Castro’s Cuba

Re “Why Still Treat Cuba as a Pariah?” by James Hill, Commentary, July 23: Another day, another anti-embargo column by another “expert” on Cuba who, after a trip to Havana and a nice stay in a “no Cubans allowed, only foreigners with hard currency” hotel, comes back with insights about Castro’s regime and our policy against it.

A more dignified visitor, John Paul II, asked that “Cuba open up to the world and the world open up to Cuba,” not for an unconditional, unilateral lifting of the embargo. Well, there’s been some of the latter, i.e., a change in the vote at the U.N. Human Rights Commission against Cuba, a visit by Canada’s prime minister, a visit by Brazil’s foreign minister, a renewal of diplomatic relations by several Latin American countries, but none of the former--no changes in Cuba’s oppressive system, no small freedoms for the press, or rights to assemble peacefully. Why should the U.S. policy change as long as Fidel Castro remains immutable? Why should we reward the longest running tyranny in the Western Hemisphere? Because we treat China and Vietnam differently? That’s not a good enough reason.

ALEXIS I. TORRES

South Gate