The President of the United States Barrack Obama had not even been born in the year that General Fulgencio Batista was driven out of office by Fidel Castro. However, he is the first president to take concrete steps towards ending the embargo placed on Cuba by President Kennedy in 1962.
I originally wrote in my outline that I believed that this move was far too bold on the part of the U.S administration and perhaps they should step back and review the situation before proceeding further. Since then I have rethought my arguments and find that there is more merit than I originally anticipated. While it is true that Cuba is still a military dictatorship that is hostile towards the United States. And it does not respect the democratic rights of its citizens. It is also true that the hard-line policies that have been used against Cuba for the past fifty years have simply failed to bring changes to the island’s government. With the newly elected President Raul Castro now in power, I do not see any major changes occurring in terms of policy and human rights any time soon.
During the Bush administration and thereafter the reasons given for the increasing restrictions placed on Cuba were based on the theory that such restrictions would enable true change. Their thoughts were that the Cuban government could be pressured into changing its system of governing.
Moving forward President Obama is neither looking towards the present nor the past. He is looking towards the future, the future of the Cuban people. The true test here is not whether the President can major change in their governmental systems. The true test is whether the relations between Cuba and the United States can improve to a point where future governments can be influenced to adopt a policy more in line with U.S interests(Wiener).
The recent olive branch by the Obama administration extended to the Cuban President has created an opportunity to come to diplomatic terms with the United States. It may also lead to negotiations that would ease the suffering and poverty of the Cuban people, free political prisoners, and open up the press. This would eventually lead to businesses in the United States such as farmers and oil entrepreneurs to taking their companies to Cuba bringing improvements to its economy. Perhaps one day the changes may be so broad that a freely democratic elected government may also emerge. However, such an event will not occur if the American administration continues to be stubborn about its tactics(CNN).
Additionally, the impact of this negotiation on the perception of the United States must be considered. The United States is not viewed in the best way in Latin American. With the effects on ordinary Cuban citizens improved by this new policy, it stands to reason that the resulting effect will signal to the Latin American states that this administration is willing to consider a true change. That it is willing to look after its friends as well as extend a hand to its enemies. It is inevitable that the battle to improve relations with Cuba will have several hindrances both in the United States and abroad. However, antiquated notions and ideas such as recognizing the island as a terrorist state are no longer a viable option. Diplomacy must now prevail where force did not.
Works Cited
CNN. Obama: Cuba policy to be based on ‘Libertad’. 2008. Web.
Wiener, A. “Obama Suggests Cuba Policy Reform.” The Washington Independent 2008.