Don’t Neglect Radio and TV Martí

March 28, 2005 | The Miama Herald
By Frank Calzon

Policy on Cuba has been a low priority in Washington for years. With the war on terrorism, the North Korean nuclear threat and the Israeli-Palestinian situation, the island and Latin America as a whole have been relegated to the back burner.
But how much political capital and precious time, should President Bush spend on Cuba? Just how important is Fidel Castro's regime?

Many of Washington's entrenched bureaucrats dismiss Castro as merely a nuisance. They ignore history and Castro's role in building the international anti-American coalition, which now includes the vociferous Hugo Chavez of Venezuela. So, here's another question: What would the relationship between Washington and Caracas be today if a democratically elected government ruled in Cuba?

The State Department consistently underestimates Castro and fails to exploit his fundamental weaknesses. The neglect of TV Marti is one example. Until Bush ordered an aircraft to serve as a broadcasting platform, transmissions by the broadcast service couldn't be received in Cuba at all. The Bush-ordered tests showed that TV Marti could be received in parts of Cuba. Now the issue is a legal one: Will the White House issue the necessary finding to allow broadcasts from international airspace to Cuba?

Castro has been a security problem for Washington since 1962, when he urged Khrushchev to fire his nuclear missiles at the United States. Following that missile crisis, Havana began training terrorists, among them the infamous ''Carlos the Jackal.'' Even today, Castro harbors U.S. fugitives, including killers of American police officers. With Bush in charge, Castro has become more cautious; however, he still takes every opportunity to squeeze the United States.

Signs of weakness
Bush's father, too, stood up to Castro; so did President Reagan. It is the bureaucracy that appears no more knowledgeable about Castro than it was in 1980 and 1994 when he was unleashing waves of desperate refugees. Fearing failure, the bureaucracy argues against ''provoking'' Castro and counsels minimal responses to his threats in lieu of bold initiatives to support democratic change in Cuba. Contrast that with Bush's recognition that democracies play a key role in the fight against terrorism and his keen awareness that rogue states and terrorists watch for signs of weakness that can be exploited.

It took the intervention of Reagan to get Radio Marti up and broadcasting, and it took the elder President Bush to get TV Marti on the air. Castro clearly fears the impact of these uncensored broadcasts and routinely jams them. To be as effective as Castro fears, these broadcasts must be seen and heard by the Cuban people. So again, Bush must intervene and clear the way to use the right technologies and effective broadcast platforms.

Castro's designs
The president has expressed strong support for TV and Radio Marti. He has shown repeatedly that he is unwilling to ignore problems previously swept under the rugs of Washington's bureaucracy. Alerted to the danger of Castro's designs on this hemisphere and the options available to counter Castro's threats, the president might well conclude that neglecting Cuba and Latin America is not in the best interest of the United States.

With relatively moderate expenditures and a little risk-taking, the president can use TV and Radio Marti to foster democratic reform in Cuba -- with no loss of American lives. He has the authority to turn the stations on, keep them on and ensure the sights and sounds of freedom are clearly seen and heard in Cuba. Let him do it.

Frank Calzon is the executive director of the Center for a Free Cuba in Washington, D.C.