Cooperation in Haiti

I like reading Mauricio Claver-Carone’s blog because it’s link-free, so you never have to click through to read about any of the people or content he refers to. Mauricio tells you everything you need to know.

At any rate, he’s upset that some “advocates” want to use the Haiti relief effort as “a springboard for bilateral relations.” (Boldface in original, as are all the important parts.)

I agree with Mauricio. In my view, the only reason for the United States to cooperate with Cuba on Haiti relief is to improve the speed, quality, and effectiveness of the relief effort.

One example would be if the U.S. military were to speed delivery of medical supplies – surgical equipment, painkillers, antibiotics – to the hospitals where doctors of all nationalities are working so desperately and facing shortages. If someone were to check in advance to find out what the Cuban doctors need the most, so much the better.

But Mauricio seems to go further, saying that “U.S.-Cuba relations should be about the Cuban people and the abuses, injustices and deprivations that they are subject to -- in other words, Cuba's own tragedy. Therefore, it’s absolutely shameless to try to use the Haitian tragedy as an excuse to promote U.S.-Castro relations.”

Does that mean that the United States should not cooperate with Cuba at all in Haiti, and our relations should focus exclusively on Cuba’s political system? Is there a single Cuban in Cuba who would agree with that?