Stand for human rights in Cuba
In a recent interview, former President Jimmy Carter, now 96, summarized what he felt he accomplished as president. He said his administration kept the peace, obeyed the law, told the truth and stood for human rights.
This may sound minimal. But it also sounds maximally sound, and American.
Jimmy Carter was called a failure and was defeated after one term as president. But his emphasis on human rights — freedom of speech, press and association; due process of law; and basic legal rights of the individual against the state for all human beings — is a proud legacy.
Human rights have to do, as President Joe Biden would say, “with who we are,” what and whom we Americans defend in the world, and what we project to the world.
Human rights cannot always trump national interest or strategic considerations. But they often ought to. And they can more often than they do.
If we are “a shining city on a hill,” we must act like it and export our values, and fight for them for all.
Presidents haven’t talked about human rights much since Jimmy Carter.
Presidential candidates have not talked about human rights since John McCain.
But Americans must always stand with, and do whatever we can for, freedom lovers and freedom fighters around the world — whether in Saudi Arabia, Russia, China, Nicaragua or Turkey.
No one knows whether the rebellion in Cuba will keep building or be put down.
No one knows when or how the Cuban people will finally be set free of tyranny.
Or when they will be free to speak and make a living so they can feed and clothe their children.
But we know what we must do. We must do all we can to help the courageous Cuban people who have been speaking out and demonstrating and risking their lives for liberty, as our Founders did.
We should urge free peoples around the world to support the Cuban freedom movement, too.
The United States should speak up at the United Nations and keep the Cuban freedom movement front and center.
Their cause is our cause.
If the Berlin Wall and the Soviet Union could fall, surely, one day the Cuban government will.
The sooner the better. Meanwhile, brave freedom-loving Cubans are the human rights cause in the world at this moment. We should help them.