Cuban oil

The issue of offshore Cuban oil has been percolating for some time, and a reporter asks whether it might finally end the embargo, since the U.S. is searching (albeit half heartedly) to end its dependence on Middle Eastern oil. There are already bills in both the House and Senate to exempt oil from the embargo.

Of course, the Cuban American National Foundation and Floridian members of Congress are opposed. The response by the CANF executive director, however, struck me as odd:

"Those who would advocate for ... allowing U.S. companies to drill off Cuba lose sight of how that would damage our ability to press the Cuban government on other issues, such as human rights."

This assumes we have any leverage with the Cuban government at all—I would argue that our Cuba policy over the last 40+ years has put us in a position of having zero leverage, so we can’t have less than that. I’d be more inclined to listen to the environmental concerns, as well as the idea that we should more aggressively pursue alternate sources of energy rather than just drill anywhere we can.

With regard to U.S.-Cuban relations, however, common sense usually goes out the window. I can’t see that (or our current policy) changing anytime soon.