After a sub-par performance in Latin America during 2009, the Obama administration has truly risen to this occasion with its forceful response to the humanitarian crisis in Haiti. President Obama has ordered his agencies to put this disaster on the top of their agendas, and has already committed $100 million in U.S. assistance. But the President, wisely, has cautioned it will take some long days before the full measure of U.S. relief can arrive in Haiti and show results.
These efforts will move faster because of an agreement with Cuba's government made public today that the United States can operate relief flights destined for Haiti over Cuban airspace.
No one should be surprised by Cuba's decision; they have a decades' long commitment to international cooperation in the face of national disasters, and our government has previously received cooperation from Havana on over-flights for weather detection and fighting hurricanes, on matters relating to security, and during disasters in Venezuela and Pakistan.
But the President should think about this: If Cuba is willing to cooperate with the United States in the air, shouldn't we cooperate with Cuba on the ground on initiatives that reflect our countries' shared interests in helping the people of Haiti? Doing so would quickly multiply the force of our efforts.
Let's not forget, Cuba is already there.
Haiti and Cuba signed a medical cooperation agreement in 1998. Present in Haiti before the earthquake struck were 344 members of the Cuban medical brigade who have been providing primary care, obstetrical services, and operations to restore the sight of Haitians with various eye diseases. Earlier this week, Cuba sent 30 more physicians along with food, medicine, plasma, and other items.
According to Spanish press reports, this contingent is already providing emergency medical care across Haiti for patients that Cuban doctors had already been treating for many years. Immediately following the earthquake, these doctors opened up two make-shift clinics in their residences because local hospitals were destroyed. Cuban doctors then moved to reopen the "Social Security" hospital and started operating on the injured. A day ago, the Cubans reopened the national hospital and started to treat people.
Their work could form the foundation for broad Cuban-U.S. cooperation.
First, as U.S. AID and military teams roll into Haiti, the U.S. government should make it clear that our personnel should cooperate, coordinate, and work with the Cuban medical personnel in Haiti. They know Haiti, they've been providing health care in Haiti since 1998, and they have been running a highly effective medical response since the earthquake occurred.
Second, the U.S. can help expand the reach and impact of the Cuban medical brigades. When they experience supply shortages, we should offer the Cubans medicines and other necessary assistance to help with their effort. Gary Maybarduk, a veteran of relief efforts with experience in Haiti, has urged lending the Cuban brigades durable medical equipment and using U.S. helicopters to transport them to inaccessible locations.
Third, we've seen reports that injured Americans - and possibly, injured Haitians - are being airlifted to the medical facilities at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Our colleague at the New America Foundation, Col. Larry Wilkerson, has proposed that we open up Guantanamo to Cuban doctors.
Cuban doctors should be welcomed on to the base to assist in treatment and operations. Our armed forces - which have lengthy experience in cooperating with the Cuban military - could allow Cubans to come pick up (or they could transport) victims to Cuban hospitals for treatment. Our militaries carry out exercises to practice for fires and other big accidents near the base that require joint efforts to treat the victims - this would be effective and it would assure quicker attention for the wounded.
Fourth, global leaders are calling for a summit to coordinate global responses to the Haiti tragedy. That summit could take place in Cuba, which is ideally located. If it doesn't happen there, Cuba should be invited and encouraged to play a leadership role in the coordination of response efforts.
President Obama knows the Cubans can do more than open up airspace to American flights. When he attended the Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago last year, he made a public statement about the respect shown Cuban doctors by the heads of state he met at the Summit, and conceded that the U.S. had to engage in efforts like medical cooperation to reconnect our country to the people of the region.
The previous administration couldn't bring itself to do this. After Hurricane Katrina, Cuba's government offered to send 1,586 doctors and 25 tons of medical supplies to buttress what was obviously an insufficient response to the suffering of American citizens on our own Gulf Coast. Bush being Bush, his administration not only declined the offer but insulted the qualifications of Cuban doctors.
We need to be Samaritans and not silent or sarcastic about what Cuba has to offer. We have seen the better angels of Obama's nature, and we're hopeful that he would seriously consider cooperating with the Cuban government especially if it meant saving Haitian lives.
This tragedy is about Haiti, not Cuba or President Obama, and I recognize that. But we can help Haitians by enlisting with the Cubans in a joint effort to speed and magnify aid our efforts. Doing so would set a new example for U.S. diplomacy that will return long-standing benefits to our nation and our relationships across the Western Hemisphere. And possibly even set a new tone for the U.S.-Cuba relationship. We need it.
Follow Sarah Stephens on Twitter: www.twitter.com/sarahatcda
Caroline Gluck: Dispatch from the Ground in Haiti
The needs in Haiti now are enormous, as most basic services just aren't functioning. At the best of times, daily life in Haiti for the 80% or so of the population, who have to live on less than two dollars a day, is a daily struggle.
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I am baffled why the US has dithered with these murderous thugs for so many years.
We should be embarrasse
We've spent millions on their retro version of "doing business" in Haiti.
Haitians won't vote for them.
Would anyone in their right mind vote for the employers of death squads? People who hail Jodel Chamblain as their freedom fighter? (Jodel Chamblain, #2 death squad leader in the 1991-1994 US supported coup and one of the leaders of the "rebels" in 2004 US supported 2004. The US backed interim government of 2004 - 2006 pardoned him of criminal charges. Google it).
Bay kou bliye, pote mak sonje.
The giver of the blow forgets, the bearer of the scar remembers.
The US should have been embarrasse
The US needs to stop throwing its weight behind such grotesque and unelectabl
Copper, gold, sweatshops and rumor has it, oil.
It takes very little effort and can make a huge difference
The problem of the condition of the country is not the amount of aid. It's where the aid is spent, and for what reason. It serves a political and economic purpose to have most of the country very poor and to remove its sovereignt
Reports indicate Cubans are now running three hospitals and two field hospitals. I'm sure they need supplies.
There are a total of nine US Disaster Medical Assistance Teams trying to set up operations in Haiti right now. Even with U.S. military assistance they are having difficulti
Yes, in the interest of the Haitian people who desperatel
One answer is Roger Noriega, a major actor behind the scenes at the state department and great ally not only to the Miami Mafia but to the Haitian elite, Venezuelan elite...et
"Roger Noriega's steady climb through the ranks of U.S. diplomacy has been based not on his skills as a statesman or diplomat, but rather on a willingnes
.....Norie
...Noriega has spent years developing rightwing policies to punish Cuba. He served as Jesse Helms' senior staff member on the Committee on Foreign Relations that eventually drafted and passed the notorious 1996 Helms-Burt
...Noriega also played a key role in abetting the fall of Haiti's elected President Jean-Bertr
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344 Cuban Medics Treat Earthquake Victims
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Cuba has provided free public health care to the poor of Haiti since 1989 - the only public medicine available in that country. During the recent coup and subsequent US/French/
Cuban doctors will go where no doctor has gone before, live in conditions that no doctor has ever lived in before and deliver life saving medical care to people who have never even seen a doctor before. And they do all this for free. Each doctor feels privileged to be able to use their skills to help people who are in such desperate need of medical care. 35,000 Cuban medics currently provide healthcare in 78 countries around the world, more than the World Health Organisati
Cuban doctors have unique experience of working in earthquake zones in third world countries without infrastruc
This is a good idea. However, would it not be better to get more doctors in Haiti? My primary care doctor works with Doctors without Borders. He said that Cuban Medicine is first rate. I read that Seabee battalion 7 is sending it's Air Detachment
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Whilst I agree that stronger diplomatic relations between the USA and Cuba would benefit Haiti's current relief efforts, it doesn't matter much at this point.
There are many nations of the world who don't share Americas prejudice against Cuba and are engaged in coordinate
Although this article has merit in pointing out the possibilit
America is in no way front and centre in helping Haiti, although you wouldn't know it from watching it's msm.