A&M International Professor Publishes in International Journal on World Peace

An essay by Texas A&M International University professor of political science Dr. Rafael A. Lecuona has been published in the International Journal on World Peace.

"International law, Cuba and the United States of America" is included in the March 1997 edition of the Journal.

Dr. Lecuona's essay explores the ramifications of international law as viewed by Cuba and the United States. He notes that the nature of conflict is often buried under the rhetoric of each nation.

He goes on to question the meaning of international law when dealing with Cuba and writes, "... given the fact that ideology, and not the law, determines Communist Cuba's internal as well as external legal behavior, and that the controlling power lies exclusively in the hands of one person, Fidel Castro, what relevance does international law have in the conflicting nature of USA-Cuba relations?"

Lecuona sees the United States' anti-Castro legislation (the Helms-Burton Act) as another step in a long road leading to the final compensation to USA owners of properties confiscated by the Communist regime of Cuba.

"Were Cuba to become a free-democratic society," he notes, "then the USA would not feel obligated to demand compensation to the point of threatening international peace."

He concludes that the adversarial and dangerous roles that typify USA-Cuba relations will continue unabated and that international laws will continue to be used primarily to justify both open and disguised belligerent behaviors.

Published four times annually, the Journal is directed by the Professors World Peace Academy of St. Paul, Minnesota.

Lecuona holds a doctorate in political science from Florida State University and has been a member of the A&M International faculty since 1970.

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