After three months of threats and pressures carried out on two stages – the State Department in Washington DC and a theater in Miami – the US Administration finally announced what it intends to do to intensify its economic war against Cuba.

On April 17th, at a mid-morning brief ceremony lasting just a few minutes in Washington DC, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made it known that they will fully implement Title III of the Helms-Burton Act. He did not offer any further explanations, although he said that as of May 2nd, “Cuban-Americans” will be able to file claims before the US courts against those who in any way use the properties that they claim were theirs or their family’s.

There were no questions and no text was available to clarify questions that such a decision may have provoked among those who remember that for twenty-three years – Clinton, W. Bush, Obama and Trump himself – had adopted a position contrary to what is now being announced.

Official statements were immediately made by Spain, Canada, Mexico and the European Union which, in addition to protesting, warned that they will take the necessary measures to neutralize any attempt to harm their legitimate interests and recalled that they are capable of doing so, bearing in mind that there is no shortage of US investments in their countries.

The most notorious spectacle was reserved for Miami and John Bolton, National Security Advisor, who played the main role. His audience was the members of what remains of those who were part of the 2506 Brigade, that is, of the invading group that 58 years ago was defeated by the Cuban people in 66 hours.

Bolton repeated what Pompeo said earlier regarding the lawsuits and also announced the re-imposition of severe restrictions on the travel of Cuban Americans to their country of origin and on the remittances they send to their families on the island, measures that were previously applied by W. Bush and generated the rejection of the vast majority of that community, which has since reflected itself in the Miami-Dade County elections.

The Miami show was as pathetic as it was grotesque.

The old and tired veterans failed when they were young and, organized by the CIA and with the support of the U.S. armed forces, they went to Cuba to recover “their” estates, “their” factories and “their” mansions. Now Bolton promises them that the pipedream will finally become a reality.

The show was summed up by Nicolás Gutierrez Castaño: “Even in our most feverish dreams we could not conceive that a U.S. government would do it. No one ever did. Forget Reagan. Forget Bush.”

Excited, the skillful managing lawyer of Helms-Burton believes the time has come to “recover” the large properties stolen from his great-grandfather.

An unabashed dreamer, Bolton, for his part, invited to make a toast to the Monroe Doctrine that, according to him, is alive and healthy.

Intoxicated, “celebrating” their fulminating defeat, the guests at the strange banquet applauded him with delirium.

It is time to wake them up.

April 19, 2019

Translated by Walter Lippmann for CubaNews; edited by Arnold August and ALAI.

Original source- http://www.cubadebate.cu/opinion/2019/04/18/