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The Rubio Cable on Cuba

Inside US efforts to shut down debate at the United Nations on Washington’s economic warfare.

On June 30, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez announced that his government has formally requested the United Nations to address escalating US economic aggression against Cuba, and the catastrophic humanitarian crisis it has created. A vote in the General Assembly to open debate on the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” campaign is scheduled to be held on July 7, Rodriguez told reporters at a Havana press conference—if US “coercive measures” did not manage to block the initiative. “The State Department apparatus,” Rodriguez alleged, “is trying to impede the General Assembly from considering an issue of urgent global interest, using pressure, lies and threats” directed at member nations.

That, in fact, is exactly what the Trump State Department is trying to do. In a revealing July 1 diplomatic “action request” cable—it is titled “Engaging UN member states on July 7 UN General Assembly open debate on Cuba”—Secretary Marco Rubio has directed US embassies abroad to press their host nations to “affirm our objection” to the UN vote and oppose a General Assembly debate on ongoing US efforts to suffocate the Cuban economy. If the debate goes forward despite US objections, according to Rubio’s instructions, “the U.S. is encouraging strongly aligned member states to deliver remarks rebuking Cuba for its devotion to thoroughly discredited economic theory, gross incompetence and massive corruption.” For nonaligned states the US is demanding they “refrain from delivering any remarks” at the UN. And for countries that have traditionally supported Cuba, there is a clear warning: “The United States will be listening very closely to their remarks at the debate and discouraging the use of........

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