Posted on: Tuesday, May 14, 2002

EDITORIAL
Carter's 'diplomacy' can do U.S. no harm

So much ado has been made of Jimmy Carter's visit to Cuba, you'd think the Berlin Wall were about to come down for the second time.

The former U.S. president has no negotiating power where U.S. relations with Cuba are concerned, so it's unlikely his tour will ease the longtime standoff between the two governments anytime soon.

But that's not to say it has no value.

On the contrary, as a human rights advocate, Carter is making a valid stab at citizen diplomacy. It's unofficial but it could spark a thaw in the 43-year-old frost in the Florida Straits.

Of course, Carter's visit could be seen as undermining the Bush administration's hostile posture toward Cuba, but isn't that getting a bit old? America's trade and travel embargo hurts Cuba's poor more than its government while giving Fidel Castro a great reason to blame his mighty northern neighbor for his island nation's economic woes.

Carter's visit appears to have jolted the Bush administration into anti-Castro overdrive. Suddenly, Cuba is being added to the enemy list in the war against terrorism.

One wonders what bearing all this has on the re-election campaign of Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who is courting the anti-Castro Cuban vote, which has traditionally backed him.

Now, Castro, a Teflon dictator, is not about to loosen his grip on power, and there's no guarantee that his likely successor — brother Raul — will bring about the needed democratic reforms.

Hundreds of Cubans remain "prisoners of conscience" for criticizing Cuba's leadership or for attempting to organize political opposition.

But the old hardliners won't live forever. Cuba will change, so why not let Carter break the ice?