Dissidents left out

President Obama promised that the United States will not relent in its effort to help the Cuban people. So shouldn’t he have demanded the inclusion of dissidents in the discussion with the Cuban government? Instead, he negotiated directly with Cuba’s dictatorship. I guarantee that if during the negotiations with the apartheid regime in South Africa, Nelson Mandela had not been consulted and included in the discussions, Obama would not have supported such negotiations. Why the double standard when it comes to Cuba?

This story was originally published December 18, 2014 at 7:50 PM with the headline "Dissidents left out."