Will there be despair in Cuba by end of USAID funding?.

by Luis Miguel Rosales

A story attracted attention in recent days within important sectors related to hostility toward the Cuban Revolution. This is the end of USAID funding to maintain its Cuba Program , cornucopia that has enriched many on both sides of Straits of Florida.

After several scandals of corruption and diversion of these funds the U.S. Congress decided not to give more budget to USAID, by allocating $ 17.5 million to promote subversion against Cuba at the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), which will receive $ 7.5 million to the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL) and the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, both of the Department of State, which will receive the other 10 million. They are responsible for promoting the grants for which opt for various contractors who run various anti-Cuban projects.

 

However, USAID will still managing millions of dollars from other years and are still running (website link USAID) by institutions such as the Foundation for Human Rights in Cuba , the National Democratic Institute (NDI), PADF, the Support Group for Democracy , the International Republican Institute (IRI) and the New America (NAF) Foundation, in the case of the first three finished their USAID-funded programs in 2014 and the other three will do in 2015.This removal of the funding is related more to embezzlement made this funding since 1996 with complaints of alleged favoritism toward either organization benefited from the granting of various grants, many of them several million dollars. This has been a constant when it came to money, during the administration of George W. Bush associates the American Congress President, as Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Lincoln Diaz Balart benefited organizations to their liking, as the Cuban Democratic Directorate, while during the Barack H. Obama his associates in Congress, Joe Garcia, forced to the Foundation for Human Rights in Cuba (FDHC), Appendix CANF. That is, behind all this is the personal interest of the American Congress.

Faced with such “chutzpah” was then imposed the idea to withdraw funds USAID. Will anything change this? In my opinion this means no change. All this kicking by the reduction of funds is not directly related to the interest of overthrowing the Cuban Revolution, but rather continue to maintain the bureaucratic machinery based in Miami, who has created several millionaires thanks to the business of counterrevolution.

The other interesting aspect is that these organizations will continue opting for federal funds to develop their anti-Cuban projects and if previously channeled through USAID now be through the NED and the State Department, ie, no any crisis.

Many things have changed in relation to the support and promotion of the Cuban counterrevolution by the U.S., but the essence, and its anti subversive against the Revolution has remained intact. If before Americans came to Cuba to personally supply the internal counterrevolution that changed since 2009 and began emissaries from various countries (Czech, Slovak, Peruvian, Argentine and Spanish) used for that function, now with the new Cuban Immigration Law counterrevolutionary leaders traveling abroad and there are materials, financial and technological resources and training “techniques of civil resistance” and use of IT tools and communication they receive.

In Cuba, within the counter, no concern, no despair. Its main leaders continue to conduct costly and extensive tours abroad and keeping the island a high standard of living, not only above the vast majority of Cubans, but also above many of their supporters abroad. Just as a test, could any fan and avid supporter of Yoani Sanchez completed in one year the number of trips to and from the outside that this “persecuted, repressed dissident and humble” made in 2013? Sufficient to note that visited more than three months countries like Spain, Sweden, Holland, France, Italy, Peru, Brazil, Mexico, the U.S. and others would very extensive list. Who paid for all this? For this money the American taxpayer gets?

So far I have not heard up in Cuba no voice of protest against this decision, they know that the victors the spoils. But I think the U.S. government is wrong in their actions against Cuba.The tens of millions of dollars squandered in frustrated anti-Cuban programs could have been used to solve internal problems in the country and not keep a wide range of parasites in Miami and Cuba. The smart thing would be to remove all the anti-Cuban budget and then see how many dissidents remain in Cuba.

We will not be surprised if within a few months start dating new reports denouncing corruption scandals and embezzlement within the funds and then occur further analysis, discussion and in the end nothing will follow the harvest of millions at the expense of the American taxpayer.