Rutland Herald (Vt.), July 3
President Barack Obama’s announcement Wednesday that the United States and Cuba were ready to open embassies and establish formal diplomatic relations shows a willingness to embrace the future that may be one of the lasting hallmarks of the Obama administration’s legacy.
For 56 years U.S. policy has been frozen at the moment when revolutionaries led by Fidel Castro overthrew the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista and transformed Cuba into a communist dictatorship. Castro seized private property, executed political prisoners and drove thousands of Cubans into exile in South Florida, where they have been a potent political force ever since.
It was the height of the Cold War, and the administration of President John Kennedy took the Cuban revolution as a threat and an affront. Indignation about a communist regime 90 miles from Key West far surpassed any indignation Americans felt about Cuba’s long history of oppression under the rule of sugar planters, casino owners and mafia bosses. The CIA-engineered invasion at the Bay of Pigs confirmed for Castro the ill intentions of the Americans, which were again confirmed when Kennedy later enlisted mafia thugs to assassinate Castro by means of an exploding cigar.
The Cuban Missile Crisis persuaded both the United States and the Soviet Union that Cuba was not worth blowing up the world for, but in the aftermath, U.S. policy remained locked in a posture of hostility undergirded by economic sanctions and travel restrictions. The Cuban emigre population in and around Miami remained adamantly opposed to any relaxation.
Things change. Old enemies die off. Now the U.S. business community is eager to do business with Cuba. Many Americans are eager to travel to Cuba, where the friendliness of the people, the beauty of the island and the infectious beat of the music have turned old hostilities into an anachronism. Who gains by the kind of hostility that forces each side into tit-for-tat gestures of spite?
Nudging Cuba toward greater respect for human rights and for more economic freedom can probably proceed more successfully after friendly relations are established. But even if Cuba remains recalcitrant, it is important to remember that the United States maintains diplomatic relations with many oppressive regimes – China, for example. We do so because it is in our interest.
Vermonters have taken an interest in Cuba. State officials have traveled there on trade missions. Significantly, Sen. Patrick Leahy was a central figure in the diplomatic breakthrough leading to the thaw in relations. His role will no doubt be one of the most significant chapters of his long career. His work involving the release of political prisoners and the participation of Pope Francis helped persuade the Cubans that the Americans were serious.
That President Obama has shown flexibility and a willingness to take risks for positive change cannot have escaped the notice of the Iranians. The ongoing negotiations to rein in Iran’s nuclear program and to allow U.S.-Iranian relations to thaw may be paired with the Cuban breakthrough as twin triumphs of Obama’s presidency.
Cuba has remained an impoverished country even as it has extended health care and education to most of its people. Visitors say the people seem to be happy and well disposed toward America – if not toward America’s policies. One views the potential transformation of Cuba into a modern tourist destination with some misgiving. It would be a shame if the overwhelming presence of big tourism were to transform Cuba into some sort of Caribbean theme park or return it to its days as a mecca of gambling and prostitution.
Embracing the future means building constructive ties that allow Cuba to move toward greater prosperity and greater freedom and allow Americans a chance to visit and do business with a beguiling island nation with which we have been closely linked for more than 100 years. After all, the Spanish- American War began in Cuba. It’s time for it to end.
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