President Obama, enlisting the help of the freaking pope,
shocked many when he revealed that he had been working for quite some
time to bring about a rapprochement with Cuba — the feisty communist
island-nation that has perturbed American presidents for decades.
The act of starting a path toward the restoration of diplomatic relations with the erstwhile enemy could be likened to the moment when President Nixon normalized relations with China. But Nixon was the original angry white guy and wasn’t exactly the Dalai Lama when it came to forgiving his enemies, so naturally he wasn’t excoriated by the democratic opposition for his actions.
Senator Marco Rubio, perhaps upset that he couldn’t find a bottled water and looking to take a shot at the president to cement a potential 2016 run, slammed President Obama over his actions on Cuba. Rubio, who previously lied about his parents escaping Castro’s Cuba and clings to the reactionary and cold war-like thinking, called Obama’s actions (ones that even freaking Rand Paul seems to agree) a “concession to tyranny.” But what little Ricky and his fellow Koch Brother-owned Republicans fail to mention (or grasp) is that Bush and Reagan had diplomatic ties with a great many dictatorships, and they were totally cool with it.
1. Zimbabwe
The Sub-Saharan african country that Americans never hear of (Africa is a country, right?), ruled by notorious dictator Robert Mugabe, has diplomatic ties with the United States. In fact, the US has given the country $400 million in humanitarian aid, according to juancole.com.
2. Belarus
FOr those unfamiliar with this small European country, think Putin’s Russia but not with as good PR. Belarus is one of the few nations that failed to adopt democratic norms and transition to democracy following the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Ruled by brutish dictator Alexander Lukashenko (scary looking man with a mustache and sexual frustration), western journalists have dubbed Belarus “Europe’s last dictatorship.” and often criticized by Human Rights Watch. Notwithstanding, The US has an embassy in the Belarusian capital of Minsk.
3. Brunei
The Sultanate of Brunei is a great place for a man to just sit back and relax in a den full of scantily clad harem. In fact, what happens in Brunei, stays in Brunei. But seriously, what really happens in Brunei is a series of basic human rights violations. Nonetheless, the Us has fabulous relations with Brunei and maintains an embassy there.
4. Uzbekistan
In 2011, failed Republican Presidential Candidate Herman Cain famously didn’t know who the leader of U-beki-beki-beki-stan-stan when he turned the FSR into a rap remix. Most Americans didn’t even know this greater middle eastern country existed, but just figured it had to be evil and sucked for tailgating parties since it ends in stan.
The fact of that mater is that its leader, Islam Karimov, had his own freaking daughter locked up! Okay, so maybe Americans would start loving Billy ray Cyrus if he were to do the same, but Karimov was a total di*k about it. In fact, Parade Magazine labeled Karimov as one of the “world’s worst dictators.” Nonetheless, the U.S. has diplomatic ties with Uzbekistan and the country has served its interests int the war on terrorism. IE, it has provided dark bases for some yummy rectal feedings.
5. Saudi Arabia
Ah, always save the best for last. There’s really nothing else to say about Saudi Arabia other than that it is ruled by a decades-old absolute monarchy and bars all political parties and any form of public dissent. It also loves stoning women for doing nothing other than being women (maybe it’s the dry heat or oilfield fumes?). But hey, this nation sits on a freaking dinosaur bones mausoleum so we have loved this country. Not only do we maintain diplomatic ties with Saudi Arabia and have embassies, but we still have 5 military bases there after Invade Iraq part one and part deux.
6. Egypt
As Wikipedia points out:
The act of starting a path toward the restoration of diplomatic relations with the erstwhile enemy could be likened to the moment when President Nixon normalized relations with China. But Nixon was the original angry white guy and wasn’t exactly the Dalai Lama when it came to forgiving his enemies, so naturally he wasn’t excoriated by the democratic opposition for his actions.
Senator Marco Rubio, perhaps upset that he couldn’t find a bottled water and looking to take a shot at the president to cement a potential 2016 run, slammed President Obama over his actions on Cuba. Rubio, who previously lied about his parents escaping Castro’s Cuba and clings to the reactionary and cold war-like thinking, called Obama’s actions (ones that even freaking Rand Paul seems to agree) a “concession to tyranny.” But what little Ricky and his fellow Koch Brother-owned Republicans fail to mention (or grasp) is that Bush and Reagan had diplomatic ties with a great many dictatorships, and they were totally cool with it.
1. Zimbabwe
The Sub-Saharan african country that Americans never hear of (Africa is a country, right?), ruled by notorious dictator Robert Mugabe, has diplomatic ties with the United States. In fact, the US has given the country $400 million in humanitarian aid, according to juancole.com.
2. Belarus
FOr those unfamiliar with this small European country, think Putin’s Russia but not with as good PR. Belarus is one of the few nations that failed to adopt democratic norms and transition to democracy following the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Ruled by brutish dictator Alexander Lukashenko (scary looking man with a mustache and sexual frustration), western journalists have dubbed Belarus “Europe’s last dictatorship.” and often criticized by Human Rights Watch. Notwithstanding, The US has an embassy in the Belarusian capital of Minsk.
3. Brunei
The Sultanate of Brunei is a great place for a man to just sit back and relax in a den full of scantily clad harem. In fact, what happens in Brunei, stays in Brunei. But seriously, what really happens in Brunei is a series of basic human rights violations. Nonetheless, the Us has fabulous relations with Brunei and maintains an embassy there.
4. Uzbekistan
In 2011, failed Republican Presidential Candidate Herman Cain famously didn’t know who the leader of U-beki-beki-beki-stan-stan when he turned the FSR into a rap remix. Most Americans didn’t even know this greater middle eastern country existed, but just figured it had to be evil and sucked for tailgating parties since it ends in stan.
The fact of that mater is that its leader, Islam Karimov, had his own freaking daughter locked up! Okay, so maybe Americans would start loving Billy ray Cyrus if he were to do the same, but Karimov was a total di*k about it. In fact, Parade Magazine labeled Karimov as one of the “world’s worst dictators.” Nonetheless, the U.S. has diplomatic ties with Uzbekistan and the country has served its interests int the war on terrorism. IE, it has provided dark bases for some yummy rectal feedings.
5. Saudi Arabia
Ah, always save the best for last. There’s really nothing else to say about Saudi Arabia other than that it is ruled by a decades-old absolute monarchy and bars all political parties and any form of public dissent. It also loves stoning women for doing nothing other than being women (maybe it’s the dry heat or oilfield fumes?). But hey, this nation sits on a freaking dinosaur bones mausoleum so we have loved this country. Not only do we maintain diplomatic ties with Saudi Arabia and have embassies, but we still have 5 military bases there after Invade Iraq part one and part deux.
6. Egypt
Ronald Reagan is to republicans what McDonald’s is to food; it’s actually kind of crappy and unhealthy but we simply venerate it anyway.
Prior to being ousted in the 2011 Arab Spring, Mubarak experienced quite a kinship with Ronald Reagan. Time has shown that Egypt might have been better of with the pro-west strongman, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that he had a lot of enemies killed and suppressed his own people for decades. What makes this relationship especially contradictory is that Reagan was credited for helping end the Cold War and importing democracy. But the fact of the mater is that he supported a great many nasty dictators, in what would be known as the Kirkpatrick Doctrine.As Wikipedia points out:
The Kirkpatrick Doctrine was the doctrine expounded by United States Ambassador to the United NationsJeane Kirkpatrick in the early 1980s based on her 1979 essay, “Dictatorships and Double Standards“.[1] The doctrine was used to justify the U.S. foreign policy of supporting Third Worldanti-communistdictatorships during the Cold War.[2Cuba has unquestionably suffered under the thumb of Fidel Castro. But ever since he has become a washed up mob boss in a track suit and handing power over to his brother Raul Castro, attempting a rapprochement with Cuba and working to achieve the same type of diplomacy and economic reforms like with Deng Xiaoping in China has never been more important.
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