New Cuba policy is a
By
Max J. Castro Read Spanish Version
majcastro@gmail.com
The
Obama administration should be applauded for its decision to allow
freedom of travel and remittances for Cuban Americans. It was long
overdue.
Yet
the president’s move should be considered as only a “down
payment” on what would be a sensible policy toward the island
state. The next step should be freedom of travel for all Americans.
The ultimate change would be the dismantling of the obsolete embargo
and the reestablishment of diplomatic relations, policies supported
by the vast majority of the American people.
The
idea of making small moves and waiting for Cuba to make corresponding
concessions sounds good but is a non-starter. As long as the U.S.
policy is one of regime change — and the embargo is the emblem of
that policy — one should not expect the Cuban government to do
anything that would amount to letting down its guard.
On
the other hand, a quick end of the embargo will undoubtedly improve
the lives of ordinary Cubans and also serve as a severe test for the
Cuban system. The embargo has obscured what problems have resulted
from of an economic war waged by the most powerful nation in the
world versus what shortcomings are due to Cuba’s own
inefficiencies. The embargo has hurt a lot but it has also been the
great pretext.
There
are those who claim that whenever there is a chance of rapprochement
between Cuba and the United States, Fidel Castro does something to
spoil it. It’s not, for me, a persuasive argument. But let’s say
that it were true. Don’t give him, Raul, or hard-line exiles the
chance to mess it up! A swift dismantling of the various pieces of
the embargo would prevent that and put the ball squarely in Cuba’s
court.
Ending
the embargo would build on the good will President Obama has started
to develop with the rest of the world and, most especially, with the
countries of Latin America and the Caribbean. It would also be a
benefit to the American economy which right now can use any stimulus
it can get.
Barack
Obama is the right man to put an end to a failed policy that has
endured for half a century. Exile lobbying has accounted for a good
deal of the harsh nature of Cuba policy but it is not the only
factor. Another is a kind of hubris. How dare this runt of a country
defy the United States! Obama is devoid of the kind of arrogance that
engenders that kind of attitude. Nor is he beholden to the dwindling
hard-line faction of the Cuban community, which provided him with
very few if any votes last November. And Obama has been clear that he
wishes to take a pragmatic stance and eliminate those programs and
policies that don’t work. The embargo is Exhibit A.
Ending
the embargo would require Congress repealing the Helms-Burton law.
Right now, Obama has a lot of irons in the fire on Capitol Hill, and
Cuba is a minor issue on the U.S. agenda. On the other hand, it is
unlikely that the president will ever have as much political capital
as he has right now. Spending some of that on Cuba would provide him
with a great opportunity to once again make history.
