Paul Havens writes for the Associated Press that every country in the U.N (except Israel and Palau) voted today to condemn the US embargo of Cuba, the highest number of votes so far. Havens writes that Cuba's Foreign Minister Rodriguez likened the policy to "an act of genocide" that is "ethically unacceptable."
U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice reacted strongly, calling the Cuban diplomat's statements "hostile" and "straight out of the Cold War era."
"Here we go again," she said of Rodriguez's speech. "I suppose old habits die hard."
What should happen next, Kossacks?
Rodriguez told AP he was "a little bit surprised" by the vehemence of Rice's initial comments, saying he knew and respected her and held her in high esteem.
"She is an articulate person, a decent and well-meaning person, like president Obama," he said. "And we respect both of them for that."
He added that Cuba recognizes there may be opportunities for talks with the Obama administration that were not possible with the administration of former President George W. Bush.
The world spoke, as AP describes it:
One after another, global representatives stood to speak in opposition to the embargo, calling it a cruel anachronism that ran counter to international law and which had only succeeded in hurting ordinary Cubans.
"The time to end this embargo is long overdue," said South African U.N. ambassador Baso Sangqu, adding that the embargo had "caused untold suffering" to Cuba's people. Even America's traditional regional and global allies were blunt in their criticism, with the European Union countries coming out unanimously against Washington's policy.
The U.S. ambassador is speaking like an unctuous schoolyard bully. What can we do to bring our policy into line with the civilized world?