Editorial

Lessons learned from incidents with Korea, Cuba

Thursday, December 18, 2014

It was quite a day in international relations, but what are the lessons?

First, there was the surprise announcement that the United States and Cuba would swap prisoners and begin the process of normalizing relations that have been frozen since Fidel Castro came to power in 1959, punctuated by the Bay of Pigs disaster, Cuban Missile Crisis and U.S. sponsored attempts on the dictator's life.

The change was a long time coming -- Americans seem to have no trouble maintaining diplomatic relations with Vietnam, site of a conflict that divided our nation undermined our national standing, or buying products from China, built by what is basically slave labor.

But political considerations have extended the embargo far longer than it might have been otherwise -- the Cuban expatriate vote has been a force to be reckoned with in Florida and national politics.

Complete normalization will require action by Congress, but Secretary of State John Kerry will soon go to the island nation to work out details.

If all goes as planned, Cuba is likely to become a popular cruise destination as well as home to a booming economy. The benefit to the U.S. economy is harder to predict and will be more difficult to judge.

Another international incident isn't all that difficult to draw conclusions about.

Struggling with fallout from a major hack attack by North Korea, Sony canceled release of a spoof movie "The Interview," centered on an assassination attempt on the hermit kingdom's ruthless leader, Kim Jong Un.

To be fair, the company is proceeding with utmost caution, reluctant to play a part in terrorist attacks, as well as dealing with mushrooming embarrassment and financial consequences from the hacking attack.

But where will it end?

Will we allow any radical group to rob us of our rights by threatening violence? Unfortunately, the answer so far has been yes, for anyone who's been forced to endure the indignity of a TSA search and wasted hours it takes just to board an airliner.

One longs for the bravery of a Charlie Chaplain making "The Great Dictator" in 1940, Walt Disney with "Der Fuehrer's Face" -- or even Danish comedian and pianist Victor Borge, who earned a spot on Hitler's enemies list by mocking the German leader.

President Obama, for his part, echoed President Bush's post 9-11 sentiments, urging Americans to go about their business, including a trip to the movies.

Unfortunately, "The Interview" won't be among their choices for the time being.

We have always looked to others to be brave on our behalf, whether it be the military, law enforcement or our elected leaders.

In the end, it is up to all of us to preserve our liberties, even if it just involves purchasing a theater ticket.

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