Music embargo

Ibrahim Ferrer, a Cuban singer, may be in his late 70s, but he can still dance. After getting some well-deserved attention for his vocal contributions on the Buena Vista Social Club album, Ferrer has made a lot of American fans. I had the good luck to attend one of his concerts in Indianapolis last year at the usually stodgy Clowes Hall. I half-expected to humor the old man's efforts, but after a couple of hours of non-stop singing and some pretty impressive moves, the septuagenarian had every single person on their feet. \nThe good people at the Grammy's also liked Ferrer. He was nominated at last month's awards but was unable to attend because of the ongoing American restrictions on trade and travel with Cuba, even though he had previously traveled and performed in the U.S. Ferrer won the award anyway, but the event spotlighted the outdated and dysfunctional restrictions this country imposes on Cuba. These restrictions are primarily supported by a small, yet extremely vocal, group of Cuban-Americans. They are right to object to Castro, but they are not helping the situation -- they are prolonging it. \nPeople who support the restrictions tend to put forward the argument that Cubans who do business with this country bring their money back to Cuba, which supports Castro, which keeps him in power and allows him to continue oppressing Cubans. So if we stop people from making money, Castro will lose support and power -- and Cuba will be free. I don't mean to nit-pick, but the man has been in power for about 45 years. Maybe it's time to try a new strategy. \nThese restrictions are also shortsighted and may actually help the dictator stay in power. As we can see from other trade embargoes in Iraq and North Korea, the people most hurt are not the leaders but the general population. The people who control the country manage to scrape together a fairly decent living, while others struggle. The restrictions may not make the offending leader any stronger, but it almost certainly makes his competition weaker by depriving them of some of life's necessities. \nWe shouldn't be offering weapons or F16 fighter planes to Castro, but why not a free travel and trade? Trading with Cuba may also strengthen the situation of Castro's silent opponents, improving their situation enough that they can stand up against the old regime. \nAnother effect of these restrictions is dictators' ability to shift the blame for the country's suffering away from their own mismanagement and onto the United States, an unwitting scapegoat. A change in policy where the U.S. treated Cuba like most other nations would deprive Castro of excuses and force him to be accountable for his own failures. How long would it be before these failures would catch up to him and the Cubans demand a change? \nAllowing unrestricted travel to people like Ferrer is as good a place to start as any. People like Ferrer are likely to share their experiences in this country with other Cubans. If we think America has a better way of running things, why not show it off? \nEmbargoes are not always bad tools, but when they have not worked for so long, why continue to use them? And why politicize the music of a cool old guy from Cuba? In the end, a free trade in music and culture could spell the end of Castro -- imagine MTV Spring Break 2006 from Havana.