This post was written by CIP Intern Hannah Brodlie

This morning at 10:00 am the House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs held a hearing to examine whether to lift the travel ban to Cuba. The committee heard from those both in favor and against repealing the travel ban, and began with opening remarks by Chairman Howard L. Berman, who co-authored an article in Tuesday's Miami Herald with Senator Richard Lugar, entitled "Lift the Ban-- Let Americans visit Cuba." Rep. Berman did his best throughout the hearing to keep everyone's remarks to time, as well as keep the discussion civil, though the hearing proved to be contentious and lively, lasting just under four and a half hours.

The Committee heard testimony from six diverse witnesses (click on their name for a copy of their testimonies): General Barry R. McCaffrey, Ambassador James Cason (Former Chief of Mission, U.S. Interests Section, Havana, Cuba), Ms. Miriam Leiva (Independent Journalist and Founder, Ladies in White), Mr. Ignacio Sosa (Executive Board Member of Friends of Caritas Cubana), Ms. Berta Antunez (Sister of Former Political Prisoner Jorge Luis Garcia Perez ("Antunez") and Pro-democracy Activist), and Mr. Philip Peters (Vice President of Lexington Institute).

Below is an abbreviated play-by-play of today's hearing, "Is it Time to Lift the Ban on Travel to Cuba?". You can view a webcast of the hearing here.

In his opening remarks Chairman Berman stated, "... Let's face it. By any objective measure, the nearly fifty-year old travel ban hasn't worked... It's clearly time for a change... Letting U.S. citizens travel to Cuba is not a gift to the Castros - it's in our own national interest. Waiting for a concession from Havana before we do something on behalf of our own citizens perversely puts the Cuban government in charge of that decision."

From there however, many members of the committee expressed their strong disagreement with the Chairman's position on the issue.

Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) said that if Americans want to go to a tropical climate, instead of traveling to Cuba to give their money to the Castro regime, they ought to travel to Haiti, the Dominican Republic, or a destination within the Congresswoman's own state of Florida. Representative Shelley Berkley (D-NV) echoed these remarks, and suggested that if you want to travel, don't go to Cuba, go to Las Vegas.

In response, Representative Jeff Flake (R-AZ) said, "I was elected to be a Member of Congress, not a travel agent. American's should be able to travel wherever they want. They don't need our advice and shouldn't have to ask our permission."

Representative Michael McCaul (R-TX) asked (rhetorically) why we would ever subsidize the enemies of the United States, recalling the old Soviet Union days. Likewise, Representative Joe Wilson (R-SC) (remember: "You Lie!"?) recalled growing up during the Cold War, remembering the great threat of Fidel Castro.

Ranking Member Connie Mack (FL) emphatically expressed his continued support for the travel ban, as he had to be repeatedly reminded by the committee chairman that his time was up.

Representative Ron Klein (D-FL) asserted that we may only consider lifting the full travel ban once the Cuban government responds in kind and responds to the legitimate claims of the U.S.

In support of lifting the ban, both Representative Gregory Meeks (D-NY) and Representative Lee pointed out that Cuba is the only nation in the world where Americans are forbidden to travel by their own government. Rep. Meeks argued that it is the freedom of the American people to be able to choose where they want to go.

The Testimony:

General McCaffrey argued that our current policy doesn't work. He stated that "We've got Mr.Castro with one foot in the grave" and a "power transition looming in the current years." While he underlined the fact that tourism is not the final solution, he emphasized that "I do not believe that the Cubans are in any way a threat to our national security interests " since the actual military capability of the Cubans is almost nonexistent.

Ambassador James Casen argued against lifting the ban. Among other things, he asserted that because Cuban authorities strictly limit interactions with foreigners, no American tourist would be able to find a regular Cuban in their hotel.

Ms. Miriam Leiva announced that she and her organization fully support lifting the travel ban. She appeared at the hearing via teleconference, unfortunately accompanied by a four-second delay in transmission.

Mr. Ignacio Sosa addressed the criticism that Canadian and European tourism has thus far failed to produce any change in Cuban society. He argued that American tourists are much more likely to share cultural and demographic ties with Cubans. He promoted the pursuit of policies "that increase people to people contact."

Ms. Berta Antunez detailed her struggles, particularly the struggles of Afro-Cubans, against the Castro regime and stated that allowing American tourists to enter Cuba would only aid the Cuban government and "would be fatal for us and the space we've won for ourselves."

Mr. Philip Peters said that "conditionality has yielded no leverage for the United States." He argued that the travel ban creates divisions along ethnic lines, where one group may travel without restrictions and the rest of us may not. He also conceded the point that American travelers will not magically transform the political situation in Cuba. However, it will increase our influence at a pivotal time in Cuban history. In addition, he pointed out that the Cuban government has tried to make the U.S. a scapegoat for the failure of its own policies; reversing this policies would place the blame where it belongs: on the Cuban government.

Follow-up Questions:

A very unprofessional exchange occurred between Representative Ros-Lehtinen and General McCaffrey, when Ros. Lehtien quoted Gen. McCaffrey on intelligence and national security matters. Answering, Gen. McCaffrey pointed out that Ros-Lehtinen had failed to address him as "General," instead calling him "Mr. McCaffrey." Gen.McCaffrey said that "I'm offended by your deliberate marginalization of my viewpoints," and the exchange was mostly downhill from there. Ros-Lehtinen continued to to interrupt him, saying "I have five minutes, I can do whatever I want with my time." Gen. McCaffrey called her views silly and said they don't "represent reality."

Representative Bill Delahunt (D-MA) followed, saying "I want to go on the record and say that I consider you a great American patriot," to much applause. Rep. Delahunt then cited a letter signed by a number of major military personal, which said that "U.S. policy has not only failed in its principle objectives, but has harmed our interests across the board." Responding, Gen.McCaffrey said, "I think it's a very sensible viewpoint."

Representative Delahunt also responded to a point made by Ambassador Casen: "I had never heard the viewpoint that it would be useless [to lift the travel ban] because we don't speak Spanish and no one's gonna talk to us," and quoted the census statistic cited by Mr. Sosa, that 34.5 million Americans speak Spanish as their first language.

Representative Flake called out Ambassador Casen for assuming that American tourists who travel to Cuba "go their for rum, sex- this list of pejoratives; I think it's deeply offensive to Americans who go there for a number of reasons." He then asked Casen whether he could cite a time when we've had a travel ban that has actually fostered democracy. Incredibly, Casen answered, "Well, I don't think we have a travel ban."

Ranking Member Mack announced that he'd found the silver lining to the day's hearing: we should apply the same restrictions on travel to countries such as Iran, North Korea, and Syria, a suggestion which was not taken seriously. Mack went on to admonish Mr. Sosa for bringing racial and ethnic politics to the discussion, and for somehow suggesting that U.S. policy and the American people are to blame for the Castro regime. Mr. Sosa denied saying these things.

Representative Barbara (D-CA) Lee responded to Ranking Member Mack, asserting that the issue of race is both relevant and important to mention.

Representative Woolsey (D-CA) aptly compared the discussion to "an old song. Something we've all heard before, except it does not fit the 21st century." She then asked whether there is a difference of opinion between first and second generation Cubans? The general consensus among the witnesses was "yes."

Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ) asked Gen. McCaffrey and Mr. Peters if they would help get him in to Cuba to visit political prisoners. Both men answered in the affirmative. He also brought up the issue of cop-killer JoAnne Chesimard, who killed a New Jersey state trooper in 1973 and then fled to Cuba where she has lived ever since.

Representative Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX), who supports lifting the travel ban, discussed the similarities between the struggles of African Americans in the United States and Afro-Cubans, and offered her personal support to Ms. Antunez in her non-violent struggle for human rights in Cuba.

The House Committee on Foreign Affairs held a hearing on April 22, 2009 to discuss the foreign policy priorities of the Obama administration (watch the webcast here). Falling only three days after the Summit of Americas in Trinidad and Tobago, Latin America was a focus of many of the committee members’ comments, questions and concerns. These included:

• President Obama’s handshake with Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez at the Summit of the Americas
• The Colombian and Panamanian Free Trade Agreements
• Relations with Cuba
• U.S. policy toward Mexico and the flow of arms from the U.S. to Mexico

Below are Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s, the witness of the hearing, responses, both paraphrased and directly quoted, to the above topics of discussion on Latin America and some of the key comments made by the members of the Committee on Foreign Affairs that prompted Secretary Clinton’s remarks.

President Chávez
The current Chávez relationship is a result of 8 years of isolated Chávez, and I don’t think it has worked very well. We have isolated them, so he has gone elsewhere [to Russia and Iran]. He is a very sociable guy; he is going to look for friends where he can find them, so he is finding friends where we would prefer he would not find friends. “So, 8 years of isolation has resulted in the kind of outreach that both you and I find troubling.” If it hasn’t worked, why continue it? At the Summit, we have agreed to exchange ambassadors, which is something positive, and we can see what else we can do and how we can work together.

Representative Mike Pence (R-IN) noted: “In testimony earlier, that the issue of President being photographed with the virulent, anti-American, socialist, dictator of Venezuela came up. And I know that according to the testimony that was handed to me you indicated that you found it quote rather amusing, but let me say with the deepest respect, Madame Secretary, I am not amused.” Chávez is a “Castro wannabe”. Secretary Clinton responded with, your strong feelings for Hugo Chávez are understandable. But, so were the Soviet leaders who we have eventually normalized relations.

Free Trade Agreements
The Colombia Free Trade Agreement was a subject of intense conversation at the Summit. The administration is trying to figure out what the Colombians are willing to do to push forward the FTA. The Obama administration thinks that it is in the best interest of both nations to pass the FTA. “The steps that have been taken by Uribe and his government to not only deal with the insurgency and terrorists, but to clean house with a lot of the abuses that were unfortunately present among the military and other instruments of the government have been impressive, there still needs to be more work.”

Relations with Cuba
We have opened up telecommunications and travel for Cuban-Americans. We are taking a hard look at the current policy and are available to engage with the Cuban government if they are willing to - we are not really sure if they are. As the President has said, “we are open”.

Mexico
The threat to Mexico by the cartels needs to be responded to, and that is what we are doing through the Mérida Initiative. We would like to continue these efforts and make them more effective. The Mexican government is very focused on this and knows what they have to do and is seeking our help, and in the long run it will strengthen our relationship. There is no doubt that the drug cartels are shopping in international bazaars, but are still getting a large amount of arms from the U.S. We are going to take every step possible to curb this and are open to everyone’s ideas.

The Obama administration's announced changes to U.S. policy toward Cuba have dominated today's headlines. Jonathan Keyser, an intern with the Center for International Policy's Cuba Program, offers this analysis.

Yesterday, the Obama administration announced its decision to remove all travel and remittance restrictions for Cuban Americans. This represents a notable shift in U.S. foreign policy and has stirred up the divisive debate over U.S.-Cuba policy.

In what is widely regarded as the most significant policy shift since the 1996 Helms-Burton Act, the administration reversed former President Bush's travel restrictions, limits on remittance payments and limitations on humanitarian items that could be sent to the island. In addition, the new policy permits telecommunications firms to bid for licenses to construct fiber-optic cables and transmit TV and Internet signals to the Cuban people, with the stated goal of fostering greater commutation and propagating American democratic values. As reflected in the President's press release, the lifting of travel controls and limitations on remittance payments are part of a rhetorical commitment by the United States to the goal of "a Cuba that respects basic human, political and economic rights of all its citizens." This goal, while widely praised in the United States, has generated uncertainly and dissatisfaction abroad, the Venezuelan government notes.

Many U.S. politicians, including Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Mel Martinez (R-FL), an ardent critic of easing the embargo, lauded the decision. Others expressed trepidation. Staunch critics of lifting travel controls to Cuba, including Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart of South Florida, worry that allowing Cuban Americans to travel to Florida will only empower the Castro regime, rather than proliferating democratic values on the island.

Conversely, advocates of removing all trade and travel restrictions to Cuba, including Wayne Smith of the Center for International Policy and Jorge Castañeda of the New America Foundation, stress that normalized relations are contingent upon repealing the embargo in its entirety. Nevertheless, the Cuban American community reacted quite positively to the administration's decision, which fulfilled a campaign promise to promote democracy and freedom in Cuba through freedom of expression, increased communications and family travel.

In response to President Obama's policy changes, Fidel Castro expressed tacit approval of the removal of travel restrictions for Cuban Americans, but also stressed that "not a word was said about the harshest of measures: the blockade."

Despite such broad support for the administration's less coercive approach towards Cuba, the impact of the administration's rhetoric cannot be neglected. The Obama administration's stated objective of spreading freedom and democracy to the Cuban people through increased communication and distribution of commercial goods is laudable. But this rhetoric could backfire if the Cuban government interprets it as a violation of its sovereignty and an attempt to undermine its autonomy.

The administration should choose its words with care and instead pursue internal changes in Cuba by terminating the embargo, opening communication channels with the Castro government and respecting the island nation's territorial integrity.

Over the past month, the U.S. and regional press has been paying closer attention to Russia's relations with such Latin American countries such as Venezuela, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Cuba and even Colombia.

In September, Russian Vice-Prime Minister Igor Sechin traveled to Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba to meet with his counterparts in each country to discuss the potential increase in economic, military, and political cooperation between each country and Russia. In September, two Russian T-160 strategic bombers visited Venezuela for a joint military exercise and a Russian navy squadron is currently en route to the Caribbean for joint exercises with the Venezuelan navy. Russia also has begun preliminary discussions with Cuba to help the country develop its own space center, has announced it will replace the Nicaraguan army's aging weaponry, and has started talks with Venezuela about developing a peaceful nuclear energy program.

Bolivian President Evo Morales recently announced that he will seek Russia's aid for the country's counternarcotics program, and Colombia's Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos even traveled to Russia to discuss defense and counternarcotics cooperation.

Below are links to media coverage from the past month about Russia's renewed interest in Latin America. With the exception of the Venezuelan-Russian military exercise, U.S. officials have sought to downplay this interest in their public statements. It is apparent, however, that the U.S. government is watching these developments closely.

Analysis:

The Guardian: The cold war comes to the Caribbean

Front Page Magazine: Chávez's dangerous liaisons

Semana (Colombia): Calentando la guerra fria: Heating up the cold war

New Statesman: Cuban missile crisis II?

Venezuela:

El Universal (Venezuela): Presidente Dmitri Medvedev visitará Venezuela en noviembre: President Dimitri Medvedev will visit Venezuela in November

AP: Russia: Arms sales to Venezuela are defensive

AFP: Cooperación nuclear entre Moscu y Caracas desata la pol?©mica: Nuclear cooperation between Moscow and Caracas unleashes controversy

AP: Venezuela to build nuclear technology with Russia

New York Times: Russia loans Venezuela $1 billion for military

Reuters: Putin offers nuclear energy help to Chávez

BBC: Russia and Venezuela boost ties

AP: Putin, Chávez discuss ways to constrain U.S. power

EFE: Hablan Chávez y Medvedev de cooperación economía y militar: Chávez and Medvedev discuss economic and military cooperation

AP: Crece alianza Venezuela-Rusia: Venezuelan-Russian alliance grows

New York Times: Russia and Venezuela confirm joint military exercises

Nicaragua:

AP: Russia to modernize Nicaraguan military's arsenal

El Nuevo Diario (Nicaragua): Condoleezza despectiva con Ortega: Condoleezza derogatory toward Ortega

El Nuevo Diario: Viceprimer ministro de Rusia visitará este miercoles Nicaragua: Russian Vice-Prime Minister to visit Nicaragua on Wednesday

Cuba:

Reuters: Russia to help Cuba build space center

Bolivia:

AP: Ambassador: Russia looking to boost Bolivia ties

BBC Mundo: Bolivia y Rusia, nuevos aliados: Bolivia and Russia, new allies

La Prensa (Panama): Bolivia busca apoyo de Rusia: Bolivia looks for Russian support

Colombia:

El Espectador (Colombia):Moscu propone a Colombia combatir el creciente trafico de cocaína: Moscow makes a proposal to Colombia to combat the rise in narcotrafficking

El Tiempo (Colombia): Fortalecer cooperacion de seguridad, objetivo de viaje del Ministro de Defensa a Rusia: Strengthening security cooperation, objective of the Defense Minister's trip to Russia