The Bush Administration's Cuba Policy...or Lack Thereof

As we look ahead to the end of the Fidel Castro era, NDN continues to be a leading voice in the debate over the future of US-Cuban relations.  At the same time, the White House has been completely withdrawn at this critical time.  Who would have expected impotence and apparent indifference from the Bush Administration at a time when Fidel Castro's ill health has forced him to transfer power to his younger brother Raul. Even the top State Department Aide for Latin America admits that the administration has been sitting on its hands, waiting for an actionable moment:

"We don't feel that we've lost an important moment, because quite frankly, we don't see any significant possibility of change of any kind until Fidel is gone," Tom Shannon, the top State Department aide for Latin America, says...

But many observers say the post-Fidel era has begun _ with Raul Castro clearly in control.

This inaction is especially troubling at a time when there are bills in Congress, including one endorsed by NDN, to ease travel restrictions and increase contact between Cubans on the island and Cuban-Americans in the United States.