President Barack Obama met President Raol Castro in Havana on Monday. It was the first historic meeting, since 1959. Obama proved that engagement was better than isolation. The question is whether Cuba is ready to reciprocate. US companies are eager for opportunities in Cuba. Google has struck a deal to expand WI-FI and broadband internet on Cuba. Obama paid tribute to Che Guevara and Jose Harti, two fighters for the Cuban people. The US President initiated his parleys in Havana championing Cuba’s fledgling private sector.
The young seemed more gung-ho about the US President’s visit than the elder generation who are a trifle uneasy about the pace of change. Raol Castro has encouraged the grouth of the nascent private sector in Cuba since he took over in 2008. He has to pot life into a moribund economy which had been made anaemic by the US embargo. The fall of the Soviet Union had also contributed to the shattering of the Cuban economy.
Of course, Obama’s visit does not end the cold war between Washington and Havana. The embargo remains. Cuba has to improve the state of human rights in the island before the US Congress lifts the embargo. Havana wants the return of Guantanamo Bay. The economy alone can sink differences. The global slump has emphasized the need for interdependence. Cuba has approved US hotel chains Starwood and Marriott to operate in Havana. What Obama has laid stress on however is Cuba’s exposure to western values which will sap totalitarianism in the Island.