US President Barack Obama has announced major changes in his country’s relations with Cuba which is just next door. One recalls the freezing of relations with the island in 1961. President J.F Kennedy is said to have sent his aide to Havana to buy 1000 cigars for himself and then imposed an embargo on the communist island. Cuban caudillo Fidel Castro died quite some time ago and the continuance of the embargo is an anachronism reminding one of Cold War tensions. There is no justification for the embargo any longer. Cuba no longer poses a threat to the US with Halle Berry presenting a magnificent view on the Havana beach. The diplomatic breakthrough is the result of 18 months of secret talks in Canada between US and Cuban officials. Pope Francis who is from Latin America helped the talks along. Obama of course cannot lift the embargo himself. Congress alone can do it. But the US President has pledged to soften restrictions. The ban on travel to Cuba will be loosened. Remittance limits will be raised. Exports of building materials and farm and telecommunications equipment will be allowed. Discussions will be held on reopening embassies. US Secretary of State John Kerry will review where Cuba stands in relation to State-sponsored terrorism. US citizens can now import $100 worth of tobacco products.
It is however clear that although five decades of hostility between the US and Cuba has lessened, Castro’s legacy has not yet been wiped out. The island still has no democracy. Obama will not find normalization of relations with Cuba a piece of cake. Conservative critics are already against his new approach. The question is: If the US can do business with China and Vietnam, what is wrong with the island in the sun?
