Caleb McCarry
Encyclopedia
Caleb McCarry was the Bush administration
's Cuba Transition Coordinator, tasked with coordinating the U.S. government's efforts to aid the opposition in their efforts to overthrow the Communist
government
of Cuba
and transition towards Capitalism
and Liberal democracy
. The position developed out of the Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba
. McCarry described the Commission's purpose as to put forth "an intelligent, generous and above all respectful offer of support to the Cuban people" in efforts to end "the dictatorship [that] has willfully and cruelly divided the Cuban family." http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2005/50346.htm His mission was described by the Cuban government as "part of a broader U.S. 'plan for Cuba's annexation.'" http://www.coxwashington.com/hp/content/reporters/stories/BC_US_CUBA27_COX.html
McCarry was previously staff director for Rep. Henry Hyde
, chairman of the House International Relations Committee. He is the son of the novelist and former CIA agent Charles McCarry
. He is 44, married, and has two teenage children. He speaks Spanish and has a degree in Spanish literature.
McCarry worked in the office of Senator Jesse Helms
, co-sponsor of the Helms-Burton Act
of 1996, that extended the US embargo considerably.
n project of the Center for Democracy, an organization designed to "promote the democratic process in the United States and abroad."
While a congressional staffer, McCarry was known for his opposition to Haiti
an President Jean-Bertrand Aristide
. An anonymous State Department source told a Salon.com
journalist that McCarry was involved in funneling money to Aristide's opposition via the International Republican Institute
, which is funded by the United States
government. http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2004/07/16/haiti_coup/index.html
In 2004, McCarry participated in the Haiti Democracy Project, whose stated goal is to "Help Haiti Move Forward". http://haitipolicy.org/Delegation.htm
Online article of April 11, 2006, "He says his job is to help Cubans "recover their freedom after 47 years of brutal dictatorship". To achieve this, Mr McCarry has a budget of $59m to "hasten the transition" and to ensure that neither Raúl Castro
nor any of the current leading figures, from Vice President Carlos Lage to Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque
, are involved in the new government. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/crossing_continents/4899414.stm
The creation of a "Cuba Transition Coordinator" post within the United States government was heavily criticized by Cuban government officials. Shortly after McCarry's appointment, Cuban Foreign Minister
Felipe Perez Roque
told the United Nations
that the United States' plans to overthrow the Cuban government are "delusional". http://www.coxwashington.com/hp/content/reporters/stories/BC_US_CUBA27_COX.html
Several prominent Cuban dissident
s, including well-known anti-Castro
activists Oswaldo Payá
and Elizardo Sanchez
, said McCarry's appointment was counterproductive, as "[i]t will allow the Cuban government to raise the spectre of foreign interference in the internal affairs of our country." http://www.telegraphindia.com/1050802/asp/foreign/story_5063829.asp
Just before leaving his position as Transition Coordinator, McCarry was responsible for approving the largest single sub-contract for Cuba democracy promotion in history, $6.5 million, to Creative Associates International (CAI) of Maryland where he subsequently became employed two months later. However, CAI does not list its Cuba program on its website because its program is directly hostile to the Cuban government and is therefore covert. Neither does a similar company, Development Associates International (DAI), also of Maryland and also a recipient of USAID Cuba democracy money. An agent of DAI who was arrested in Cuba in December 2009 while travelling on a tourist visa and delivering expensive and illegal satellite communications equipment to unknown recipients was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment on March 12, 2011 . These USAID Cuba program scandals along with numerous others have resulted in USAID Cuba program money temporarily being frozen in 2010, investigations into the USAID Cuba program, and some changes in USAID procedures that eliminates such subcontractors and makes USAID more accountable, but has not led to a change in the hostile and covert nature of the work being done under the Cuba program.. In efforts to continue pushing the issue at a time when the Congress is brutally battling over where to make spending cuts in the budget, Senator Kerry froze the USAID Cuba funds, equallying $20 million, pending a GAO investigation.
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
's Cuba Transition Coordinator, tasked with coordinating the U.S. government's efforts to aid the opposition in their efforts to overthrow the Communist
Communist Party of Cuba
The Communist Party of Cuba is the governing political party in Cuba. It is a communist party of the Marxist-Leninist model. The Cuban constitution ascribes the role of the Party to be the "leading force of society and of the state"...
government
Communist state
A communist state is a state with a form of government characterized by single-party rule or dominant-party rule of a communist party and a professed allegiance to a Leninist or Marxist-Leninist communist ideology as the guiding principle of the state...
of Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
and transition towards Capitalism
Capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system that became dominant in the Western world following the demise of feudalism. There is no consensus on the precise definition nor on how the term should be used as a historical category...
and Liberal democracy
Liberal democracy
Liberal democracy, also known as constitutional democracy, is a common form of representative democracy. According to the principles of liberal democracy, elections should be free and fair, and the political process should be competitive...
. The position developed out of the Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba
Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba
The United States Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba was created by United States President George W. Bush on October 10, 2003.-Mission statement:It was directed to report to the U.S...
. McCarry described the Commission's purpose as to put forth "an intelligent, generous and above all respectful offer of support to the Cuban people" in efforts to end "the dictatorship [that] has willfully and cruelly divided the Cuban family." http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2005/50346.htm His mission was described by the Cuban government as "part of a broader U.S. 'plan for Cuba's annexation.'" http://www.coxwashington.com/hp/content/reporters/stories/BC_US_CUBA27_COX.html
McCarry was previously staff director for Rep. Henry Hyde
Henry Hyde
Henry John Hyde , an American politician, was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1975 to 2007, representing the 6th District of Illinois, an area of Chicago's northwestern suburbs which included O'Hare International Airport...
, chairman of the House International Relations Committee. He is the son of the novelist and former CIA agent Charles McCarry
Charles McCarry
Charles McCarry is an American writer primarily of spy fiction.-Life:McCarry served in the United States Army, where he was a correspondent for Stars and Stripes, has been a small-town newspaperman, and was a speechwriter in the Eisenhower administration. From 1958 to 1967 he worked for the CIA,...
. He is 44, married, and has two teenage children. He speaks Spanish and has a degree in Spanish literature.
McCarry worked in the office of Senator Jesse Helms
Jesse Helms
Jesse Alexander Helms, Jr. was a five-term Republican United States Senator from North Carolina who served as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee from 1995 to 2001...
, co-sponsor of the Helms-Burton Act
Helms-Burton Act
The Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity Act of 1996 is a United States federal law which strengthens and continues the United States embargo against Cuba...
of 1996, that extended the US embargo considerably.
Biography
In 1990, McCarry was director of a GuatemalaGuatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
n project of the Center for Democracy, an organization designed to "promote the democratic process in the United States and abroad."
While a congressional staffer, McCarry was known for his opposition to Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
an President Jean-Bertrand Aristide
Jean-Bertrand Aristide
Jean-Bertrand Aristide is a Haitian former Catholic priest and politician who served as Haiti's first democratically elected president. A proponent of liberation theology, Aristide was appointed to a parish in Port-au-Prince in 1982 after completing his studies...
. An anonymous State Department source told a Salon.com
Salon.com
Salon.com, part of Salon Media Group , often just called Salon, is an online liberal magazine, with content updated each weekday. Salon was founded by David Talbot and launched on November 20, 1995. It was the internet's first online-only commercial publication. The magazine focuses on U.S...
journalist that McCarry was involved in funneling money to Aristide's opposition via the International Republican Institute
International Republican Institute
Founded in 1983, the International Republican Institute is an organization, funded by the United States government, that conducts international political programs, sometimes labeled 'democratization programs'....
, which is funded by the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
government. http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2004/07/16/haiti_coup/index.html
In 2004, McCarry participated in the Haiti Democracy Project, whose stated goal is to "Help Haiti Move Forward". http://haitipolicy.org/Delegation.htm
Cuba Transition Coordinator
According to a BBC NewsBBC News
BBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
Online article of April 11, 2006, "He says his job is to help Cubans "recover their freedom after 47 years of brutal dictatorship". To achieve this, Mr McCarry has a budget of $59m to "hasten the transition" and to ensure that neither Raúl Castro
Raúl Castro
Raúl Modesto Castro Ruz is a Cuban politician and revolutionary who has been President of the Council of State of Cuba and the President of the Council of Ministers of Cuba since 2008; he previously exercised presidential powers in an acting capacity from 2006 to 2008...
nor any of the current leading figures, from Vice President Carlos Lage to Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque
Felipe Pérez Roque
Felipe Ramón Pérez Roque was the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cuba from 1999 to 2009. At his appointment, he was not only the youngest member of the Cuban cabinet but also the only one to be born after the Cuban Revolution in 1959.Pérez Roque was formerly an electronics engineer and leader of...
, are involved in the new government. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/crossing_continents/4899414.stm
The creation of a "Cuba Transition Coordinator" post within the United States government was heavily criticized by Cuban government officials. Shortly after McCarry's appointment, Cuban Foreign Minister
Foreign minister
A Minister of Foreign Affairs, or foreign minister, is a cabinet minister who helps form the foreign policy of a sovereign state. The foreign minister is often regarded as the most senior ministerial position below that of the head of government . It is often granted to the deputy prime minister in...
Felipe Perez Roque
Felipe Pérez Roque
Felipe Ramón Pérez Roque was the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cuba from 1999 to 2009. At his appointment, he was not only the youngest member of the Cuban cabinet but also the only one to be born after the Cuban Revolution in 1959.Pérez Roque was formerly an electronics engineer and leader of...
told the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
that the United States' plans to overthrow the Cuban government are "delusional". http://www.coxwashington.com/hp/content/reporters/stories/BC_US_CUBA27_COX.html
Several prominent Cuban dissident
Dissident
A dissident, broadly defined, is a person who actively challenges an established doctrine, policy, or institution. When dissidents unite for a common cause they often effect a dissident movement....
s, including well-known anti-Castro
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
activists Oswaldo Payá
Oswaldo Payá
Oswaldo Payá Sardiñas is a political activist in Cuba and is considered that country's most prominent political dissident. He received the Sakharov Prize in 2002...
and Elizardo Sanchez
Elizardo Sanchez
Elizardo Sanchez Santa-Cruz is a Cuban human rights campaigner and founder of the Cuban Human Rights and National Reconciliation Commission, a group supporting change in Cuba....
, said McCarry's appointment was counterproductive, as "[i]t will allow the Cuban government to raise the spectre of foreign interference in the internal affairs of our country." http://www.telegraphindia.com/1050802/asp/foreign/story_5063829.asp
Just before leaving his position as Transition Coordinator, McCarry was responsible for approving the largest single sub-contract for Cuba democracy promotion in history, $6.5 million, to Creative Associates International (CAI) of Maryland where he subsequently became employed two months later. However, CAI does not list its Cuba program on its website because its program is directly hostile to the Cuban government and is therefore covert. Neither does a similar company, Development Associates International (DAI), also of Maryland and also a recipient of USAID Cuba democracy money. An agent of DAI who was arrested in Cuba in December 2009 while travelling on a tourist visa and delivering expensive and illegal satellite communications equipment to unknown recipients was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment on March 12, 2011 . These USAID Cuba program scandals along with numerous others have resulted in USAID Cuba program money temporarily being frozen in 2010, investigations into the USAID Cuba program, and some changes in USAID procedures that eliminates such subcontractors and makes USAID more accountable, but has not led to a change in the hostile and covert nature of the work being done under the Cuba program.. In efforts to continue pushing the issue at a time when the Congress is brutally battling over where to make spending cuts in the budget, Senator Kerry froze the USAID Cuba funds, equallying $20 million, pending a GAO investigation.
External links
- Announcement of Cuba Transition Coordinator Caleb McCarry from the US State Department.
- Statement by Cuba Transition Coordinator Caleb McCarry from the US State Department.
- Secretary Rice Appoints New Transition Coordinator for Cuba, US State Department.
- Planning for a Cuba without Castro, BBC News Online, April 12, 2006.
- Josefina Vidal vs. Caleb McCarry
- New post to help Castro 'demise', BBC News online, July 28, 2005.
- Condi co-ordinator to take on Castro, The Telegraph (Calcutta, India), August 2, 2005.
- CANF applauds White House choice of Caleb McCarry for New Cuba from the Cuban American National Foundation.