LaxTV Forums | A Forum About The MCLA

The reason for this decision is because the United States' Treasury Department has announced that they will deny Cuba a permit to compete, which is a violation of the Olympic Charter," said Israel Roldan, president of the Amateur Puerto Rican Baseball Federation, in a letter to Aldo Notari, the International Federation's president.

tamu33 wrote:Treasury department has said that because of the embargo, Cuba will not be allowed in the World Classic.

What do you guys think? Should we still have this feud with Castro?

Gregg Pathiakis wrote: I was just reading a book (I might be a little off on the title, but it is by Paul Aron, titled More Unsolved Mysteries of American History) and he claims in this book that if it were not for the embargo and current relationship, the relationship between Cuba and the US would be one of the closest between two nations anywhere. OK, on to topics I actually know something about.

Colonel Ralph J. Capio, USAF wrote:It is quite clear that what we know of today as global economic interdependence has dramatically affected the ways in which countries and businesses around the world relate to one another. The challenge of global competition today has caused numerous and profound changes in the environment in which businesses must find their way, and, consequently, the ways in which nation states act and react to each other. As a result, no single country can be immune from the impact of such fundamental change.

On a political map, the boundaries between countries are as clear as ever. But on a competitive map, a map showing the real flows of financial and industrial activity, those boundaries have largely disappeared. *** Through this flow ..., we have become global citizens, and so must the companies that want to sell us things.

Both the risks and benefits associated with global business are very real. This vastly increased importance of transnational business opportunities not only permits, but actually invites, nation states’ efforts to exert influence over them as an extension of foreign policy.

The United States, certainly, has not been hesitant to apply sanctions in order to further its interests. In fact, it has rather liberally used sanctions in this regard. Between 1993 and the present, the US applied sanctions 61 times against 35 countries. This has been a popular option "of choice" for US decision makers. We have often seen them applied as an alternative to military action, as for example, against Iran and Libya for their perceived efforts at supporting terrorism, or against Iraq in an effort to dissuade it from invading Kuwait. As indicated above, however, there is considerable debate as to the effectiveness of sanctions. One study showed that of the 150 examples of sanctions imposed during this century, "... only one in three made even a modest contribution toward the intended goal". Moreover, sanctions are not without economic effect on the country imposing them. They can, in fact, be an "expensive" option. For example, it is estimated that the application of sanctions cost the US in 1995 alone $15 to $19 billion in lost export revenues.

The U.S. trade embargo of Cuba, as an economic extension of U.S. foreign policy, seems not to have been successful. It has not caused Castro to leave office, nor has it forced an abandonment of the communist form of government in Cuba. Moreover, continuation of the embargo does not appear to offer high prospects for success. In fact, by doing so, it seems that the U.S. will likely continue merely to impoverish the Cuban people, alienate its allies and trading partners, and cause its own businesses to be in a poor competitive position when Castro eventually does leave office.

In our opinion, it is time for the U.S. to reconsider its Cold War attitude toward Cuba and to seek to engage it instead.

laxfan25 wrote:I don't know. Do you think this lingering relic of a Cold War long since past might have anything to do with a wealthy, politically powerful interest group in Miami, FL? Hmm, I wonder who the governor of Florida is, and if he has any connections higher up in gov't?

Sonny wrote:

laxfan25 wrote:I don't know. Do you think this lingering relic of a Cold War long since past might have anything to do with a wealthy, politically powerful interest group in Miami, FL? Hmm, I wonder who the governor of Florida is, and if he has any connections higher up in gov't?

It has nothing to do with the Bush family. The dispute with Cuba & Castro goes back over 40 years now. I know that most folks from the left like to blame W. for every ill in the world, but not this one.

Sonny wrote:

laxfan25 wrote:I don't know. Do you think this lingering relic of a Cold War long since past might have anything to do with a wealthy, politically powerful interest group in Miami, FL? Hmm, I wonder who the governor of Florida is, and if he has any connections higher up in gov't?

It has nothing to do with the Bush family. The dispute with Cuba & Castro goes back over 40 years now. I know that most folks from the left like to blame W. for every ill in the world, but not this one.

laxfan25 wrote:I'm not trying to be an apologist for Castro's crackdowns, but as this article points out, this is the only country that is off-limits to US travelers, and certainly not the only one that doesn't practice full human rights.