“Concessions” to Cuba?

By Abigail Palmer

On December 17, 2014, President Obama shocked many Americans by declaring his intent to open relations with the Cuban government. This decision, one that Mr. Obama has kept on his platform since his 2007 campaign, has enlarged the rift between the political parties and has thrown many American citizens into protest. During his speech, Obama stated his intentions regarding the interactions with Cuba as follows: Open discussion with Cuba by establishing an Embassy in Havana, as well as focusing on and supporting issues that our countries agree on; Asking the United States Government to review the designation of Cuba as a State Sponsor of Terrorism; and increase travel, commerce, information, etc. between the countries.

In the past months, the President has spoken with and met Raul Castro to negotiate the release of several American captives, including Alan Gross and a Government intelligence officer, as well as the return of Cuban prisoners held in the United States. While the Cuban government has made steps forward in relations with the U.S. Government, there is much concern that Castro will not make change where it is needed most; namely, in the practices of the communist government and their rigid control over the lives of Cubans. Senator Marco Rubio, in an interview with NPR, expressed displeasure at President Obama’s willingness to make concessions to a communist Government without any guarantee of change, which illustrates the larger concerns of the Republican Party. This opposition is primarily focused on Cuba’s standing as a communist country and the truly horrendous acts that have been inflicted on the people by the Cuban government. While the distrust and bitterness toward the Cuban government is placed appropriately, the issue at hand is what actions should be taken in the coming years to deal with the harsh policies of the Cuban government. The policy of inaction that has existed for 50 years, in many ways, has pushed away the necessity to deal with the problem at hand, but these new negotiations and potential interactions will address the problem directly.

Mr. Obama’s reasoning maintains focus on the suffering and isolation of the people in Cuba, as well as the benefits to be received by the United States, and more specifically Cuban-Americans. In the 1960s, following the Bay of Pigs, and the Cuban Missile Crisis, the United States experienced a huge inflow of Cuban immigrants, exiled from the island as a result of political and ideological resistance. Since then, the U.S. government has repeatedly updated and adjusted immigration laws to benefit the Cubans settling primarily in Florida. However, because of the embargo and isolationist tactics used to confine and punish the Cuban government, Cuban immigrants are unable, in many cases, to contact loved ones on the island.

The division of the Island from: fellow Cubans in the United States, business and trade with the U.S., and technology and resources that have defined the 21st century, has created an island of truly isolated people. As President Obama stated in his speech on Cuban relations, “I believe in the free flow of information.  Unfortunately, our sanctions on Cuba have denied Cubans access to technology that has empowered individuals around the globe.  So I’ve authorized increased telecommunications connections between the United States and Cuba.  Businesses will be able to sell goods that enable Cubans to communicate with the United States and other countries.” While much of this is the result of the Cuban government’s harsh tactics used on its own people, the policies of the United States have only aided in making the lives of Cubans and Cuban-Americans alike, more difficult. Mr. Obama’s goal to increase communication to and from the Cuban people, aligns with the decreased limitations on remittances, and other kinds of money that Cuban-Americans can send home to support family and humanitarian projects.

While many of these policies aim to benefit Cuban-Americans, President Obama’s movement toward disbanding isolationist policies and aiding the Cuban people, have caused an interesting rift in the Cuban-American community. The Cuban Research Institute of Florida International University releases a poll every few years to ask Cuban-Americans about their experience and opinions on policies directed toward their homeland. In the most recent poll (2014), statistics show that, owing to a recent influx of new immigrants and a new generation of Cuban-Americans, the ideology of this group of people is beginning to shift. Formerly, the Cuban population in Florida held an immobile affinity for the “right wing” of politics, related to an overwhelming “exile ideology” and desire for representatives that would uphold a strong defense against the Cuban government. However, newcomers from the island and a second generation of Cuban-Americans desire a candidate that will negotiate relations with Cuba; in fact, 68% of the 2014 poll support diplomatic relations with the island.

Among the differences between the “exiles” of Cuba and the newcomers, is a focus on Catholicism. Oppression by the Communist regime that forced many Cubans out of the country in the 1960s, has been relaxed so that the Catholic community is able to be more active in their worship. The push from Pope Francis, directed at President Obama and Raul Castro, to restore diplomatic relations, can only mean that the leader of the Catholic Church recognizes the potential for a shift in the ideology of the Cuban government regarding Catholicism. If the leader of the Catholic Church desires reconciliation, as well as other prominent world leaders, then it is reasonable to suspect the changing opinions of those living in and coming from this isolation.

The shift in the ideology of Cuban-Americans shows a desire to interact and accept their heritage, communicate freely, and send money to family members back on the island. However, despite the beginnings of change, it seems that Mr. Obama’s policies might harm democrats in the 2016 Presidential election. Those who are allowed to vote in U.S. elections, namely first generation Cuban immigrants, maintain the “exile ideology” and Republican leanings. Senator Marco Rubio, when asked about the changing opinions in the FIU poll, expressed distrust in it, and stated that even if he did trust the poll, his distaste of Obama’s policies would not change. The stubbornness of older Cuban voters, in conjunction with Florida’s importance in the Presidential elections, is enough to derail Mr. Obama’s attempt to restore relations with Raul Castro and the Cuban Government.

In President Obama’s State of the Union Speech 2015, he spent a brief but powerful minute on the policies and the changes that he hopes congress will make within the year. He encouraged the Republican congress to end the Cuban embargo and heed the advice of Pope Francis that “diplomacy is the work of small steps.” Steps in the release and return of Alan Gross, who was present at the gathering and tearfully thanked the President for the discussions and interventions that brought him home. Mr. Obama stated, “the new Cuba policy has the potential to end a legacy of mistrust in our hemisphere, and removes a phony excuse for restrictions in Cuba, stands up for democratic values, and extends the hand of friendship to the Cuban people.”

The 50 year isolation of Cuba has fostered very little change in the opinions of both Governments and has effectively cut-off an entire group of people from the 21st century, including many tools that could help overthrow the Cuban Government and secure basic human rights for the people. United States intelligence agencies, on several occasions, have attempted to institute programs to allow Cubans to communicate with each other to exercise their rights, but these efforts have had no effect on the deteriorating situation of the Cuban people. President Obama is attempting to create change and take steps forward where the previous policies have failed in the 50 years of their use. This issue, the recognition of Cuba’s decline in light of U.S. policies, has been in the forefront of the minds of world leaders, including Pope Francis. The request of the Pope that President Obama and Raul Castro begin negotiations, can only enhance the belief that a policy of isolation as punishment is no longer the answer in the interconnected world of 2015.

Photo by Kaj Bjurma