Cuba USA

Establishment of Cuba-United States relations as part of Obama’s agenda

By Esteban Morales

Source UNEAC - Cuba

Translation / Network in Defense of Humanity

Undoubtedly Cuba has obtained to triumphs in record time. Ramón, Gerardo y Antonio Now in Cuba are now in Cuba. And Obama has had to acknowledge that the policy towards Cuba was a fiasco. So now a new policy has to be designed. Perhaps not about essentially objective issues, different from the first but, at least, with different methods.

The discourse of Barack Obama formulates a new policy and does so with an interesting construction. It was not a simple speech but a piece of political oratory that marks the strategy of the president focusing on the re-establishment of relation with Cuba. Everything is said in his speech the president asks what he wants for Cuba and for the United States with bravery and honestly possible. But he is not giving us anything; he is simply recognizing our right to fight for what we want. The blockade continues as a key piece within the strategy of the president. The most difficult it focuses something that should be dealt with for the elimination on the basis of negotiations with Congress, after advancing on other subjects.

Being the main demand of Cuba and key issue of the historical aggression of the United States against Cuba, the blockade has been left for last; depending on the behavior of Cuba on other issues of negotiation between both countries. However the president can adopt measures that represent an important relief from the pressures of the blockade as a whole against Cuba, primarily on its international economic relations.

First of all, diplomatic relations are reestablished allowing the setting up of embassies in Washington and in Havana thereby guaranteeing logistics in the negotiations. This is very important because both countries are in equality of conditions. This is the only conditions Cuba has insisted on.

The asymmetry between both nations exists but it is not through the will of anyone; what cannot be permitted is that this asymmetry be transferred to politics. Because that was the essence that made the negotiations fail with the Carter administration.

Then it will be about two countries holding negotiations with their differences but with diplomatic relations. This will be easier and also freedom to act for those who must negotiate. At the same time that the United States reconstruct the sentinel that it lost when, on January of 1961, it decided to break relations with Cuba and withdraw its embassy in which the interest section did not serve.

I am convinced that many points of the negotiations will advance easily without many problems or many obstacles. An example could be: without taking into consideration for now, are the implications each has for Cuba.

- Migratory issues.

- Cultural and Academic exchanges

- Environment

- Mail, Communications and Internet.

- Collaborations in the ban of drug Trafficking.

- Trade relations within executive power.

- Credit cards, general banking

- Financial issues already agreed upon to ease migratory

relations.

- Remittances, packages and other benefits.

- “People to people” exchange

- Humanitarian aid, solidarity and remittances for social projects.

- Conversations regarding the naval base of Guantánamo.

- Tourist travel for U.S.citizens to Cuba.

- Liberation of prisoners.

- Certain technological exchange based on cultural, academic and artistic projects previously agreed upon.

- Other consular issues.

In truth there is a widespread range of activities some of which are in progress and other will receive financial support; the most complex of the negotiation will be produced on those subjects of the president’s agenda that refer to the Cuban economic and political system. An example could be:

- Levels of privatization reach

- Freedom to import and export.

- Labor organizations and unions\.

- Free unions.

- Human rights.

- Democracy.

- Individual liberties.

- Investments

- Contracts and salary regime.

Everything seems to indicate that the latter issues are more complex for negotiation. Given that the U.S. administrations these years have intended to force Cuba to comply with the Democratic Charter of the OAS; principles of democracy and human rights and market economy that tend to equalize the Cuban political system considering the United States as a universal model of democracy.

But if the negotiations will not be easy for Cuba it will not be also for the States with the wars it has waged and continues to wage, the tortures, secret jails and other factors have garnered a large file that does not leave it an advantageous position to discuss these subjects that includes racism, political abuse jails and U.S. cities.

Also the United States, particularly its policy concerning Cuba has contributed much the demoralization and ethical destruction of principles that for years have expounded to continue attacking us. Using instruments, such as for example, including Cuba in the list countries that support terrorism; this last is impossible to justify.

This later will be a long and difficult debate may decide to eliminate it from the discussion of the subjects but an internal political dynamism in Cuba. In the correlation of internal political forces that economic situation create have managed to move Cuba towards an economic system for the Island to sustain the socialist option it has chosen. Since the latter that Obama wants to release and on which it intends to influence inside Cuba. Regarding the discourse of the president there are three key issues: exchange of prisoners, process of reestablishment of relations between both countries and the interest Obama has to change the political system in Cuba.

The presentation of the presidential agenda, since the very beginning now counts with international support that is growing and will lead, according to their leaders, above all in the hemisphere to see that the negotiations will lead to a normalization of relations between Cuba and the United States.

This, undoubtedly, represents an increase of the popularity of Obama internationally. Internally the new policy also has the support that immediately leads to popularity of the president.

Obama will have to confront the opposition in Congress from the right wing faction of Marco Rubio, Díaz-Balart, Ileana Ross, Bob Menéndez and others. But it will do so from a defensive position to change a change of policy on which he has enough internal and international support and more than enough arguments.

Meanwhile that the Republicans or others opposition will be defending the status quo. It is not difficult to see that it will be a losing battle, ethically and politically. Although clinging to congressional administration to achieve, in practical terms, impede the application of the measures of the president.

But this battle of Republic Congress persons against the Obama initiative cannot last longer from the danger that they can represent for the Republican contenders that can lose popular support in the elections of 2018. And the unpopularity that attacks against Obama can prevent the Republican candidate to reach the presidency. The intelligence and pragmatism the Obama has revealed when selecting the moment to turn the policy towards Cuba. I think that for several reasons.

- We have already mentioned that all the conflicts Obama has in his foreign policy, the case of Cuba has the best conditions to obtain fast results of world and hemispherical impact and without an extraordinary expenditure of resources. Above all as compared to the Middle East.

- Cuba serves Obama to end a policy that in more than 50 years has presented an unsustainable cost without any benefits. Trying to solve other conflicts that have cost him much and been unable to exhibit significant achievements.

- Solving the conflict with Cuba represents a large support for the U.S. foreign policy in the hemisphere that has been strongly questions in preview to the summit of the Americas in April of 2015.

- Cuba, gradually has begun to demonstrate that collaboration with the United States can have appreciable benefits for both countries: in terms of collaboration in Health, science, education, drug Trafficking, environmental security and economic exchange, etc

- Cuba had become internationally an ethical conflict for the United States with smaller nations. Something that for years has observed a heroic resistance in Cuba and the incapacity of the United States to break it.

- The Cuban community in the United States is no longer monolithic, generating a stream of consciousness and political behavior that increasingly questions the old policy towards Cuba that considerably benefits Cuba.

- The blockade is no longer acceptable internationally even by the allies of the United States and strongly questioned in US society, in general. Within the academic and scientific world of the United States as well as social and religious is practically impossible to find someone who supports this policy.

- After the case of Elián González U.S. civil society began to reactive negatively to the policy followed by the United States against Cuba.

- The United States has tried to change Cuba with its policy but the result has been the international isolation and internal changes regarding Cuba in U.S. society

The change of policy of the United States towards Cuba begun by Obama responds to a reality that only a small group does not see. Let us say, just those who habitually live on the policy towards Cuba like another business. Those who oppose the policy of Obama towards Cuba today are those who made counter revolution as a way of life and the distribution of money from USAID one of its preferred political activities.

Breaking this scaffolding of easy money for so many is going to be difficult. Recently the director of USAID has resigned. It seems that the easy money option is over, for radio and TV Martí. This latter is a TV channel that is not seen in Cuba. Perhaps the little schools to train leaders will be through; money to travel first class and stay in good hotels to spew their garbage against Cuba in Europe, etc. And all this is a way of life of those who sustain the policy that now Obama wants to change.

Because Obama not only has to change the policy towards Cuba but break up the machinery that collects money from the U.S. taxpayers because to make a policy against Cuba is now a sign that has to change because it did not give the results expected.

This is more acceptable for U.S. citizens that for more than 50 years have financed a policy that has given no results. There are many things that Obama can use to rid itself in the change of policies towards Cuba. Plenty of corruption, bureaucracy and opportunism that always accompanied this policy.

But we must warn Obama not to be deceived. For many Cubans it is not easy to imagine a policy by which the United State merely wants to take over the Island. Although this should not be ignored because there is too much history between both countries; for my part, I think actions should be taken without prejudice and give him the benefit of the doubt.

Learning to live within these general tendencies in the world in which we have the right to demand that the rest look like us.

For its part Cuba must offer a maximum of collaboration for this policy of new kind to advance. It is the only possible alternative to coexist in peace. Although on both parts there will always be those who look with suspicion that the Island is selling its independence and sovereignty or that the United States wants Cuba the “silly son” for nothing in exchange. For both attitudes, both side let us say like the poet “close the wall”.

Havana, December , 2014

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