US / Cuba Relations: What Would Constitute Normal?

[Judi Lynn]

US / Cuba Relations: What Would Constitute Normal?
July 15, 2015

by José Pertierra

President Dwight D. Eisenhower broke diplomatic relations with Cuba on January 3, 1961. Fifty-four years later, on Monday the 20th of July, the United States and Cuba will advance toward normalization of diplomatic relations. Presumably, the US will no longer treat Cuba as its enemy and treat the island simply as its next-door neighbor. Maybe …

The raising of the flags at the embassies on the 20th of July is much anticipated. But what does this all really mean? After more than 56 years of trying to destroy the Cuban Revolution through US sponsored terrorism, an invasion organized and launched by the CIA, biological warfare, an economic and commercial blockade, clandestine infiltrations and a permanent propaganda campaign against Cuba, what would constitute “normal” relations between Washington and La Habana?

The word normal derives from the Latin normalis. In the context of US-Cuba relations it refers to civilized diplomatic behavior, according to historically established philosophical precepts: norms or rules of peaceful conduct between nations.

What rules of peaceful conduct by the United States towards Cuba may we expect from now on? Which normative rules could be considered normal and which abnormal?

More:
http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/07/15/us-cuba-relations-what-would-constitute-normal/

Good reads:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1016127661

[Jester Messiah]

1. There needs to be a new "normal"

The normal we've dealt with for the past half century or so has been awful, but things prior to that weren't acceptable either. Castro didn't happen in a vacuum. Going forward we need to establish a relationship based on mutual respect.

[Judi Lynn]

2. Castro originally attempted to run for office. He and other progressives were tortured, murdered.

A lot of suffering at the hands of the U.S. supported death-squad and CIA using bloody dictator Fulgencio Batista happened well before there was any thought of revolution.