Category: International

*  In the aftermath of the Fukushima disaster and the era of “Drill, baby, drill” alternatives, it’s illuminating to see where the world is on nuclear energy. According to the International Energy Agency, no country is more dependent on nuclear power than France, which operates 58 reactors. Specifically, nuclear accounts for 77 percent of electricity generated in France.

In the U.S., with100 reactors, it’s 20 percent.

For the record, Iran’s one reactor generates 2 percent of its electricity needs.

* What a difference a dozen years make. It wasn’t until1993 that Ireland decriminalized homosexuality. Now it has become the first nation to approve same-sex marriage by popular vote.

* According to rumors, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered the execution of his defense chief with an anti-aircraft gun. Among the charges: complaining about Kim’s leadership, talking back to Kim and sleeping during a Kim-called meeting. Maybe it’s just a libelous cheap-shot from South Korea, but it speaks volumes that it sounds true.

They came. They shook hands. They talked.

No demonizing rhetoric. No hand buzzers. No finger wagging.

They were downright civil, if not overtly chummy. They made statements indicating commonality. They gave rationales for looking to the future.

In so doing, Barack Obama and Raul Castro made history on the sidelines of the Summit of the Americas in Panama. In so doing, they also made sense.

A couple of days later that was manifested when President Obama sent a message to Congress urging that Cuba be formally removed from the list of state sponsors of terrorism. The one that dates to 1982 and also includes Iran, Syria and Sudan. The president’s announcement, preceded by a State Department review, is a major step in facilitating the normalization of relations between the two countries–a process that was initiated last December.

But nobody’s breaking out the mojitos yet.

A not-quite-veto-proof Congress now has 45 days to weigh in, as only it can. So, cue the “sell-out” and “appeasement” rhetoric from the usual suspects. To no one’s surprise, Sens. Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz, both Cuban-American presidential aspirants, didn’t miss a rhetorical beat in decrying detente with Cuba and denigrating Obama over his role in expediting it.

When it comes to Cuba, the 2015 reality is this: Much remains to be done (only Congress can end the formal embargo), too many partisans still espouse less-than-helpful agendas, but momentum seems finally on the side of history. Finally.

Here, however, is where we need to finally break from the zero-sum dynamic that has inevitably accompanied this issue and forestalled bilateral progress for half a century. We know how it has gone rhetorically when it comes to proposing a normalization of relations with the Communist island-nation 90 miles off our coast.

“Are you for rewarding a dictator who shows contempt for democracy and human rights or are you for standing up for America’s first principles?” Pick a side. No nuance, geopolitical context or sense of enlightened self-national-interest is allowed. If they were, there would be references to allies and trade partners, from Saudi Arabia to Vietnam, who are far less democratic and far more autocratic than Cuba.

It’s the sovereign version of: “Yes or no? Are you still beating your wife?”

We all need to recognize that for some this will always be personal. From Brothers to the Rescue to Cuban Americans in Miami and Tampa who were tragically disenfranchised by the Cuban revolution. Until you have walked in the shoes of those who have lost their country–and all the emotional trauma that embodies–you can’t condemn an attitude of bitterness and non-negotiation absent regime change in Havana.

We should all be able to get that.

Having said that, however, we should all be able to acknowledge this. Personal vendettas can never be the basis for American foreign policy. If so, we’d have nothing to do with Japan after what it did at Pearl Harbor. Or nothing to do with Vietnam, where nearly 60,000 Americans died.

U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor acknowledged as much in her comments after the president’s announcement urging the removal of Cuba from the state sponsor of terrorism list.

“As Americans, we fought two wars with Germany, fought a bloody conflict with Vietnam and have moved forward over time to the benefit of the people of those countries,” noted Castor. “It is long past time that we do the same for the people of Cuba.”

More change is inevitable once diplomatic relations are formally restored and embassies opened.

That means multi-front cooperation–from fighting terrorism and drug traffickers to addressing environmental and immigration issues. These regional priorities can no longer be held hostage to a Cold War-relic policy. It also enhances U.S. credibility–global as well as hemispheric–to not be seen clinging to a failed strategy that punishes all the wrong people as a way of getting back at the Castros.

It’s also a given that no state–and no region–benefits more from normalized U.S.-Cuba relations than Florida and the Tampa Bay area, home to 90,000 Cuban Americans. It includes TIA island hops as well the untapped trade potential via Port Tampa Bay, the closest deep-water port to Havana.

And an unfettered travel policy would not only accommodate family reunions, but would also open up Cuba to American tourism and business investment. Regime change by other means.

And lest we forget, Tampa’s roots are Cuban. Before there was post-revolution Miami, there was Tampa–including livestock exports, the José Martíconnection and the cigar factories of Vicente Martinez Ybor. Now Tampa is on the cusp of regaining a special, synergistic relationship.

And none of this happens without somebody finally doing something about a counterproductive, time-warped, vendetta-driven foreign policy. Por fin.   

Presidents Barack Obama and Raul Castro held that well-chronicled meeting at the Summit of the Americas in Panama. They talked. They shook hands. They posed for photographers. They promised to look to the future.

We know that means Cuba will be coming off the list of state sponsors of terrorism. It’s a sham that it’s still on it. We also know that the embargo will ultimately be lifted, even if it takes the “biological solution” (the death of the brothers Castro) to expedite it.

But what are the relevant takeaways from this historic meeting of the oddest of Hemispheric couples? Here are a couple from Ted Hencken, the well-regarded “El Yuma” blogger and Cuban scholar from Baruch College, City University of New York.

* Obama, underscored Hencken, clearly understood the “key role of civil society and public support for Cuban civil society.” He was impressed that Obama also met with Manuel Cuesta Morua and Laritza Diversent, two leading Cuban dissidents. Obama stressed that they support his “empowerment through engagement” policy.

* He pointed out Obama’s unequivocal clarification that “On Cuba, we are not in the business of regime change” and stressed that “Cuba is not a threat to the U.S.”

* Hencken noted the “surprising personal regard” that Castro expressed for Obama as “an honest man” who has no responsibility for past U.S. policy.”

* He also stressed that while some had “feared (or hoped)” that the Venezuela/President Maduro issue might steal the Summit show, it never came close to happening. “Maduro did not get support for his condemnation of U.S. sanctions and even had to endure some countries’ expressed concern for his own jailing of dissidents.”

* Hencken detected a “shift in the region away from ideology toward economic pragmatism.” This he attributes, in part, to “the China slow-down, the Russian nose-dive and Venezuelan implosion.” He says the U.S. is likely primed to step in with “strategic economic engagement and oil diplomacy.”

As frustrating as the U.S. Congress can be–think: Senate letter to Iran on nuclear discussions–Iran easily tops such hindrance. We were reminded of that sobering reality recently when that country’s “supreme leader,” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, weighed in on nuclear negotiations. By having the final say, he could, in effect, cancel whatever deal is signed by Iran, the U.S., Russia, China and the Europeans.

This, mind you, is a cleric without a background in anything relevant–from economics to technology to foreign policy–who has the last word on everything that is important.

It’s as if all treaties and international negotiations to which the U.S. was a party also needed the sign-off signature of Ted Nugent.

Hopefully, it was noted that O’Pinions To Go was gone last week. That’s because this writer was on a getaway trip, one that included Venice and Ljubljana, Slovenia. Seemingly an odd pairing, but only about 150 miles apart.

No, I won’t turn this into one of those this-is-what-I-did-on-my-vacation pieces, but here are a few takeaways, mostly scribbled on hotel room notepads.

* Despite our region’s increasing overseas links, it still seems a bit of a novelty to look up on a British Air departures board at Gatwick Airport outside London and see: “…Edinburgh, Genoa, Tampa, Venice, Salzburg… .”

* Thanks largely to the BBC and Sky News, you find yourself with a decidedly more Euro-centric news view. It’s good for perspective. In lieu of March Madness, transgender bathroom bills and Barack Obama-under-siege updates, here’s what was making headlines and leading current-events discussions.

>The status of a tumbling euro–in the context of an economically struggling region–was an ongoing topic. No surprise that European exporters noted the silver lining.

>President Obama’s overtures to Cuba have been well noted in Europe. Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni became the first European minister to visit Cuba since the U.S. announced plans for normalized Cuban relations, and it was touted as such. Gentiloni, who met with President Raul Castro and other Cuban officials, had recently hosted a workshop: “Cuba’s Re-engagement in the International System.” Italy is Cuba’s second biggest trade partner in the EU and enjoys a highly favorable trade balance with the island nation.

>In an obvious effort to demystify ISIS, there were several accounts of ISIS fighters fleeing battle zones dressed as women. “Jihadi Joans” to be sure. ISIS satires, from Israeli blooper videos to Palestinian comedy shows, were well chronicled.

>Egypt was in the news for something other than cracking down on the Muslim Brotherhood. It’s being very proactive in pushing for foreign investment. Economic reforms introduced after the ouster of Mohammed Morsi have begun to reap benefits.

>Tough talk between Greece and its creditors is a given. Just guessing, but Angela Merkel’s least favorite government after Moscow has to be Athens.

>While the U.S. and Great Britain remain the staunchest of allies, there are a couple of notable differences that Prime Minister David Cameron’s government has with the Obama Administration. And, yes, it’s hardly coincidental that national elections are coming up in May. The two areas of disagreement: England wants to cut defense spending below NATO guidelines, and it intends to join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, which China is largely funding.

>Germany, Britain and France took the high-profile lead in expressing overt concern over congressional interference in the form of that unconscionable GOP letter to Iran.

* In an era of literally downsized broadsheet newspapers, opening the International New York Times felt like unfolding a tablecloth. BTW, it’s now going on two years since that ex-pat staple, the International Herald Tribune (owned outright by the NYT since 2003), officially changed its name to the INYT.

* The nouveau-riche Chinese are seemingly everywhere.

* My wife and I enjoyed Ljubljana more than Venice. The former was a blend of Medieval charm and vibrant riverfront night life backdropped by the Alps. Plus, English fluency and a no-tipping culture.

One reality-check moment: The response of a local businesswoman who helped us with directions. I asked her how the EC experience (2004 admittance) was going. How Slovenia was being received by Western Europe. “They still think we’re gypsies,” she answered.

Venice is, well, Venice. It’s on every international traveler’s bucket list because it’s architectural eye candy for as far as the water taxi will take you. But it’s like being a crowd-shot extra on a movie set. There is no off-season for the hordes. You spend more time ducking selfie-sticks than marveling at the Byzantine glory of the Basilica San Marco.

* There’s still no place better to fly back to than Tampa International Airport. The TIA trifecta: aesthetics, logistics, location.

Whenever my wife and I take a getaway trip, a familiar refrain is elicited. It goes something like this: “Now, just because you have a column due, don’t go getting all obsessive about taking notes and missing the fun.”

Actually, I cleaned that up a smidge.

But the reality is this: I do have a track record when it comes to note-taking, as opposed to just taking note. But I have altered my vacation-travel MO.

To wit: We recently returned from an interesting, albeit logistics-challenged trip that included Venice, the one in Italy, and Ljubljana, the one in Slovenia. Herein, a few observations well shy of a working-holiday travelogue.

* Venice is like being on a movie set. Here a Rialto Bridge and Doge’s Palace, there a Grand Canal and St. Mark’s Square. Architectural eye candy as far as the water taxi will take you. The place oozes celluloid charisma. It can be romantic or decadent or daring. From “Summertime” to “Casanova” to “Casino Royale.”

It takes you back in time, but it can also take you aback.

“Waterfront” has never been more redundant. Everything is via water. Police, fire, ambulance, sanitation, mail. Even calling a plumber or ordering out. I’ve seen a beer boat back into a canal-alley bar. The stuff you don’t think about when watching “The Merchant of Venice.”

And truly something to write home about: no graffiti.

But it’s not a place where residents work and live and carve out non service-sector careers. Locals seem outnumbered by selfie-stick peddlers, let alone inundating, holiday hordes, especially the nouveau-riche Chinese. Even in early, chilly March. There is no off-season.

Venice, you are constantly reminded, is a travelers’ bucket-list icon. You’re part of an ongoing, crowd-scene, casting call for a tourist mecca.

But there’s more to do than gawk, hire gondoliers, sip fine wine and duck selfie-sticks.

The nearby island of Murano in the Venetian Lagoon is worth the time if you have an eye for glassware or are enamored of all things Chihuly-esque.

It accommodates the chandelier as well as the wine-stopper crowd. It dates to the 1200s when the Venetian Republic, fearing the ultimate fire hazard, ordered glassworkers and their fiery foundries to hit the road, so to speak, and find another island.

Then there’s the Peggy Guggenheim Collection. It’s worth it even if you abhor the drip artistry of Jackson Pollock.

And I do.

*Ljubljana (Lube-yana), a city of nearly 300,000, is the capital of Slovenia and about 160 miles east of Venice. Until the last two decades, it was known mostly for its Austrian Empire past and more recent history as another Yugoslavian city with multiple silent letters.

In 1991, it morphed into the capital of newly independent Slovenia. In 2004, it became a major city in the European Union. In 2007, it began using the euro. In effect, Ljubljana has been fast-forwarding as a continental travel destination, as well as rapidly emerging as one of Europe’s greenest and most livable capitals.

It’s host to the Slovenian Philharmonic, a stock exchange and a 13,000-seat hockey arena. It was the site of the 2015 European Space Expo.

English–spoken and signage–is much in evidence. So, inexplicably, is dyed red hair. It’s a jolting fashion statement that ranges from teens to seniors. Dublin never seemed so hue-challenged.

It has postcard optics and charm–think Prague–that include an Alps backdrop, cathedrals, parks, public squares, statuary and a prominent, Gothic-Romanesque castle.

Incongruously, however, that Medieval architecture is marred by graffiti. It’s plentiful and hardly political. Self-indulgent punks know no ideology. Marshal Tito wouldn’t have countenanced it.

It also has a smattering of inevitable, contemporary design amid the Olde European ambiance. The contrast seems less eclectic than intrusive. Think Hyde Park.

But what catches the visitor eye first–and foremost–is the downtown riverfront that is spanned by numerous alabaster bridges. There’s a “Lights on Ljubljana”-like vibe along the (Ljubljana River) waterway. Comprised of cafes, wine bars, restaurants, shops and an open-air market, the waterfront is an energizing mix of visitors and locals, the latter reflecting a major university presence nearby.

It’s a reminder of a municipal rule of thumb: first-class cities typically have waterfronts and higher education in common. Whether in Slovenia–or Tampa Bay.

One other note: Wherever—literally—you’ve been, the return reality of Tampa International Airport never changes. It’s the best. The aesthetics, the logistics, the location. Reminders all that TIA’s first priority is passengers–not planes.

Seen in the context of a maddeningly complex geopolitical world with nightmarish national security implications, dealing with Cuba in 2015 should be low-hanging fruit. And among the lowest of all: removing Cuba from the U.S. state sponsor of terrorism blacklist.

It’s a designation applied by the U.S. Department of State to countries that have “repeatedly provided support for acts of international terrorism.” Countries so designated are impacted by various sanctions–ranging from U.S. foreign assistance to certain exports/sales to financial restrictions. The list is currently comprised of Cuba, Iran, Sudan and Syria.

Cuba has been on it since the Reagan Administration and harkens back to Havana’s ties with the Basque ETA and FARC of Colombia. That was the world of 1982. This is not. It makes no sense. In fact, North Korea used to be on the state sponsor of terrorism list. It was removed in 2008 by the Administration of George W. Bush.

Put it this way. We have serious terrorism threats–and they have nothing to do with Cuba. They have everything to do with perverted, homicidal Islam in its various permutations. Cuba is no more of a terrorist threat than are the Bahamas. Moreover, imagine removing North Korea from the list–but not Cuba?

There’s reason to expect this low-hanging diplomatic fruit will now be plucked as a result of President Obama’s detente overture. Hopefully it can happen before next month’s Summit of the Americas in Panama, which will be attended by Presidents Barack Obama and Raul Castro.

Few would disagree with the sentiments expressed by Princess Aisha bint Al Hussein, sister of Jordan’s King Abdullah II, who was in our area recently to speak at a national security symposium. She told those gathered for the Global Special Operations Forces Foundation symposium on St. Pete Beach that the onus for combating ISIS was directly on the Muslim community.

“Unfortunately, you can’t help us with that,” she said. “It’s our responsibility.”

Indeed, and it’s much more than “speaking out,” as critically important as that is. We know the issue of “boots on the ground” is a controversial and divisive issue in this country. But the standing armies–notably Turkey, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and, for what it’s worth, Iraq–of neighboring Muslim countries with existential vested interests far outnumber ISIS terrorists.