This is the biggest story in diplomacy since President Nixon came back from China. Our longtime policy of isolating the Castro regime has failed, not only to depose that regime, but to turn the Cuban people towards the United States. It has also failed Cuba-the lack of foreign investment has forced it to rely on handouts from client states, which have grown few and far between. The Russians pulled out after the Wall came down, the Chinese have a soft presence since the market is no longer lucrative, and Venezuela is undergoing an economic crisis due to globally low gas prices.
President Castro and President Obama, with an assist apparently from Pope Francis, have concluded 18 months of high level and surprisingly secret talks to exchange prisoners, exchange spies, free high level political prisoners important to the exile community, and gradually begin restoring relations. We will be re-opening our embassy and phasing out the sanctions the Executive Branch has authority to eliminate- mainly restrictions on remittance, travel allowances, and what goods you can bring back. A full embargo must be ended by Congress, but Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) is already sponsoring a bill to do so along with Pat Lehay (D-VT).
The President in the boldest and most visionary stroke of diplomacy in his presidency, has begun the process of opening up full relations to Cuba. Only a moron like Marco Rubio, or a morally bankrupty opportunist like Robert Mendendez, would say something so un-patriotic that exposing the Cuban people to American culture, American democratic norms, and American consumer goods will somehow embolden the Castro regime. This is a diplomatic master stroke.
kirth says
Kudos to President Obama for this long-overdue act of sanity.
sue-kennedy says
a cuban vacation.
jconway says
Though the prices in Manila were exorbitant-probably since rubs like me would be looking for them.
SomervilleTom says
My wife and I had planned a European vacation this spring (she is German). We’ve both talked of how eager we are to vacation in Havanna.
I am already visualizing smoking Cuban cigars made by hand in Havanna, enjoying Cuban rum (neat, of course), and listening to live Cuban jazz.
Sounds like an awesome vacation to me. I’m not sure how long it will take for Mr. Obama to overcome the absurd resistance to this, but as soon as he does we are on our way.
ryepower12 says
There’s so many benefits to so many people for doing this.
jcohn88 says
I hope the Cuban government works to improve the US government’s respect for human rights.
jconway says
That the prisoner’s poor physical condition was due to his hunger strike, rather than any mistreatment at the hand of his communist captors. I would also add they respected his hunger strike and did not force feed him using barbaric methods. This is not to say Cuba is better than the US, or that it’s a fair and open country by any degree, simply to illustrate the depths to which we fell.
roarkarchitect says
He has spent five years of his life in prison – for bringing the internet to the people of Cuba.
Leading human rights attorney Jared Genser had pushed for Gross’ release. In 2012, he wrote the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, saying Gross had been “denied adequate medical diagnosis and treatment for the last six months, which constitutes cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment under international law.”
Gross “suffers from a number of ailments including degenerative arthritis,” Genser wrote. His “repeated requests for an independent medical evaluation have been denied.”
A mass developed on Gross’ right shoulder, and he was not given adequate medical diagnosis and treatment, the attorney said.
http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/17/world/americas/cuba-alan-gross/
jconway says
I was already thinking of walking that one back, so I will retract it for now. Fortunately it looks like the internet and many other aspects of our democratic country will be available to the average Cuban.
roarkarchitect says
“We have seen time and again what comes in the wake of increased access to the Internet. As much as technology is an instrument of control, connecting people to outside influences is bound to accelerate cultural changes. ”
http://www.wsj.com/articles/cellphones-can-spark-change-in-north-korea-1417999101
Christopher says
…am I the only one surprised and disappointed by how quickly cinema chains and today we learned Sony itself rolled over and decided not to show “The Interview” in the face of North Korean saber-rattling? You can look at North Korea cross-eyed and they will call it an act of war. We’ve just sent the message that any group or country with an ax to grind can censor our movie industry by issuing a threat. Is there any indication that these were at all credible? Just because you can hack emails doesn’t mean you can blow up cinemas.
jconway says
I guess gone are the days when Superman could lunchbox Hitler, American mouses and squirrels could thwart the KGB, and a Kim could be killed on screen.
farnkoff says
Along with “extreme greed” and “unabashed cruelty to POW’s”. The downward spiral continues.
jotaemei says
Newt agrees with you or rather is using it as a talking point.
https://twitter.com/newtgingrich/status/545339074975109122
I’m not disappointed, but am glad that the chains decided to put the safety of their customers before profits. They said that they might show the film later but wanted to have investigated first the credibility of the threats.
farnkoff says
Would it have been too much to let people decide for themselves whether they wanted to see the film? Of course, Sony probably feared lawsuits and so forth if any of these attacks ever materialized, so I guess it’s not that surprising that a business entity would be especially likely to err on the side of caution. But, as Ty Burr said in the Globe, it’s a very bad precedent. Besides, at some point “erring on the side of caution” means never leaving your house.
Letting any crackpot, anywhere in the world, with internet access send the nation into panic mode, and thus suppress the free flow of information and ideas, is pretty crazy. Like that whole business of burning the Koran being punishable by death. Perhaps in some backward theocracies and iron-fisted dictatorships it’s a crime to mock religious figures or political leaders, but this is supposed to be the United States, where tens of thousands of people have died throughout the generations, defending the Constitution and our civil liberties. We shouldn’t allow ourselves to be infected by this paralyzing fear.
SomervilleTom says
American citizens are allowed and even encouraged to visit countries ruled by abusive regimes all over the world. The governments of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, China, Russia, a huge number of African nations, and many more are just as abusive as the Cuban government. We do not forbid Americans to visit any of those nations. The current prohibition is absurd and anti-American for this reason alone.
The irony and hypocrisy of making this argument on the heels of the CIA Report is laughable if it weren’t so sad. That report makes clear that we are NO POSITION AT ALL to criticize other governments on these matters.
Our prison at GITMO (in Cuba!) is filled with prisoners WE tortured. Edward Snowden is in exile in Russia for his alleged political crimes. At our government’s encouragement, Julian Asange has been harassed for years on trumped-up charges brought because we are too embarrassed to pursue prosecution of his alleged political “crimes”. Private Manning was tortured and abused by the US military for YEARS.
Objections like this strike me as pure kneejerk reactions to cold war era anachronisms that never did make sense and are completely preposterous today.
In my view, re-establishing normal diplomatic relations with Cuba and embracing a warm and strengthening Cuban-American partnership is the most effective way I can think of to END this kind of mistreatment by Cubans.
It will, of course, also be necessary for the US to end OUR immoral tolerance for and use of human rights abuse, torture, and other crimes against humanity.
sabutai says
It is ludicrous the way that our country pretends that Cuba is some sort of state dedicated to bringing down the established world over. The most egregious is how the United States insists on calling Cuba a “state sponsor of terrorism” aside Syria, the Sudan, and Iran – unless working as a doctor has been reclassified as terrorist activity, this has been a patent falsehood. Somalia’s benign neglect of pirates never got that nation on the list, and of course there’s never been a mention of the money flowing from the Saudi royal family to suspect people. Not only does that label show a transparent political agenda, it also makes the American government seem like they don’t understand how the world works.
lodger says
lists Cuba as one of only four “state sponsors of terrorism”. Seems hypocritical to proceed with normalizing our relationship while Cuba remains on that list. None of the countries you mentioned above regarding travel are included in that designation. Do we not have a policy of “not negotiating with terrorists”? Take Cuba off the list or continue the embargo. Furthermore, private property of Americans was taken by the Cuban government when Castro came to power, will those who lost their property be reimbursed?
SomervilleTom says
I guess you missed the paragraph, in his speech, where President Obama directed Mr. Kerry to just that (remove Cuba from the list of “state sponsors of terrorism”):
I’m not sure you really want to open the Pandora’s box of reparations for Americans whose property has been taken by hostile governments (including the US government). If you really do, then it should be its own diary. Cuba is NOT high on that list — the number of Americans affected is small (especially in comparison to other far more egregious takings), the amounts taken are small, and damage was done a very long time ago. I’d argue that reparations for black Americans harmed by state and federal actions during the Jim Crow era ranks far ahead of any compensation for takings by Cuba.
These sorts of claims are just more right-wing knee-jerk reactions to actions that should have been taken a very long time ago.
TheBestDefense says
The Atkins family of Massachusetts is the group that lost the most, financially, when Cuba nationalized property. One of the family members is former Congressman Chet Atkins. He is a firm supporter of normalizing relations with Cuba and does not care about reparations.
lodger says
Yes I did miss the part of President Obama’s speech where he directed Secretary Kerry to “remove Cuba from the list…”. My understanding is that a six month “review” was directed and that Congress would have 45 days after the review is presented to enact legislation to thwart the change.
I am actually in support of opening a relationship with Cuba but feel there should be required human rights reforms prior to flooding the dictatorship with the benefits which stem from ending the embargo..
SomervilleTom says
It sounds like you’re in support of opening a relationship with Cuba so long as there’s no chance of it actually happening.
The “human rights reform” argument is a non-starter so long as we are a human rights abuser. You HAVE read the CIA report, right?
Ending the embargo is, in my view, separate and distinct from “flooding the dictatorship with … benefits”. It seems to me that several centuries of experience, specifically including the most recent three decades, teach us that flooding the PEOPLE of a nation with benefits is far and away the most effective way to unseat a government that they don’t like (if they truly don’t like their government).
lodger says
But that is not my sentiment. No I haven’t read the CIA report. Are you putting forth that because we are not perfect we cannot ask another to simply be better? I am waiting and watching these events as they unfold. I am listening to both sides of the argument, hence my presence here. I’ve not been able to find details of the negotiations but I’ve heard we’ve asked little or nothing from the Cuban Government for our lifting the embargo. I’m sure you’ll correct me if I’m wrong, or even if I’m right.
SomervilleTom says
Ending the stupid, counterproductive, and anachronistic embargo should not hinge on coercing another government to make changes. Whatever purpose was served by our Cuba policy before most of us were born is irrelevant to today’s world. It should certainly not hinge on pandering to the dwindling Cuba extremists of each party who are so blinded by their passions that they reject common sense, reality, and American values in favor of counterproductive, tired and stale partisan dogma.
There is a world of difference between what we are today and “not perfect”. A convicted war criminal (Richard Cheney) who designed and implemented a policy of kidnapping, abuse and torture is not only not in jail but is proudly advocating his lies and immorality at every opportunity. The jail where we tortured dozens of prisoners is still open because we know that our courts would immediately dismiss any charges against them because each was tortured by US authorities. We aren’t talking about “not perfect”. We’re talking about horrific crimes against humanity, conducted for extended periods, and ordered by high-ranking officials of the US Government.
Of course, you don’t accept any of that because you refuse to read the report. The word used for those who take the same stance towards the WWII-era war crimes and criminals is “Denier”. And no, this is NOT an invocation of Godwin. Our formal policy, originating in the White House, was to perpetrate the same crimes on our prisoners that we executed WWII defendants for doing.
I am putting forth that the “standard” that you advocate for Cuba is higher than the standard we attempt to impose on either Russia or China, a standard that we fall far short of ourselves. We are like a bank robber who complains that a convenience store short-changed him for the coffee he bought on his way home from his most recent heist.
johntmay says
In 2005, Cuba had 627 physicians and 94 dentists per 100,000 population. That year the United States had 225 physicians and 54 dentists per 100,000 population.
methuenprogressive says
And we got a spy back in the prisoner swap. President Obama’s publicly acknowledging that intelligence asset, as well as that person remaining anonymous, was no doubt a negotiated action.
These are positive steps.
tedf says
What a great message for this season! No matter how old the issue, how frozen the debate, how implacable the opponents of change, we see that things can get better, and that in a moment the old guard are shown to be playing bit parts in “the Emperor Has No Clothes.” If today the story is Cuba, why not tomorrow climate change, or sensible firearm laws?
Christopher says
I’ve long thought that we should have full relations with any nation with which we are not actively at war. This has been an example of our memories being way too long. Maybe Iran can be next.
fredrichlariccia says
Thank you Mr.President, Secretary of State Kerry and Your Holiness,Pope Francis for this wonderful Christmas gift to the world.
As a child of the Cold War I dreamed of normalizing relations with Cuba. This is truly historic.
I just learned that a Congressional delegation has returned with an amazing story about Cuban medical advances. They have developed a treatment/pharmaceutical for diabetes that has cut amputations by 70%.
Just one of the many benefits that will follow normalization of relations.
A joyous Christmas and Holiday to all !
Fred Rich LaRiccia
P.S. And as a longtime imported cigar smoker, I can’t wait for my first Havana !
Peter Porcupine says
The embargo was established with several pieces of legislation. Also, ratification of treaties is the purview of the Senate (which is why Kyoto was never ratified, for example).
Can the embargo be lifted without repeal of existing laws by Congress?
Christopher says
…lifting the embargo does require Congressional action, and Sens. Flake and Leahy are working that angle.
TheBestDefense says
the announcement by Obama and Castro is just a first step. Obama has executive authority to implement some immediate changes but the big ones will take time. OTOH, the impact on GOP politics will be large and immediate.
Establishing diplomatic relations does not change the fundamentals between the two countries. The Trading With The Enemy Act, administered by the US Dept of the Treasury, still applies. Under the TWEA, no American citizen or resident may spend money in or on any product made in Cuba, even if it is purchased in a third country. There are nine categories of people who are currently exempted. Obama will add six new categories of activities, including artistic/sports, human rights, humanitarian, authorized export (and subsidiary categories).
Authorized travelers to Cuba will also find it much easier to spend their dollars there, including using credit cards that the US now prohibits.
But if you ain’t authorized, you are still locked out. Don’t start thinking you can legally go there or even buy Cuban cigars and rum in Montreal or Cancun. OTOH, this admin is not going to do a lot to enforce the TWEA as it draws resources away from southern border protection that the GOP whack jobs are demanding. The last time I came back I could not find my Treasury authorization papers and US ICE waived me through without them.
The removal of the existing ban on travel and the purchase of Cuban products requires Congressional approval, a modification of some the laws created in the past two decades that further tightened the screws on Cuba after Cuba was added to the TWEA.
Porcupine’s comments about the US Senate and treaty approval are irrelevant.
The political impact on the GOP is enormous. Son-of-Cuban-emigres Rubio, and to a lesser extent Cruz and the Tea Party crowd, will scream bloody murder. We should expect they will launch an effort to restrict funding of the Foreign Assets Control Division at Treasury. Jeb Bush is likely more in tune with the growing sentiment among third and fourth generation Florida Cubans who do not care about their grandparents anti-Fidelismo politics. The Obama policy puts their debate dead center in the Presidential campaign in one of the most important getcha states, especially for the GOP. I think Obama has correctly concluded that his policy is no longer lethal to Democrats in the next Presidential election and the US can stop acting like international thugs against a beautiful nation with a pitiful economy and government.
BTW, the only other country on the TWEA list is North Korea, ironic today since the PRNK is shutting down US freedom of speech and parts of our movie industry this week while Cuba’s big international activity is leading the effort to provide trained medical help to fight the Ebola epidemic. Go figure.
Christopher says
It seems contrary to the notion of a free country that my government can tell me where I can and cannot visit, though advisories due to safety concerns are appropriate. For that matter as a private citizen I should be able to purchase whatever I darn well please when I go abroad, and only barred from bringing it back if the product poses a threat to public health or safety.
kirth says
I’ll bring you back a Rolex.