CELEBRATING US-CUBAN NORMALIZATION
December 19, 2014
President Obama has just
finished his last press conference of 2014 in a good mood. The agreement to normalize US-Cuban relations
is indeed a milestone in making peace between two countries whose formal state
of war began in the Bay of Pigs more than two months before this president was
born. As far as personal credit goes, the
agreement he and President Castro announced this week, this will surely rank as
his major foreign policy peacemaking accomplishment. It belies the historical reality of how many
Cuban and US individuals, groups, and no doubt many diplomatic contacts have
connected to rise from grassroots peacemaking to formal diplomatic recognition
of the Cuban state, including, ways that individuals persuaded Pope Francis and
the Canadian government to do their parts to persuade the two presidents and
their advisers to announce what amounts to an unratified treaty of peace. It took two generations for that formal and
informal peacemaking force reached a tipping point at the top of the political
culture.
By contrast, in our domestic war
on crime and excessive use of police force against people of color, and in our
wars to “destroy” the Islamic State and “combat terrorism,” the prevailing
logic is one of fighting warfare with warfare, with punishment, with
containment if not extermination. Causes
for public recognition and celebration of turning away from war toward peace
such as this week’s agreement between the presidents of Cuba and the US,
including exchange of prisoners of war, come seldom. In the spirit of Hanukah and Christmas, I
take this moment to enjoy the light of peace and mutual understanding that now
shines on our relations. Love and peace,
hal
No comments:
Post a Comment