New measures: Trying to understand Obama

By Jesús Arboleya Cervera

New regulations by the Obama administration towards Cuba have just been announced that enable an expansion of the terms of exchange and the sending of remittances.

Returning to the policy pursued by President Bill Clinton, they authorize American religious and academic institutions to organize activities with their Cuban counterparts.

They also allow a greater number of Americans to travel to this country and permit people who have no relatives in Cuba to send quarterly remittances no greater than $500.

Despite the restrictions that still exist, no matter how arbitrary their interpretation by the functionaries in charge of applying them, and regardless of how complex the procedures still are, there’s no denying that they constitute a modest but positive change in U.S. policy toward Cuba, when compared with the “gray octennial,” the era of Obama’s predecessor, George W. Bush.

These are decisions that were part of Obama’s campaign speech, whose implementation has been done very slowly, in a process plagued by fears about the reaction of the extreme right, which pushes in the opposite direction.

Seen this way, Obama’s policy toward Cuba could be compared with the timid release of a spring tightly compressed by W. Bush. Obama is expected to leave it in a state of repose and, without major consequences, allow it to lose its potential energy. He will not attempt to stretch the spring to increase its range.

Nevertheless, given the situation, we have no alternative but to positively assess any signs of flexibility that might reduce tensions between the two countries and dampen the climate of encouragement to belligerence advocated by the extreme right, even if these actions do not by themselves constitute substantial changes in the American policy toward Cuba.

However, any serious analysis of this process cannot ignore its inconsistencies, inasmuch as they reflect a much bigger problem, related to the consistency of the government of Barack Obama and his ability to deal with pressure from the most conservative groups in American society.

While his enemies adopt confrontational tactics that even ignore his authority, Obama opts for a conciliatory tone and makes concessions in the hope that someday he will be recognized as “the president of all Americans.”

This explains that what is supposed to be a political transformation encouraged by the vision of “a new beginning toward Latin America” dilutes his intentions in the traditional language of the past. This leaves all sides unhappy, limiting the impact and transcendence of the actions that are carried out.

We see that the argument that underlies the adoption of the new regulations is that they serve to do more damage, given that, “combined with the economic embargo,” they should encourage the “independence of the public from the government.” This gives the measures a subversive and interventionist meaning that, while possibly a welcome critical correction of conservative politics, becomes a new provocation, seeking to please the right with a counterrevolutionary act of faith.

No wonder then that the Cuban government’s reaction, while emphasizing its own willingness to promote exchanges between the two countries, can be summarized in the contradictory “thanks, but no thanks,” since nobody wants to cuddle with the wolf, especially when the wolf doesn’t even attempt to disguise himself as Grandma.

The truth is that, by adopting this course of action, the main problem that Obama creates for himself is not with Cuba, which the liberals always think they can sacrifice at low cost, but with those who voted for him hoping for the “change” he promised them, i.e., to free them from conservative intolerance.

In short, when someone limits the possibility of travel and exchange with the Cuban people, what someone restricts are rights highly valued by the American citizens, who are converted in this case, as in many others, in hostages to the extreme right, for purposes that should have nothing to do with the policy of a president who encouraged such hopes.

Once again Obama tries to look good to everyone but advances only to the halfway point. To loosen the ropes does not mean to release the moorings. Barack Obama should know that better than anyone.