“[July 11 -2006]. US President G[eorge] W. Bush approves $80 million to be used for ‘boosting democracy in Cuba.’ The fund is the result of proposals from a commission (members of which include [Secretary of State] Condoleezza Rice and Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez) exploring ‘US policy towards Cuba after the eventual death of Fidel Castro.’ The Cuban government refers to this as an ‘act of aggression,’ and Cuban dissident-journalist Oscar Espinosa Chepe considers the fund ‘…counterproductive. I believe Cubans have to be the ones who love our problems and any interference serves to complicate the situation,’ he says.” [Pro Embargo] [Con Embargo]
Jerry A. Sierra, “Economic Embargo Timeline,” HistoryofCuba.com