The White House Transition: A Dangerous Move in the Ending Days

Foreign policy setback

With just nine days left before Republican President Donald Trump bids farewell to the White House, his number one diplomat, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, has announced the return of Cuba.blacklistedThe argument put forward by the outgoing US administration is that the neighboring island nation “repeatedly provides support for acts of international terrorism” by harboring US fugitives and Colombian rebel leaders.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has just announced that the US has put Cuba back on the list of state sponsors of terrorism. Photo: AP

In addition, Mr. Pompeo also cited Havana's security support for Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, which according to the US has enabled the South American leader to maintain his grip on power and created "a permissive environment for international terrorists to thrive in Venezuelan territory." The statement of the administration's foreign minister at "sunset" read: "With this action, we will once again hold Cuba accountable and send a clear message: The Castro regime must end its support for international terrorism and reverse American justice."

It is not difficult to see that putting Cuba back on the US list of state sponsors of terrorism, alongside other countries such as North Korea, Iran, and Syria, was one of the few “last minute” foreign policy moves of the Trump administration before the election.Biden officially took officeon January 20. This “move” reversed the situation of easing tensions in the relationship between the former Cold War enemies, which was achieved thanks to the intervention and efforts under former President Obama. In other words, Mr. Obama’s decision to officially remove Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism in 2015 was an important step towards restoring diplomatic relations at that time, but now suddenly “down the drain” “thanks” to his successor, Mr. Trump.

Surprised? Yes and no!

For many, the Trump administration’s reinstatement of Cuba on the list of state sponsors of terrorism was a surprise, but not a surprise. The reason for this is that, as usual, when the time of transition is approaching, important decisions are rarely made, and instead, the outgoing administration spends time ensuring a smooth and seamless transfer of power. But with an unpredictable and “unusual” figure like Mr. Trump, anything is possible.

The Trump administration has just taken a step that is seen as "tying the hands" of Biden's successor. Photo: dpa

Not to mention the fact that, since becoming the owner of the Oval Office 4 years ago until today, Mr. Trump has always wanted to find ways to reverse many of his predecessor Obama's decisions related to Cuba. With a tough stance towards La Habana, the 45th president of the United States has reimposed many rounds of sanctions that the Obama administration had eased or lifted after fully restoring diplomatic relations with Cuba in 2015. Even after a campaign aimed at attacking Mr. Obama's moves to normalize relations with Cuba, since 2017, Mr. Trump has steered the strings connecting the two sides even more tense.

So what are the implications of Monday’s announcement? Most travel from the US to Cuba, as well as remittances from the US to Cuba, will be banned, a significant source of revenue for the island nation. But after all, in a context where business is already struggling due to the impact of theCovid-19 pandemicAlong with previous measures such as Trump’s cruise ship ban and the money transfer cap, the most significant impact of this move will probably be diplomatic. In other words, putting Cuba back on the list of state sponsors of terrorism is likely to be more symbolic than practical from Havana’s perspective.

Wave of criticism

Some argue that Trump’s “move” is quite dangerous, in that it will leave a “reverberation” for his successor to shoulder, slowing down any warming of relations between Havana and the Biden administration – a figure who, during his campaign, affirmed that he would quickly reverse Trump’s policies towards Cuba “which are harmful to the Cuban people and do nothing to promote democracy and human rights”. Indeed, removing such measures would take at least a year, requiring the US government to study carefully. Not to mention that some still question whether Biden – who did not play an important role in the Obama administration’s opening to Cuba – would be willing to invest political “capital” like Obama did without asking for anything in return from the Cuban leadership?

Biden aides have said that Trump’s 11-hour string of announcements about sanctions and other moves against targets including Cuba, Venezuela and Iran appeared to tie the new leader’s hands when Biden is sworn in on March 20. “We’ve taken note of these last-minute moves,” a Biden administration official said. “The transition team is reviewing them one by one.”

The lives of Cuban people have been greatly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Photo: AP

From Cuba's side, Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez also shared his views on Twitter after hearing the news from Washington, criticizing: "Wecondemn America's disregard for moralitydesignating Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism. America’s political opportunism is recognized by those who are genuinely concerned about the scourge of terrorism and its victims.” Democratic Senator Patrick Leah, a supporter of the Obama-era rapprochement with Cuba, also condemned Pompeo’s “blatantly politicized” move, even asserting that “domestic terrorism in the United States poses a much greater threat to the American people.” Meanwhile, a Republican member of the US House Foreign Affairs Committee, Gregory Meeks, also made a similar comment: “Designating Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism less than a week before President Trump leaves office and after he has launched a domestic terrorist attack on the US capital… that is hypocritical.”

In short, perhaps as some observers have commented, Mr. Trump is the type of person who wants to demonstrate his power until the last days of his term in office, and does not accept being called a “lame duck president” when his term has entered the sunset, so he has taken “unique” steps and left behind difficult consequences for the 46th leader to find a way to resolve. And the relationship between the US and Cuba, after so many difficulties, will certainly still have to overcome many obstacles to achieve the friendship expected under Obama.