Obama Administration Follows Bush Path of Near Total Isolation

DOBBS FERRY, N.Y., Oct. 26 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On Wednesday, October 28, the UN is scheduled to take up its annual debate on the unilateral U.S. embargo of Cuba. Expectations are of a crushing U.S. defeat similar to last year, 185 to 3.

"Most Americans, including government officials, may not pay much attention but this annual vote signals that no U.S. foreign policy is as universally despised as our trade war against Cuba," said John McAuliff, Executive Director of a leading non-governmental advocacy group, the Fund for Reconciliation and Development.

"Likewise," he noted, "the margin of the U.S. defeat reflects the most dramatic failure of the Obama Administration to live up to its promise to improve U.S. standing in the world."

McAuliff, head of a 25-year-old non-governmental organization based in New York, added, "The tragedy is that the White House could have easily influenced the vote by making a straightforward reform consistent with its own values and goals and the opinion of two-thirds of Americans.

President Obama has the power to reverse his predecessor's virtual ban in 2004 on non-tourist travel to Cuba for educational, cultural, religious, humanitarian and other people-to-people purposes; while pledging to sign pending legislation eliminating all travel restrictions."

"Instead," he commented, "the U.S. and Cuba are mirror images, each sacrificing freedom to travel for political reasons. We stopped the NY Philharmonic from performing in Havana this week by refusing a travel license. They stopped the blogger Yoani Sanchez from receiving an award in New York last week by denying an exit visa."

McAuliff also said, "The President could have addressed humanitarian concern about the embargo by licensing sale and donation of construction, medical and agricultural equipment and supplies in response to last year's triple hurricane devastation."

McAuliff explores the issue further in an Op Ed essay available for publication at:

http://mcauliffsmusings.blogspot.com/2009/10/un-embargo-vote-confirms-us-isolation.html.

Illustrations of the humanitarian and developmental cost of the embargo can be seen in the 117 page annual report by the Secretary General of the United Nations:

http://democracyinamericas.org/pdfs/UNGA%202009.pdf.

Analysis and excerpts prepared by the Center for Democracy in the Americas:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sarah-stephens/un-vote-to-condemn-obamas_b_333722.html.

SOURCE Fund for Reconciliation and Development

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