Cuban scholars denied US visas seen as among most open to engagement, change

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

Cuban scholars denied US visas seen as among most open to engagement, change
By Associated Press, Updated: Friday, May 18, 12:07 PM

HAVANA — The U.S. State Department has given Raul Castro’s daughter a visa to attend an academic conference in San Francisco, but it also has rejected about a dozen other Cuban scholars’ applications to enter the country.

Observers and the academics themselves say the list includes people who are among the most interested in engaging with the United States, and some who have pushed for greater political and economic change on the island.

Some have traveled to the U.S. before and even spent time teaching at prestigious universities like Harvard and Columbia.

Cuba-watchers call the denials arbitrary, counterproductive to U.S. interests and contrary to the Obama administration’s policy of increasing people-to-people exchanges with the island.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/cuban-scholars-denied-us-visas-seen-as-among-most-open-to-engagement-change/2012/05/18/gIQAXaPoYU_story.html

[David__77]

1. It's funny how the US is solidying the socio-economic system in Cuba.

The US uses such exchanges to ideologically and culturally undermine its adversaries, to affect "peaceful evolution" to capitalism. The encirclement and isolation measures only serve to strengthen the existing system.

[rayofreason]

2. Time for that self-defeating embargo to end.

We need more, not less, engagement with Cubans.