After three months of threats and making an appearance on two separate stages -- the State Department, in Washington DC, and a theater in Miami -- the Donald Trump administration has finally announced what it intends to do to intensify its economic war against Cuba.
On April 17th, during a brief, mid-morning ceremony in Washington, DC, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that they will fully implement Title III of the Helms-Burton Law. He didn't offer any further explanation, although he said that as of May 2nd, “Cuban-Americans” will be able to file claims before U.S. courts against those who in any day use the properties that they claim were once theirs or belonged to their family.
Pomeo didn't take any questions and no one knows why such a decision is coming now, after 23 years of previous administrations -- Clinton, W. Bush, Obama and Trump himself -- having postponed the implementation of Title III.
Official statements were immediately issued by Spain, Canada, Mexico and the European Union. In addition to their official protest, they warned that they will take the necessary measures to neutralize any attempt to harm their legitimate interests. They noted that they are capable of doing so, pointing out that there is no shortage of U.S. investments in their countries.
The most notorious spectacle was reserved for Miami. John Bolton, U.S. National Security Advisor, played the main role. In his audience were the surviving veterans of the 2506 Brigade -- the invasion force that was defeated 58 years ago by the Cuban people in just 66 hours.
Bolton repeated what Pompeo said earlier regarding the lawsuits and also announced the re-imposition of severe restrictions on the travel of Cuban Americans to their country of origin and on the remittances they send to their families on the island. Some of these measures were previously applied by W. Bush and were rejected by the vast majority of that community, which has since been reflected in the Miami-Dade County elections.
The Miami show was as pathetic as it was grotesque. The old and tired veterans failed when they were younger. Organized by the CIA and with the support of the U.S. armed forces, these mercenaries went to Cuba to recover “their” estates, “their” factories and “their” mansions. Now John Bolton is promising them that their dreams will finally become a reality.
The show was summed up by Nicolás Gutierrez Castaño: “Even in our most feverish dreams, we could not conceive that a U.S. government would do it. No one ever did. Forget Reagan. Forget Bush." Excited, the skillful managing lawyer of Helms-Burton believes the time has come to “recover” the large properties stolen from his great-grandfather.
An unabashed dreamer, Bolton, for his part, invited them to make a toast to the Monroe Doctrine which, according to him, is alive and well.
Intoxicated, “celebrating” their fulminate defeat, the guests at the strange banquet in Miami applauded him with delirium.
It is time to wake them up.