Supporters of the detente say the USA has diplomatic and trade relations with many countries with far worse human- rights records than Cuba, including China and Saudi Arabia.
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All of which would be amusing on the eve of Obama’s Sunday trip to Cuba, if it weren’t just another presidential end-run around a congressionally imposed trade embargo that Obama refuses to exert the political capital it would take to actually have repealed. And while Raul Castro now continues to preside over a police state, his is not the only police state on the planet, plenty of which the United States does a brisk business with. That process has begun with more than 500,000 businesses created and over 600,000 more anticipated in the next couple of years.
Obama has been easing restrictions on U.S.travel and commerce in Cuba since he and Cuban President Raul Castro moved to restore relations between the two longtime foes.
A man in a bici-cab adorned with American and Cuban national flags waits for costumers in Havana, Cuba, March 15, 2016.
While most of Latin America is football-mad, Cuba and several Caribbean islands have long followed the USA lead, adopting – and excelling in – baseball, perhaps the quintessential United States sport.
Ileana Yarza wrote to Obama on February 18, saying “there are not many Cubans so eager as I to meet you in person” and asked him to have a strong cup of Cuban coffee with her sometime. He is scheduled to attend a private meeting between Obama and a small group of Cuban dissidents in Havana on Tuesday.
Tullo says the concert will be logistically hard and expensive to pull off given the lack of infrastructure in Cuba.
Ultimately, Obama’s efforts to rekindle relationships with this island neighbor meet with an undercurrent of resistance going back to the mid-20th Century Cuban revolution.
Cuba has been reluctant to fully open its doors to the USA telecommunications industry, however, instead choosing to deal with China. Gesturing at her worn-out sandals and soft drinks for sale, she added, “All this is here, in this country, and the United States is way over there”. By underscoring the commitment of both presidents to prioritize better relations in the time they have left in office, the trip should energize their government bureaucracies to accelerate the pace of change.
Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes, who has been deeply involved in the administration’s Cuba policy shift, said Obama is looking forward to a frank discussion with Castro about ways the two nations can work together, but also about what differences remain after decades of isolation. Moreover, Obama will address questions of democracy and respect for human rights in his live televised address to the Cuban public.
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“We’ll see what happens”, he said.
