The Trump administration will bring Cuba back to the list of state sponsors of terrorism on Monday, according to two senior State Department officials who reversed an Obama-era decision and made it difficult for President-elect Joe Biden to quickly revive diplomatic ties with Havana.
Secretary of State Michael Pompeo should indicate that he is designating Cuba, as the country continues to house American fugitives, including Joanne Chesimard, convicted of killing a New Jersey soldier in 1973 and refusing a Colombian extradition request for members of the National Liberation Army. of a 2019 bombing that killed 22.
Cuba joins only Syria, Iran and North Korea – nations more widely condemned for promoting terrorism – on the US list. Cuba was originally put on the list in 1982, but was ousted by President Barack Obama in 2015, trying to improve economic and diplomatic relations with the Caribbean nation.
Biden has indicated that he wants to revive the Obama-era policy of reducing economic and travel restrictions in the hope that closer ties and more capitalism will pave the way for democratic change in Cuba. This strategy it could include reducing travel restrictions, investments and remittances for the island nation, which are perceived as disproportionately hurting ordinary Americans and Cubans.
Under President Donald Trump, the United States has labeled Cuba part of the “Troika of Tyranny” with Nicaragua and Venezuela. His movements were popular with Cuban-Americans in Florida, a state Trump won in his re-election with the help of Cuban-American, Venezuelan-American and other Latin American anti-communist voters.
His administration has been reflecting on the sponsorship of terrorism for several months. Two senior State Department officials, who asked not to be identified in the internal deliberations, said the policy played no role in the decision to re-appoint Cuba and said several administrations – including Obama’s. – made political decisions about the island late in their presidencies. .
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Officials said the process of putting Cuba back on the list was a lengthy one, and if the US wanted to play politics, it would rename Cuba before the November presidential election, not after.
The administration had signaled since May that it could restore the designation to Cuba. Officials then announced that Cuba was returning to a separate list of nations that did not fully cooperate with US counterterrorism efforts in connection with its refusal to extradite members of the National Liberation Army.
According to the State Department, the sponsors of the state of terrorism are countries that “have repeatedly provided support for acts of international terrorism.” One official said there was a legal precedent dating back to George HW Bush’s presidency to keep a country on the list of terrorists, even if he did not actively support terrorist acts.
Cuba and the United States, enemies after the late Fidel Castro took power in 1959, established diplomatic relations in 2015, when Obama was president and Biden was vice president. The US has eased a five-decade deal embargo and took further steps toward normalization, although an act of Congress would be needed to completely end US restrictions.
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Despite early openings and increased foreign investment since the 1990s, Cuba’s economy remains heavily controlled by the government and the military.
During Trump’s tenure, he opened the door to lawsuits against companies seizing government-confiscated property in Cuba, banned educational travel and cruises there, and restricted direct flights. Biden could take steps to remove Cuba from the terrorist’s list, but a formal review could delay the process by a few months and may rekindle debates over communist leaders in Cuba.