Colin Powell's service to the cause of regime change wasn't confined to Iraq. George W. Bush got him to chair his Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba, which in 2004 produced a report suggesting ways to undermine the Cuban government and replace it with a system of 'open market' capitalism and multi-party elections. Citing the Eastern Bloc as a precedent, the commission proposed a series of initiatives aimed at destabilising Cuba's 'totalitarian' government with a view to 'rebuilding' the country's institutions afterwards. The report even called for the vaccination of children and other basic health services, as if these were not already available to all Cubans, and demanded the restitution of property formerly owned by Cubans living in the US - and if not outright restitution then at least compensation. The report 'envisioned' and 'welcomed' the contributions of these Cuban Americans to the transformation of Cuba, praising their 'business acumen and capital' as well as their 'entrepreneurial spirit and patriotism'.

LRB 28 May 2009 | PDF Download