yet failed to serve the most important goal of giving the American People a total win, should have been thoroughly scandalous. Tiring of dysfunction, however, the fact Republicans and Democrats were able to fund the government and avoid a shutdown without one Continuing Resolution after another, mattered more. That is until the consequences of those policy riders hit the American People hard. With that in mind, it seems both Democrats and Republicans want another round of sanctions against Russia for its involvement in the Ukraine Crisis. President Obama, however, is hesitant to sign pending legislation into action. Given Russia is hurting from sinking oil prices, continues to engage in provocative military displays around the world, and keeps interfering in Ukrainian political affairs while this next round of sanctions would target Russian weapons companies that are feeding Russia’s military endeavors, it seems odd that President Obama would hesitate. The leaders of the world seem to be trapped in a vicious cycle where their ongoing failures to adequately serve the interests of their Peoples is driving dysfunctional government and social instability. On the verge of another government shutdown, the United States has become the rule and not the exception.
That said, the spontaneous and enterprising nature of the American People allows us to do the same thing over and over again for decades then wake up one morning and decide to do something completely different. As such, the latest fight over funding government is as much a flashpoint for a crisis as an opportunity for the US to lead. Looking at the 1.1 trillion dollar so-called “Cromnibus” spending bill Congress is considering, the piece of legislation contains a multitude of policy changes forged in classic closed-door meetings between members of the GOP, Democratic Party, and the President. Unfortunately, the definition of “compromise” and “balanced” for politicians seems to mean little more than giving one side something it wants for something the other side wants. Offering a sneak preview into what Americans can expect from a Republican-dominated Legislative Branch, the proposed $1.1 trillion dollar spending bill intended to keep the US government running will take us from an unproductive, dysfunctional Congress back to a government thoroughly run by special interests.
In a classic closed-door bad “compromise” between Republicans and Democrats, the 1,600 page, last-minute document, which is being shoved down the throats of the American People to avoid a manufactured crisis without any public debate as the GOP continues to hypocritically criticize the controversial passage of Obamacare, includes several policy changes that run counter to American interests. Embolden by their 2014 mid-term victory built on a lack of voter turnout, Republicans feel driven to fulfill a supposed voter dictated “mandate” on whatever priorities they chose to pursuit. One of those priorities is apparently giving Wall Street a Christmas present by weakening major financial regulations enacted to address the issues that helped cause the 2008-2009 Great Recession. Considering the critical nature and complexity of the subject, responsible Republicans should be pushing for regulatory reform through an independent, well-considered piece of legislation, not carelessly eliminating serious regulations through a spending bill without debate over the specific provisions. As classic Washington goes, the gift giving must go two ways. For their present, the House is choosing to increase campaign donor limits from $194,400 per individual per election cycle to $1.6 million dollars per individual per election cycle. This means wealthy donors might soon be able to expand their “stage presence” by dumping even more money into campaigns in order drown out the voices of voters and push their agendas. Since the Supreme Court in the infamous Citizens United case decided money is protected free speech, there has been an increased need to address the undue influence of special interests. Unfortunately, this counterproductive measure will only make things worse. Republicans may have a reputation for sabotaging and abusing the legislative process, but Democrats also share in the blame. Much fanfare has been devoted to the release of the Senate Intelligence Committee report on the CIA’s “enhanced interrogation” program, but the focus of the CIA and allies of the Intelligence Community is not on repairing the damage torture has done to the institution. It is suppressing what wrongs were done and protecting those who did wrong. Although their concerns are supposedly on the potential security issues posed by the release of the report, the reality that the world already thinks the worse of the CIA suggests officials are protecting themselves and the institution from criticism.
Looking at protests across America over the killing of 18 year-old Michael Brown, 12 year-old Tamir Rice, and Eric Garner by police, there are varying circumstances to why encounters with the police turned unnecessarily deadly. The common thread driving these protests, which can also be seen in protests around the world, is a perception the powerful are above the law. Similarly, the reality that the CIA and allies appear to believe the spy agency is immune from justice and above the law is what drives anger against the CIA as well as those who shield the CIA from the consequences of their worst behavior. In truth, this report would likely have been quietly released and forgotten about by the American People if not for Edward Snowden. By helping to reveal the CIA hacked the computers of Congress, Edward Snowden turned some of those shielding the CIA into victims looking for revenge. At the same time, the overall Edward Snowden revelations, along with the revelations of other whistleblowers, forced the sins of America’s national security apparatus into the light of day. Consequently, the CIA is clearly struggling, as an institution, to deal with internal corruption, not a PR problem as defenders want to believe. |
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April 2020
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