Our Cuba Policy: A Failure at 50

Eugene Robinson / Truthdig Jan 2, 2009 President-elect Obama will have more urgent matters to deal with after he takes the oath of office. But somewhere on his long to-do list, he should make a note to finally bring five decades of counterproductive American policy toward Cuba to a definitive end. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Cuban Windfall: Billions of Barrels of Black Gold

Staff / Truthdig Oct 20, 2008 Cuba may have just hit the oil jackpot, with a revised estimate of its reserves doubling. That means the small island nation has about as much oil as the United States. American conservatives may soon have to choose between their love of oil and the half-century-old embargo that would keep Cuba's petroleum away. How do you say "drill, baby, drill" en Español? Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

America’s Insane Cuba Policy

Eugene Robinson / Truthdig May 27, 2008 Other than providing Fidel Castro with a convenient antagonist to help him whip up nationalist fervor -- and thus prolong his rule -- the U.S. trade embargo and other sanctions have accomplished precisely nothing. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Castro Slams Obama

Staff / Truthdig May 27, 2008 Semi-retired Cuban leader Fidel Castro thinks Barack Obama is "the most-advanced candidate in the presidential race," so he must have been disappointed to hear that Obama would continue an embargo against the island nation. That policy, Castro wrote in a column that appeared in state newspapers, is "a formula for hunger for [Cuba]." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

McCain’s Cuba Policy: The Same Old Stuff

Staff / Truthdig May 22, 2008 In keeping with his image as a president for yesterday, John McCain promised a crowd in Florida he would do nothing to upset the policy of isolation that has proved so ineffective in regard to Cuba. "Florida will be yours!" shouted a grateful foe of the Castro regime. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

White House Resists Change in Cuba Policy

Staff / Truthdig Feb 20, 2008 "Here is the deal: By any objective measure U.S. policy towards Cuba over the last 50 years has been a failure," says Rep. Jim McGovern, who organized a bipartisan effort to pressure the Bush administration to rethink Cuba policy in light of Fidel Castro's resignation. But according to Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte, America's attempts to isolate Cuba economically and diplomatically won't go away "any time soon." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Fan of Failure

Staff / Truthdig Oct 25, 2007 Ever a fan of failed policy, President Bush has reiterated his support of the embargo against Cuba, which, one might recall, was enacted more than four decades ago to force Fidel Castro from power. Bush also praised the patient (and sometimes violent) Cuban dissidents, who, he said, one day "will be the nation's leaders." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Report: Rights Abuse Is Easing Under Raul

Staff / Truthdig Jul 6, 2007 An independent Cuban human rights organization says Cuba has taken fewer and freed more political prisoners under the rule of Raul Castro, compared with his brother, Fidel. But the group says human rights abuses by the government are still a problem, as is the U.S. embargo, which it says imposes unnecessary hardship on the Cuban people. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Gore Vidal on Cuba

Staff / Truthdig May 14, 2007 The iconic author and historian speaks with Truthdig Editor Robert Scheer about his recent tour of Cuba, why he thinks the island has a bright future and why the United States, the world's only superpower, has an inferiority complex. Dig deeper ( 7 Min. Read )

Fox’s Gibson Joins the Michael Moore Witch Hunt

Staff / Truthdig May 12, 2007 John Gibson of Fox News attempts to "nail" Michael Moore for his recent trip to Cuba, arguing rather desperately that Moore cannot be considered a journalist because his last movie grossed $100 million and journalists are supposed to be underpaid. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

They Hate Us For Our Hypocrisy

Eugene Robinson / Truthdig May 11, 2007 The Bush administration says that its zero-tolerance policy against terrorism applies to all suspected evildoers, not just Muslims, and that its zero-tolerance policy against Cuba is a principled position, not just an exercise in pandering to the implacable anti-Castro exiles in Miami. On both counts, evidence suggests otherwise. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

U.S. Investigates Michael Moore

Staff / Truthdig May 11, 2007 The Treasury Department is investigating documentarian Michael Moore over a recent trip to Cuba that the government says may have violated the trade embargo. Moore brought a group of ailing 9/11 rescue workers to the island nation in making his latest film, "Sicko," an exploration of the healthcare system. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )