Cuba Bill

[Platypus]

This is a bill for:

1. Resuming diplomatic ties with Cuba

2. Looking at ways to deal with the refugee problem

3. Exploring the possibility of allowing minimal trade with Cuba

It is a very tentative start, but I think we need to have some basic relations with one of our closest naeighbours. i am not in favour of free and open trade, but I do think we should explore the pros and cons of the idea first. The only point I insist upon is 2), we need a proper bilateral agreement. To do this, we really need 1), unless it can be done through other means. That said, 1) would be very useful to both countries, and their people.

[Platypus]

I will likely vote yea. I don't belive shunning countries helps either country.

Exactly, *If* only for this reason, this bill is important.

[Platypus]

Yea.

[Platypus]

As a private citizen I think we are playing a double standard here. It's okay to condemn dictators who are your enemies, but it's not okay to condemn tinpot dictators like Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Libya because we are supporting their abuses.

Libya is not someone we condone.  We rewarded them for giving up WMD and for sharing intel on terrorists.  This was meant as incentive for other such governments to reform along similar lines.  Cuba has made no such reforms.

1. Cuba doesn't have WMDs, partly because of the harsh policy we had when it was needed. It is no longer needed; Cuba has no source for WMDs.

2. Cuba has no islamic trerrorists, except those in Guantanamo Bay

3. Cuba hasn't made those reforms because they were not necessary. They do need to reform, but it would be better to end the isolation ow and talk, like we did in Libya, to solve the prolem. We no longer need to exclude them, and the longer we do so the highest the riosk that Cba could turn crazy and isolationist. It isn't there yet, but if Castros' sucessor is a nut and we continue to ignore Cuba, it can only be bad for Atlasia.