Posted on 03/06/2002 1:46:55 PM PST by Asmodeus
Wednesday, March 6, 2002
Associated Press
U.S. Reviewing Cuba, Cyberattacks
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Bush administration has begun a review of Cuba policy that will include an assessment of whether Cuba can disrupt U.S. military communications through the Internet, a senior official says.
That issue will be examined along with others to determine Cuba's potential to damage U.S. interests, the official said.
The senior official, asking not to be identified, said Cuba's involvement in international terrorism also will be part of the review.
In addition, the administration is examining the possibility of seeking an indictment against President Fidel Castro in the 1996 shootdown by MiG jet fighters of two Miami-based private planes near Cuban air space, the official said.
Thus far, the centerpiece of President Bush's Cuba policy has been support of the U.S. embargo against Cuba. But the official's comments suggested the administration has a more proactive agenda in mind for countering Castro.
A year ago, Vice Adm. Thomas Wilson, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, told a congressional hearing that that Cuba has the potential to use ``information warfare or computer network attack'' to disrupt ``our access or flow of forces to the region.''
Wilson declined to discuss the matter further in open session, and the administration has not commented publicly on the subject since then. The senior official said Cuba's ability to engage in cyberattacks is part of the policy review. Castro has dismissed Wilson's comments as ``craziness.''
Richard Clarke, the White House technology adviser, said in testimony in February before a Senate Judiciary subcommittee, that the United States could respond militarily against a foreign government in the event of a cyberattack.
``We reserve the right to respond in any way appropriate: through covert action, through military action, any one of the tools available to the president,'' Clarke said.
He said Iran, Iraq, North Korea, China, Russia and other countries already have people trained in Internet warfare. He did not mention Cuba.
Cuba is on the State Department terrorist country list, a designation based on ties Cuba maintains with other countries on the list, including Iraq, and the haven Cuba provides for foreigners linked to alleged terrorist organizations.
As a result of the policy review, the Cuba section of the next State Department terrorism report, due next month, may add to the rationale for keeping Cuba on the list.
Castro argues that Cuba has been the victim of a Miami-based terrorism campaign that dates back 40 years and has claimed, he says, thousands of lives.
As for the embargo, Bush has said he will oppose ``any effort to weaken sanctions against the Cuban government until it respects Cubans' basic human rights and civil rights, frees political prisoners and holds free and democratic elections.''
But there is strong sentiment in the Congress to lift restrictions on travel by Americans to Cuba. The worst nightmare of pro-embargo stalwarts is the specter of Americans filling Cuba's tourist hotels and, in the process, leaving behind hundreds of millions in dollars for Cuba's cash-starved government.
The senior official raised the possibility of a presidential veto if the travel restrictions are eased. At present, travel is permitted by journalists some other categories of Americans who have a professional interest in Cuba. But tourism has been barred for years.
Thanks again
Sounds good to me. Remember when we invaded Panama and toppled their government just to send Noriega to trial? Why can't we do the same thing to Castro? Surely murdering American citizens is considered as heinous a crime as allowing drugrunners to pass through your country. But whatever, if the War on Drugs is the only thing that is permitted to affect our foreign policy, then let's just indict Castro on drug charges—if anything, he's more of a trafficker than Noriega ever was.
Wow! I'm looking forward to it. Thanks Luis.
Castro frequently says his one-party communist system is more democratic than the Western model and denies the existence of political prisoners or repression of freedom of expression.
The signatures, gathered by activists across the Caribbean island of 11 million inhabitants over the last year, will be presented to the National Assembly in a few weeks, once all 10,000 signatures have been checked and ratified, Paya said.
"This has never been done before, it has no precedent," he added. "It shows Cubans not only want changes, but also are ready to face the risks to show they want changes." [End Excerpt]
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