The international tug-of-war with the tiny arms of 6-year-old Elian Gonzalez has gone on long enough.

Gonzalez became the &uot;big&uot; story on Nov. 25, 1999, after he was rescued after clinging to an inner tube alone at sea for two days. His mother and nine other Cubans died when the boat they were riding in sank in the Atlantic as the group headed for refuge in the United States.

For months now, the little Cuban refugee has been at the center of a global drama — and it needs to stop.

The boy should be allowed to return to Cuba to grow up without the television cameras under the watchful eye of his father.

Thousands of Cuban-Americans disagree.

We’ve heard all of their arguments.

Some people think that Elian should be allowed to stay in the U.S. with some of his relatives. They argue that his mother died trying to give Elian a better life in the United States so he needs to stay here in tribute to her effort.

If that one doesn’t get you, those same people have another argument. &uot;He’s bound to have a better life in the United States,&uot; they say. How arrogant are these people?

We realize that Cuba is a communist country, and we’ve read the reports of oppression in the country. And, no doubt, if Elian were allowed to stay in the United States, he’d likely become Americanized quickly. He’d collect Pokemon cards and worry about whether Santa Claus will bring him the new Playstation 2 this year.

But none of that makes keeping him away from his father — and his homeland — all OK.

None of the arguments for keeping Elian in here in the United States add up.

The solution is simple — do the right thing.

And in this case, the right thing for Elian is to return to Cuba to be with his father.