The crisis caused by the acoustic attacks against US diplomats in Havana has been further aggravated by the ineptitude of the dictator and the military claque that surrounds him in power. Not only they pretend to make believe that they had no responsibility and know nothing about what happened, but now are also insinuating that the attacks have never occurred. They are trying to sell the story that this is a CIA ruse to derail the process of normalization of relations between Cuba and the United States.
Raúl Castro’s government says that the measures taken by Washington are “hasty” after ten months of these aggressions occurring, because the United States have not found evidence that Cuba was involved. It sounds like a joke.
The excuse made by Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez that if Cuba has not made any contribution to the investigation is because the US does not provide them with enough information, was clearly answered the following day by the Department of State, whose spokesperson told the media in Washington: “We do not want to give clues to those responsible.”
The time is coming when the US government must conclude the investigation. But, for the moment, the US cannot share information with those who are most likely to be the perpetrators of the aggression.
The dynamics of this diplomatic crisis reveals the ineptitude of General Raúl Castro and his son Alejandro. They have entered a labyrinth that will complicate more and more the bilateral relations. Its current deterioration is already generating negative impacts for common Cubans and “cuentapropistas” (self employed) at a terrible time for the national economy.
General Castro and his son “forget” that if diplomats in Cuban territory are deafened and suffered brain injuries from “unknown” attacks, it is still the hosting country, according to the Vienna Accord of 1961, the one responsible to safeguard the welfare and security of all foreign diplomats. Regardless if it was a
deliberate policy to inflict health damages to these diplomats, a technological accident, or an evil minded aggressor, the Cuban government still holds the responsibility for what has happened.
The late Fidel Castro was familiar with the art of tensing bilateral relations within certain limits. He always did it in such a way that he could legitimize his internal repressive State without reaching the point of an actual military conflict with the powerful northern neighbor. The mediocrity of Raúl Castro as a statesman provides no room for such Machiavellian juggling.