| By Eli Cuba is designated (pdf file) by the U.S. government as a "state sponsor of terrorism." This is no mere war of words; there are concrete implications to such a designation: - A ban on arms-related exports and sales.
- Controls over exports of dual-use items, requiring 30-day Congressional notification for goods or services that could significantly enhance the terrorist-list country's military capability or ability to support terrorism.
- Prohibitions on economic assistance.
- Imposition of miscellaneous financial and other restrictions, including:
- Requiring the United States to oppose loans by the World Bank and other international financial institutions;
- Lifting diplomatic immunity to allow families of terrorist victims to file civil lawsuits in U.S. courts;
- Denying companies and individuals tax credits for income earned in terrorist-listed countries;
- Denial of duty-free treatment of goods exported to the United States;
- Authority to prohibit any U.S. citizen from engaging in a financial transaction with a terrorist-list government without a Treasury Department license; and
- Prohibition of Defense Department contracts above $100,000 with companies controlled by terrorist-list states.
Note that such a designation requires that a country be "determined by the Secretary of State to have repeatedly provided support for acts of international terrorism."
In a response to the U.S. State Department's most recent such designation, former U.S. "pseudo-ambassador" to Cuba Wayne Smith demolishes the absurd U.S. claims. I'll just reproduce his conclusion, which leads the article; you can read the article for yourself for the detailed analysis: The State Department's annual report on "State Sponsors of Terrorism," issued on April 28 of 2006, is a complete dud. It presents not a shred of evidence to confirm that Cuba is in fact a terrorist state: nothing! The Center for International Policy, with which Smith is associated, carries on an extensive program of countering U.S. policy against Cuba.
Here's one point that Smith missed: far from "repeatedly providing support for acts of international terrorism," as required by the law, Cuba has vigorously opposed acts of international terrorism, and the State Department report admits as much! "Cuba...has publicly condemned various U.S. policies and actions." Enough said! |
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