***The United States is now at a crossroads.
First, the United States must buck what is becoming a trend in the Western Hemisphere; namely, that democratic means are being manipulated by leftist leaders to preclude the United States from affecting or supporting "regime change," lest it appear to subvert the democratic process. To this end, the removal of Fidel Castro from power could provide a benchmark against which all pro-Castro leaders can judge their future behavior.
Moreover, a congressionally approved regime change in Cuba could at this moment accomplish three other important tasks: One, Fidel Castro's absence would have a detumescent effect on those leftists who exhibit a penchant for Castro-ism. Two, a positive regime change would eliminate Fidel Castro's ideational inspiration, which serves as the greatest source of intellectual, ideological, and political anti-Americanism in the region. Three, the United States would destroy one of the most powerful logistical infrastructures for supporting terrorist movements. Cuba's military and intelligence advisors would no longer be able to assist anti-U.S. regimes or terrorist organizations.
Second, The United States must demand that Brazil abandon any material attempt to obtain weapons of mass destruction. Any evidence to the contrary should result in devastating consequences. On the terror front, the United States can test the veracity of Brazil's numerous pledges to fight terrorism by requesting an unequivocal denunciation of the FARC and an exhibition of the appropriate legal measures to support this rhetorical decision.
Third, without Fidel Castro's intellectual, ideological, and political influence, Hugo Chavez would assume the status of an unimpressive despot akin to Saddam Hussein's Yasser Arafat. At that point he might be more easily contained until a future date when the people of Venezuela can be encouraged to elect someone more competent to lead that great country.
Unless the United States government adopts a coherent Western Hemispheric strategy to counter the influence of the Castro- da Silva-Chavez tripartite, one can expect to witness the growth of this "axis" and a concomitant rise in terrorist related activity in the region. As an example of things to come the Washington Times reported on 7 April 2003 that Al Qaeda terrorists had plans to enter the United States illegally through Mexico to carry our attacks against various targets. It is wholly conceivable that these terrorists could one day commence operations from secure locations in the Western Hemisphere and given enough time they may even attain a nuclear weapons capability courtesy of an anti-U.S. regime.
To borrow a phrase from the Bush Doctrine: "…the United States cannot remain idle while dangers gather."***
POPE URGES CLEMENCY ``In the face of these facts, His Holiness charged me with asking Your Excellency to give full consideration to a significant gesture of clemency toward those convicted, with the assurance of knowing that such an act will contribute to create a climate of greater detente to the benefit of the real Cuban people.'' In an introduction to the letter released by the Holy See, the hijackers were described as dissidents, not criminals.
In his speech on Friday night, Castro said his administration was aware of the political consequences it would face but had no choice in adopting ''the measures,'' referring to the arrests and executions. The three-hour speech explained the government's action by detailing alleged provocations incited by the top U.S. diplomat in Havana, and U.S. support for a democratic reform initiative known as the Varela Project and another dissident movement known as the Assembly to Promote Civil Society in Cuba.
Citing the war in Iraq as an example of U.S. aggression, Castro warned that Cuba could not be conquered with soldiers, military tanks or aircraft. He said that ''principal leaders'' in the country would never surrender and that even if they were killed, thousands of other ``combatants would occupy their posts . . . and generation after generation would fight for Cuba and against occupying troops.'' ''When our country is occupied,'' Castro said, ``The war will not end; rather, it will just begin.''
Castro said that the Bush administration ``is seeking an inevitable mass exodus [out of the island] . . . to serve as a pretext for military aggression against Cuba.'' Cuba always has blamed U.S. immigration policy for spurring illegal departures because U.S. law allows most Cubans who reach U.S. soil to qualify for permanent residence. But in his speech, Castro suggested that a string of hijackings over the last year is part of a U.S. plot that began to unfold nearly eight months ago with the arrival of James Cason, chief of the U.S. Interests section in Havana.***