Castro becomes an island

Fidel Castro must be feeling isolated on his island fiefdom lately, as leaders in the Americas are denying him diplomatic legitimacy. This is a turning point for much of the Western Hemisphere, which has long overlooked many of Castro’s abuses. For Mexican President Vicente Fox in particular, a decision to dramatically limit relations was a watershed event given the long alliance between the countries. The Bush administration also announced yesterday it will be ratcheting up the pressure on Cuba.

Mr. Castro has prompted much of his isolation by lashing out at the countries on the U.N. Human Rights Commission that supported a resolution critical of Cuba’s record. The United States, Honduras, Chile, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic and Guatemala were among the countries that supported the resolution last month.

Last Sunday, Mexico ordered Cuba’s ambassador to leave the country within 48 hours for meddling in Mexican affairs. Mexico also recalled its own ambassador to Cuba. Mexico said Cuban Communist Party members in Mexico had engaged in unauthorized activities. Mexican Foreign Secretary Luis Ernesto Derbez tried to blunt the impact of this dramatic measure by dispatching a conciliatory letter to his Cuban counterpart, but the ambassador’s eviction sends an unmistakable message all the same.

Mr. Castro has tried to cast Mr. Fox and others that have criticized him as lackeys of the United States. Mr. Fox is hardly that. He has taken issue with the United States on the war and U.S. immigration policies. Mexico is clearly reacting not only to Cuba’s escalating repression, but also to Mr. Castro’s diplomatic clumsiness.

Last year, after Mr. Fox asked Mr. Castro to leave a summit in Monterrey, Mexico, early to avoid bumping into President Bush, Mr. Castro couldn’t resist embarrassing Mr. Fox by publicly airing the conversation. That move, unsurprisingly, has weakened Cuban-Mexican relations.

Peru also recalled its own ambassador in Cuba on Sunday, after Mr. Castro took a swipe at President Alejandro Toledo for supporting the U.N. human rights resolution. On Tuesday, Honduras and Nicaragua publicly criticized Cuba as well.

In wake of all this regional Cuba-snubbing, Mr. Bush said he would boost the ideological fight by bolstering Radio Marti broadcasts and giving Castro dissidents greater support. Mr. Bush also said yesterday he would try to prevent remittances to Cuba from benefiting the regime.

By freezing out Mr. Castro diplomatically and rallying around democratic principles, governments are sending an important message. These measures may not immediately improve conditions for the Cuban people, but Mr. Castro and the rest of the world have received it, as have the dissidents languishing in Mr. Castro’s prisons.