United States foreign policy has changed a lot over the past 50 years. Nations that were strategic allies are no longer, while others have become friends despite scars from long-ago battlefields.
Cuba, however, has been a thorny constant over more than five decades — frozen in a cold war policy that has made little sense other than as some kind of stubborn symbolism with little relevance to today’s world.
Thankfully, relations between the U.S. and Cuba are beginning to thaw.
President Barack Obama’s visit to the island nation represents a long-awaited change. Since Fidel Castro-led leftist rebel revolution overthrew Fulgencio Batista’s dictatorship in 1959 and led to the U.S-Soviet Cuban missile crisis in 1962, the two nations have budged little in their views of each other.
The U.S. has kept economic sanctions clamped tight, leaving much on the island frozen in time. And while Cuba’s top leaders haven’t had to endure the same suffering as their citizens, they have watched as many residents risked their lives to flee their birthplace.
At long last, leaders of both nations have concluded that it’s time for a different approach, and the accompanying loosening of trade and travel restrictions paved the way for Obama’s visit.
Those wanting better relations in the U.S. see trade and tourism as the best chance for influencing life in Cuba. On the Cuban side, tourism and improved trade relations are seen as key to improving economic life for all island residents.
But more will have to happen to see a true normalization of relations. Congress must change laws, such as the embargo itself, that have served as the backbone of policy toward Cuba. Raul Castro, Cuba’s president and Fidel’s brother, must loosen his government’s grip on dissent and welcome the flow of ideas that comes from the outside world.
President Obama’s visit provides an important first step in thawing, but others must follow his lead — including his successor in the Oval Office. A long time coming, this is a warming trend worth continuing.