What the US really needs to do with Cuba and Haiti (Opinion)

Biden's plan for US-Cuba relations 2:47

Editor's Note:

Dan Restrepo served as Special Assistant for Western Hemisphere Affairs to President Barack Obama.

He is a political analyst for CNN en Español.

The opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author.

See more opinion on CNN.

(CNN) -

"The United States should intervene militarily."

In less than a week, this kind of call to action was made in connection with not one, but two unfolding crises in the Western Hemisphere.

Immediately after the assassination of the president of Haiti, Jovenel Moïse, one of the country's acting prime ministers, Claude Joseph, called on the United States to deploy troops to the western third of Hispaniola, to ensure critical infrastructure and improve stability.

Days later, when unprecedented crowds of brave Cubans rose up across the island to protest against the country's decrepit and authoritarian regime and the lack of food and medicine amid an ongoing economic crisis, exacerbated by the covid-19 pandemic Some politicians from South Florida formed a chorus calling on the United States to intervene militarily in Cuba.

Although they undoubtedly thought they were acting bold, those who made these calls were committed to the last word that they had no idea what the United States should do.

Or that they were bombastic politicians.

Or both.

There has been no quiet shame about what the United States should do.

The situations in Haiti and Cuba are complex and immune to the kind of bold action that people so desperately want when populations that have suffered so much, such as Haitians and Cubans, are in such dire need of assistance.

The desire of certain US and Haitian politicians for the US government to come in and rescue people from economic and political predation is undeniable, especially when the events in question unfold "abroad close to the US." ", in countries where historically it has not hesitated to intervene.

• Historic demonstrations in Miami in support of Cuba

The hard and simple truth is that the United States will not be the main engine of political change in either Haiti or Cuba.

Significant and lasting political change in both is in the hands of the populations themselves.

This also takes time, since the ability of these populations to trace their respective paths is hampered, in the case of Haiti, by the legacy of a predatory state followed by an absent one and, in the case of Cuba, by the repression of a long dictatorship.

There is no radical action by the United States to remove any of these impediments.

Instead, and while deeply frustrating in such urgent times, America's path for action is far more deliberate and patient.

In the case of Haiti, the United States needs to send an unequivocal message, to all those who expect Washington to play king, that those days are behind us.

The burden of navigating an extremely complex political moment in which the country has only 10 legitimately elected officials falls on Haitians.

The United States - and other members of the international core group - can and should play a role in uniting the country's political, civic, and private sector leaders to chart a path to and through free, fair, and transparent elections.

You should not try to impose decisions on those actors.

The US, along with key international partners, including Canada and the European Union, can and should also help alleviate the humanitarian situation in Haiti, especially as it relates to the highly underestimated spread of covid-19, experts say. . Helping build political consensus and alleviate some of the humanitarian burden should help Haitians forge a way forward and help avoid the humanitarian catastrophe that would be mass maritime migration similar to those seen during Haiti's last protracted political crisis, in the early 1990s.

In today's environment, empowering the Cuban people to determine their own future feels perhaps even more complicated. Those who believe that a social explosion in Cuba is the only way forward are already trying to box in the administration of President Joe Biden to further prolong President Donald Trump's misguided crackdown on Cuban-Americans who support Cubans. on the island in the hope that the pandemic and forced family division will create enough pressure to overthrow the regime.

Although the end of the regime is the desired end state, history tells us that intense pressure on the island results in only two outcomes: massive maritime migration and / or a harsh crackdown on civic activity attributed to American politics.

Neither of these results is in the national interest of the United States or in the interest of the Cuban people.

• OPINION |

  The tragedy of Haiti

Despite the political stances of some in South Florida, now is the time for the United States to adopt an approach that engages and empowers the Cuban people, such as the one that paved the way for internet connectivity that allowed images of the Cuban struggle went viral, fueling the recent uprising.

The United States must extend a trusting hand to the Cuban people in support of their fundamental rights and their most basic needs and desires.

Calls to action must be answered;

wisely and always in the service of the national interests of the United States, even if the means to do so feel unsatisfactory at the time.

Cuba Haiti