Obama: Clear and fresh thinking on Cuba
By
Peter McKenna Read Spanish Version
The
following is an abridged version of an article published in The
Chronicle Herald of Nova Scotia, Canada, on May 8, 2008, titled
‘Obama’s clear thinking on Cuba bodes well for future foreign
policy.’
Few
Americans know a great deal about the foreign policy predilections of
Barack Obama. While he has surrounded himself with a clutch of
foreign policy experts, the jury is still out on how he sees
America’s place in the world.
But
on the controversial topic of U.S.-Cuban relations, his position has
exhibited a more precise, sophisticated and forward-looking thrust.
During his brief tenure as a U.S. senator, he has twice voted to end
funding for government-supported TV Marti, which has failed miserably
in beaming its anti-Cuba television programming to the island.
Moreover,
in an August opinion piece in the Miami Herald, he stated boldly: "A
democratic opening in Cuba is, and should be, the foremost objective
of our policy." He then went on to note: "We need a clear
strategy to achieve it — one that takes some limited steps now to
spread the message of freedom on the island, but preserves our
ability to bargain on behalf of democracy with a post-Fidel
government."
More
to the point, his administration would recognize that "bilateral
talks would be the best means of promoting Cuban freedom."
Predictably,
the decidedly anti-Castro Cuban American National Foundation (CANF)
was quick to criticize Obama. For them, any opening toward Havana
should first await the introduction of fundamental political and
economic reforms on the island: The Foundation said it "firmly
believes that talks with a post-Castro government should not be held
until certain conditions are met as a sign of good faith — primarily
the release of Cuba’s prisoners of conscience."
Part
of the problem for Havana, though, is that it won’t accept any
preconditions on bilateral negotiations or the fact that CANF
purports to speak for the wider exile community in Miami.
Unlike
the wrong-headed approaches of both CANF and the Bush administration,
Obama would prefer to set the diplomatic table with some "limited
steps" before actually breaking bread with the Cubans.
Accordingly,
he advocates "a sensible strategic approach" that would be
underpinned by a move to "grant Cuban Americans unrestricted
rights to visit family and send remittances to the island." And
as he rightly pointed out: "The primary means we have of
encouraging positive change in Cuba is to help the Cuban people
become less dependent on the Castro regime in fundamental ways."
Obama
believes that U.S. interests are best advanced by bolstering Cubans
and by having Cuba participate in hemispheric affairs as a
full-fledged democratic partner. "Such a development would bring
us important security and economic benefits, and it would allow for
new co-operation on migration, counter-narcotics and other issues,"
he maintains.
And
in a significant shift in U.S. Cuba policy – provided that Cuba
does open itself to democratic change – Obama is willing to "take
steps to normalize relations and ease the embargo that has governed
relations between our countries for the last five decades."
Obama’s talk of easing the U.S. embargo is obviously predicated on
its inability to topple the Castro government since its imposition
almost 50 years ago.
The
Cubans, for their part, were clearly intrigued by Obama’s new
approach to bilateral relations and expressed their willingness to
consider his proposals. Speaking on behalf of the government, Cuban
Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque was quoted as saying that these
"declarations express a sentiment shared by the majority of the
United States …"
Clearly,
many things would have to fall into place before any rapprochement
between the two countries would take place. And this option may be
more likely today now that Fidel Castro has formally stepped down as
president of Cuba’s Council of State and Commander-in-Chief.
Obama
does appear, moreover, to have significant electoral wind in his
sails and the Cubans (under Raul Castro) have recently expressed
their willingness to sit down with Washington to talk about the
normalization of relations.
So,
while Obama appears to lack experience and depth on matters of
international diplomacy, he seems to have an excellent grasp of the
finer points of a heretofore failed U.S. policy toward Cuba. And if
his clear and fresh thinking on Cuba is any indication of his ability
to grapple with complex foreign policy issues, it bodes well for how
he is likely to engage with the rest of the world.
Peter
McKenna is an associate professor in the Department of Political
Studies at the University of Prince Edward Island and the co-author
of a forthcoming book, ‘Fighting Words: Competing Voices Over the
Cuban Revolution.’
