WSJ: Cuban Myths Will Test Obama
The Wall Street Journal recently posted an article by David Luhnow and Jose Decordoba titled “Cuban Myths Will Test Obama”. The article raised many points and myths about the Cuban Embargo I found interesting. The article reads:
If anything, many in Cuba believe Fidel Castro and his younger brother, Raul, are terrified the U.S. will scrap the embargo and take away their best public-relations tool.
I believe this is true as all dictators hate any freedom or opportunity for people to make up there own mind about anything. However, as Raul ages and Fidel becomes less of a factor, there seems to be a softening and a realization that the Cuban people are suffering. Raul may also have recent memories of Saddam Hussein’s statues being toppled in Central Baghdad and think of his own legacy.
The political costs of the embargo for the U.S. are enormous. No single issue poisons the well more for relations with Latin America. Every year, in what has become an embarrassing ritual for the U.S., an overwhelming majority of countries condemn the embargo at the United Nations. In the latest vote last November, the vote was 185-3. Only Israel and Palau joined the U.S.
And with Vladimir Putin cozying up to Latin America the political cost will continue to mount.
The election of Mr. Obama — a young black man committed to reinventing politics — poses a major challenge to Cuba. It shatters the myth cultivated by Cuba’s ruling clique that the U.S. is a racist, exploitative country. Cuba is a majority black country with few blacks in positions of power.
During his campaign, Mr. Obama promised to loosen some restrictions in U.S. policy towards Cuba, allowing Cuban Americans to send more money to their relatives and visit them with more frequency.
Barack Obama gives the Cuban people the same thing Americans now have, Hope, something we’ve both needed for a long time.
But few foresee major moves to lift the embargo. For one thing, Mr. Obama would have to risk considerable political capital to lift the embargo at a time when he has his plate full of major issues. He may have little to gain in return from the Cuban leadership, which until now has been able to muddle through thanks to billions of dollars in aid from Venezuela and credits from Iran, Russia and China.
After half a century of Cuban communism, Cubans may have to wait at least another few years for real change.
I disagree and take Obama at his word and rely on what he’s said for years. I also believe Obama is pragmatic, there’s almost nobody in his core constituency who believes in the embargo and few Republicans with the political power or even the will to stop anti-embargo legislation. Besides, the Republicans have bigger problems. There is also an economic component, many industries and even the state of Florida will benefit from trade and tourism with Cuba.