Horowitz: Obama Takes a Big Step Forward on Cuba

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Rob Horowitz, GoLocalWorcester MINDSETTER™

Rob Horowitz

Ending more than 50 years of a failed policy, President Obama restored diplomatic relations with Cuba last week, taking a big step forward—one that is likely to result in major benefits for both nations.

More specifically, President Obama ordered the re-establishment of an embassy in Havana and cleared the way for high ranking American officials to visit Cuba. Further, he instructed Secretary of State John Kerry to review Cuba’s designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism. “At a time when we are focused on threats from ISIL and al Qaeda, a nation that meets our conditions and renounces terrorism should not face such a sanction,” said President Obama. Perhaps most important, the President unveiled a series of actions that are going to be taken to “increase travel, commerce and the flow of information’ between the two nations.

These actions by the President will have a major and positive impact on the process already underway in Cuba to move away from complete state control of the economy and build and expand the private sector. United States trade and investment, even in the limited initial form outlined by the President, will facilitate a better and more open flow of information by helping to bring about the development of broadband capacity and spreading the use of the internet and social media throughout Cuba. Cuba has a literate and educated population that can readily take advantage of new technology as well as make it profitable for American technology companies and investors. Finally, opening up relations with Cuba eliminates an all purpose excuse that the Cuban government has been able to use for their inability to deliver real economic growth.

The complete benefits of unfettered trade between the two nations can only be realized by the lifting of the current trade embargo. This goes beyond the President’s Executive Authority and requires an Act of Congress. Judging by the initial negative reaction of Republican Congressional leaders to the President opening up diplomatic relations, Congressional movement on the trade embargo is unlikely in the short-term.

But taken together, the positive results that are likely to emerge from these initial steps, the collapse of any real rationale for a policy of continued isolation, and an emerging second generation of Americans of Cuban descent who support restoring ties, will result in the lifting of the trade embargo. It is now a matter of when—not if.

It is important to consider that our policy towards Cuba was a vestige of the Cold War, stemming from when Fidel Castro originally took power and began to move Cuba towards a one party Communist form of government. The United States broke off diplomatic relations in 1961, following up on a trade embargo implemented a year earlier.

Since then, we have expanded trade and normalized diplomatic relations with other Communist nations including China and Vietnam, not to mention most authoritarian regimes around the world. Yet our Cuba policy remained fundamentally unchanged mainly due to the intense anti-Castro feelings of the generation of Cuban immigrants who left Cuba in the wake of the revolution and settled mainly in South Florida.

However, as a second generation of Cubans mainly born in the United States comes of age and mortality takes its inevitable toll on the founding generation, attitudes in the Cuban community are shifting markedly. As Florida Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson recently told the Associated Press, “you can see how much things have changed "in the polls, and you can see that just by going to Miami and talking to folks.” I'm as anti-Castro as they come, but it's time to move on," Nelson said. "It's time to get into the 21st century."

President Obama’s bold step to normalize diplomatic relations with Cuba is in the interests of both nations. It is a long overdue change of direction, putting us on a path to a constructive, profitable and mutually beneficial future with this island nation only 90 miles off our coast.

Rob Horowitz is a strategic and communications consultant who provides general consulting, public relations, direct mail services and polling for national and state issue organizations, various non-profits and elected officials and candidates. He is an Adjunct Professor of Political Science at the University of Rhode Island.

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