When it comes to foreign policy, we have seen the Obama administration's propensity to adopt strategies that appear backwards and incongruous;  leading from behind if you will. And when it comes to U.S. policy toward the Castro dictatorship in Cuba, the Obama State Department seems to use the same backwards principles it has used to tackle other foreign policy challenges, all of which for the most part have resulted in unmitigated disasters.

Faced with a hostage crisis in Cuba with the kidnapping of American aid worker Alan Gross, the Obama State Department has taken their cart and tied the horse to the cart's rear end.

Via Capitol Hill Cubans:

Before Embracing Castro on any "Agenda"

During a presentation at the Council of the Americas in New York City, Assistant Secretary of State for the Western Hemisphere Roberta Jacobson, stated that there’s "no chance" for a broadening of U.S.-Cuba relations until Castro releases American development worker, Alan P. Gross.

Frankly, the State Department should have adopted this position since December 2009, when Gross was first taken hostage. Instead, they inexplicably chose to proceed with a new round of sanctions easing in January 2011.

Better late than never.

However, Jacobson then proceeded to say:

“While we really wished that we could have moved forward with a broader agenda with the Cuban government, it is the Cuban government that has made that extremely difficult... There is a very easy way to resolve that part of the agenda and that is to release Alan Gross... just to be home with his mother, who has cancer, and his daughter, who went through breast cancer last year.”

Undoubtedly, the release of American hostage Alan Gross should be the priority of the U.S. government.

There's no argument there.

However, before rushing (at any point) to embrace the Castro dictatorship on a "broader agenda", we urge Secretary Jacobson to also consider the innocent Cubans being harassed, beaten and imprisoned on a daily basis by the regime.

For example, just this weekend, 95 members of the Ladies in White were violently beaten and arrested for peacefully demonstrating.

That's 95 mothers, daughters and sisters who were brutalized the Castro regime's thugs.

Below are their names as a reminder.

We should not be embracing the Castro regime on any "agenda" until the fundamental human, civil, political and economic rights of the Cuban people are recognized and respected.

 

The full list of names are below the fold...

Sandra Guerra Pérez
Aimé Cabrales Aguilar
Aniuska Fuente Arceo
Belkis Felicia Jorrín Morfa
Magela Lizama Roja Delgado
Gesica Casternao Jorrín
Victoria Díaz Morfa
Tatiana López Blanco
María Cristina Labrada Varona
Berta Soler Fernández
Laura María Labrada Pollán
Magaly Norvis Otero Suárez
Belkis Núñez Fajardo
Nancy Despaigne
Yamilé Garro Alfonso
Zahira Castro Casal
Deisis Ponce Arencibia
Barbará Remón Rivera
Lourdes Esquivel Vieto
Blanca Hernández Moya
Sonia Piña González
Yusmaris Martínez
Yosleidis González Martínez
Leonor Reinó Borges
Mirtha Gómez Colas
Yadira Rodríguez Bombino
Leydi Coca Quesada
Inés Antonia Quesada Lemus
Lilían Castañer Hernández
Julia Estrella Aramburu Taboas
Rosario Morales La Rosa
Mercedes Fresneda Castillo
Ivón Lemus Fonseca
Melkis Faure Hechavarria
Tania Maceda Guerra
Elianni Jiménez
Dora Martín Ricardo
Yaquelin Boni Hechavarria
Anisley Pavón Goberna
Alejandrina García de la Riva
Jani Mairelis Piloto Mirabal
Eralidis Frometa
Raquel Castillo Urquiza
Lazara Mitjans Cruz
Cecilia Guerra Alfonso
Niurka Luques Álvarez
Mari Blanca Ávila Esposito
María de los Ángeles Rojas Pereira
Yarisbel Aguilera Ramos
Barbará Cruz Proreira
Idania Álvarez Pérez
Mariely Jacomino Martínez
Yaquelin Morales
Yanelis Pérez Red
Hayme Moya Montes de Oca
Lisandra Farray Rodríguez
Marbelis González Reyes
Liliana Campo Bruzón
Nelda Molina Leiva
Adriana Aguilera Piña
Bárbara Bauza Drigg
Noemí Cecilia Hidalgo Gómez
Danay Mendiola Duquerme
Marlenis Abreu Almaquer
Gertrudis Ojeda Suárez
Gliselia Piña González
Eleiny Viamontes Cardoso
Romelia Piña González
Berta Guerrera Segura
Noralis Martin Hernández
Olga Lidia Torres Iglesia
Caridad Peinado Gutiérrez
Belkis Pérez Pérez
Amparo Milagro
Belkis Cantillo Ramírez
Aimeé Garcés Leiva
Yelena Garcés Nápoles
Kenia Fernández Rodríguez
Marta K. Martínez Labrada
Yurisleydi Peralta Alvares
Milagro Leiva Ramírez
Taimí Vegas Biset
Annia Alegre Pécora
Tatiana Martínez Rodríguez
Eduviges Isaac Rodríguez
Yanelis Elegica Despaigne
Vivian Peña Hernández
Yarisel Figueredo Valdez
Karina Salcedo Céspedes
Yuleidis Girón Ortiz
Yilka Ríos Rodríguez
Yailin González Lemes
Odalys Jardines
Ana Celia Rodríguez Torres
Liudmila Rodríguez Palomo
Ivonne Malleza Galano
Maira Morejón Hernández