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Column 052410 Brewer

Monday, May 24, 2010

Cuba's Agenda in Latin America Remains Clearly

Nebulous

By Jerry Brewer

As one seeks clarity on profound issues, it becomes necessary

to explore hindsight as well as accurate focus. There are a
myriad of opinions available and many seekers of fact decide
on a boisterous pundit to sway their final leaning towards
acceptance of a premise.

The Cuban government comes to mind when a world audience

opines on the past decades and immediate future for the
Cuban people; both those that remain on the small island
nation, and those that have fled Communist dictatorial rule but
still love their homeland.

There is little doubt that Communist rule unscrupulously forced

horrific sacrifices upon the Cuban people. As well, the Castros
have been in power for 60 years and it is believed that they are
still holding approximately 200 political prisoners.

The proclamation imposing the U.S. embargo against Cuba in

1962 was based on the assertion that it was, in part, to
“promote national and hemispheric security by isolating the
present Government of Cuba and thereby reducing the threat
posed by its alignment with other Communist powers.” Much
public opinion is balanced according to the sources reporting.
Some call the embargo counterproductive and ask that
restrictions be lifted. Many have chosen to believe that the
Communist nation is no longer a threat. Many wonder if new
commerce and trade are the best choices for Cuban
democracy and human rights.

Does Cuba continue to pose a threat to anyone? A 1998

report produced by the U.S Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA)
stated, “Cuba no longer poses a military threat to the United
States.” The curious reference to this disclaimer just
happened to be, in large part, by a DIA analyst that was
actually a Cuban intelligence agent by the name Ana Belen
Montes.

Conspiracy theorists were quick to point fingers at Montes,

reporting and comparing her arrest on September 20, 2001 to
the fact this occurred just nine days after the 9/11 attacks.
Her arrest was said to be no coincidence due to the fact that
she was about to be made privy to American battle plans for
Afghanistan. This important discovery and action against
Montes with American battle plans in her hands could have
resulted in additional deaths of service men and women in
Afghanistan.

The history of Cuba’s Castro regime shows that they have

trained thousands of communist guerrillas and terrorists, and
sponsored violent acts of aggression and subversion in most
democratic nations of the southwestern hemisphere. U.S.
government studies within the intelligence community
documented a total of 3,043 international terrorist incidents in
the decade of 1968 to 1978. Within that study, "over 25
percent occurred in Latin America."

Throughout the 1970s, in Central America, democracy held on

by its thumbs as Cubans and the Soviets spread their beliefs
throughout Nicaragua and El Salvador. Too, even Grenada
was not spared from Soviet and Cuban activity in the early
1980s.

Recent reports by the U.S. DIA show that Cuba has been
expanding intelligence operations in the Middle East and
South Asia.

Perhaps Cuba is not a genuine military threat to the United

States or neighboring nations. However, in the face of dire
economic times and misery among many of the Cuban people
the fact is that Cuba's current intelligence and spy apparatus
has been described and reported to be an active "contingency
of very well-trained, organized and financed agents." Plus
there is Fidel Castro's venomous hatred for the United States
that started long before he gained power.

An equally troublesome dilemma within the hemisphere is that

Fidel Castro’s protégé, President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela,
has adopted the previous Soviet-styled Cuban intelligence
service (DGI) as his model for Venezuela's security service,
known as the DISIP, utilizing Cuban intelligence counterparts
and advisors. Chavez’s history and current actions in
dictatorial rule clearly demonstrate his propensity towards
revolution. Within his support mechanism in the clandestine
arena of revolution and deceit is Cuba. Hugo Chávez has
described Castro as his mentor and has called Cuba "a
revolutionary democracy."

Cuba has also maintained a well-organized and ruthless

intelligence presence within Mexico, as have the Russians.
Much of their activity involved in U.S. interests that include
recruiting disloyal U.S. military, government, and private sector
specialists.

A truly graphic course of action for a Cuban government

desiring to show its sincere desire for peace and prosperity for
its people and a world audience is to renounce revolutionary
violence and terror, and extend new freedoms for its people.

——————————
Jerry Brewer is C.E.O. of Criminal Justice International
Associates, a global risk mitigation firm headquartered in
Northern Virginia. His website is located at www.cjiausa.org.
jbrewer@cjiausa.org