When Washington ‘holds the pen’
I met Sarah Stephens through the book “En primera persona”, which presents interviews of 49 Cuban women. Since then we have been talking frequently, mainly about the situation of Cuban women and the particular issues of racial discrimination on the island.
The Center for Democracy in America (CDA) is a non-governmental organization based in Washington, DC, led by Stephens that tries to bring the Cuban reality nearer to politicians in the United States, including visits of U.S.-congressmen and women to the island. However, I feel that the endeavors realized by the CDA in this respect are not completely known in Cuba. This is the reason for the present interview entitled: “When Washington wants to write its own story”.
Could you mention some of the proposals that you’ve made to Congress to pursue rapprochement with Cuba?
Cuba is at the core of our work because we believe that U.S. policies in the region harm Cubans and compromise U.S. interests across Latin America. The great flaw in U.S. policy toward Cuba is its disrespect for Cuba’s sovereignty and for the right of Cubans to write the next chapters of their nation’s history without Washington “holding the pen.” This has been true for the decades since the Cold War – and for generations dating back longer into the past – and we believe it must change.
By visiting Cuba, often with Members of the U.S. Congress, we work to break down barriers between Cuba and the United States by identifying problems we share and offering solutions that reflect both nations’ interests. In recent years we have worked to eliminate restrictions on U.S. citizens who wish to travel to Cuba, to broaden engagement in areas like environmental protection and medical research, to ensure that more Cubans get visas to academic and other kinds of conferences in the U.S., and to identify resources that Cuban women want and need as they build careers in the non-state sector. These proposals aim at putting the Cold War behind us, normalizing U.S.-Cuba relations, and recognizing Cuba’s sovereignty – not just diplomatically, but also as a partner for cooperation going forward.
What voices from Cuba has CDA taken to the U.S. with the goal of them interacting with legislators and high-level officials in the Executive branch? Who in the U.S. has made connections with these Cubans?
To start, let me give you some background. Since 2006, CDA has made 41 trips to Cuba and has hosted a total 46 Members of the Senate and the House of Representatives on these trips. Upon returning to Washington many have become advocates for changing our policy in the State Department and the White House.
We also bring Cubans to the U.S. so they can visit Washington and speak directly to the people in our executive branch who may never have visited Cuba but are still making policy that affects Cubans every day.
We have arranged visits in the White House and State Department for esteemed Cuban academics in areas like economics and foreign relations – many associated with the University of Havana – as well as for Cuban women and men who have started businesses in the non-state sector. CDA can “open doors” in the State Department’s Western Hemisphere Affairs Bureau and among the White House officials who advise the president on Cuba and Latin America.
After years of confrontation, this important activity can help break down the barriers of mystery and educate our policymakers about the Cuba that exists today. For example, at a conference we sponsored last fall, after we introduced the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State to five Cuban visitors – one who works in human resources at a state-run medical facility and four who run small businesses – he told us that we had ‘changed the conversation’ in Washington. From there, of course, we hope to change U.S. policy as well.
Following the revelation of the Zunzuneo program, CDA created a petition on Change.org, which was signed by more than 700 people. Did that petition receive a response? What have you learned about mobilizing a significant number of people? What do we have today from that petition?
We believe in an open Internet with access for all. But, the ZunZuneo covert operation was a classic example of how badly U.S. policy can boomerang when we fail to respect Cuba’s sovereignty. The root of the problem is the U.S. Helms-Burton law, which uses USAID, a government agency whose mission is to end extreme poverty and promote the development of democratic societies, as a covert player in U.S. efforts to overthrow Cuba’s government.
This program concealed from the Cuban people the fact that ZunZuneo was conceived in Washington and supported by Helms-Burton, and it was concealed from American citizens who have the right to know what is being done in their names (and with their tax dollars) in places like Cuba. The program signed people up without asking permission, it fed propaganda, it obtained personal information about the Cubans who came in contact with the phone app, and it was so mismanaged that it ran out of money, thankfully, and was allowed to expire, leaving the Cubans who used it confused about its disappearance.
Our organization not only sponsored the petition but also published op-ed columns – here and here – against ZunZuneo. The petition and op-eds drew support from a lot of new people, many of whom got in touch with our organization.
On the subject of USAID more broadly, we have worked on a documentary film with an independent journalist that explains why the covert operations being used to change Cuba’s system of government must be ended. We believe that a far better approach for U.S. policy is to engage with Cuba, just like the European Union is doing. If we want to pursue discussions on matters like the Internet, let’s do it honestly and openly.
In 2013, CDA published the book Women’s Work: Gender Equality in Cuba and the Role of Women Building Cuba’s Future, which was the product of two years of research regarding gender equality in Cuba. Have you discussed this book with the Federation of Cuban Women?
Of course we have. The Federation of Cuban Women plays an important part in the book. We meet with them often and discuss the themes and issues that appear in “Women’s Work.” For example, in June-July 2014, we hosted a delegation that included five female Members of the U.S. House of Representatives to Cuba that met with leaders at the Federation and at CENESEX. We took the delegation to meet with Cubans in their living rooms in places like Regla and Old Havana, where we discussed issues affecting women from all walks of life – Afro-Cuban women, LGBT women, self-employed women, and those who work for the state, to name a few. We also discussed how women in the U.S. could support Cuban women in light of the barriers to collaboration that U.S. policy poses.
CDA is currently working on a bibliography regarding economic changes and their effects on Cuban women and families. Beyond the novelty of this publication, what do you think will be the uses of this work? What stage is this project in now?
One of the obstacles that we face in Washington is the lack of knowledge about what is happening in Cuba, and some people question whether the reforms put in place by President Castro are real. As Cuba updates its economic system, we think it’s important that the U.S. take notice, especially since many of the policy changes – like the opening of employment opportunities in the private sector, the elimination of travel restrictions, and the ability for Cubans to purchase and sell homes – are also consistent with the goals of U.S. policy.
In order to bring attention to what is happening in Cuba, our weekly newsletter on Cuba and our research publications have focused on the economic changes since 2010. We document the changes taking place, and together these developments form an ironclad case for changing U.S. policy to reflect Cuba’s new reality.
We think it’s essential to pay attention to the status of women during this time of change. Cuba has done a lot to advance gender equality on the island and to provide services to women. At the same time, women are still not on equal footing with men in Cuban society, as is the case in the U.S. With the disparities that exist, there’s a risk that these gaps could become more pronounced as a result of the transformations taking place and the vulnerabilities that can be created during times of change.
We’re working together with several colleagues in Cuba, women scholars who have each done research on the impacts of economic reforms on different sectors of society. We are collaborating with them to create a bibliography of Cuban research on the impacts of reforms on women and families. They’re also writing a literature review analyzing the studies that comprise the bibliography. Their findings are fascinating, and they offer information that people need to pay attention to. For example; homes, cars, and other forms of capital are usually in the man’s name in a household, giving women less access to much-needed capital if they want to invest in a business. So, how can Cuba address that problem? And how could the U.S. government, or women in the U.S., support Cuban women in this situation?
The various pieces of this project will be published in English and Spanish, before the end of the year.
