US-Cuba Diplomatic Restoration — Not All Is Pleased

The cold wars have left the United States of America and Cuba sovereign foes. But that is changing little by little as leaders of both countries are intent on resolving conflicts by restoring full diplomatic relationships. On Friday, during the Summit of the Americas in Panama, U.S. President Barack Obama said the Americans are no longer engrossed in imposing their will on Latin America.

Mr Obama continued the days are over when the United States’ agenda is presumed to infringe with impunity. Reconciliation, indeed, is the core of the summit. He elaborated that as Americans move towards normalisation, they have their differences — government to government — with Cuba on several issues, just as they differ with other nations within the Americas, just as they differ with their closest allies. In the summit, Obama and Castro were seen shaking hands.

The détente was first revealed in December through a policy shift known to be historic. One proponent to such bold move was Juan Manual Santos, president of Colombia. The Colombian president deemed Obama’s decision as a catalyst in healing a “blister that was hurting the region.”

From 1960, the White House enforced trade sanctions, and a year after, severed diplomatic relations with Cuba. The result was not productive as such policy did not isolate Cuba — which was supposedly the primal objective of said policy — but rather, isolated the United States in its own backyard, national security adviser Ben Rhodes told Reuters.

More Democracy

Of course, not everyone was pleased with the amity reformed between the two strong states. Guillermo Farinas, a known Cuban dissident, entreated Obama for support on civic groups’ move for more democracy in Cuba.

He said the Cuban government does not manifest any good will, nor does it desire to make any concessions at all.

Cuba, meanwhile, is insisting it should be excluded from U.S. list of states sponsoring terrorism. It contended that such decision is an essential requisite in restoring diplomatic communications with the United States.

Double Standards?

While a few applauded Obama’s policy in re-establishing diplomacy with Cuba, his recent decision of imposing sanctions on Venezuela — which is Cuba’s closest ally — stirred bafflement.

Nicolas Maduro, Venezuelan president is determined to present to Obama a petition signed by millions of people asserting to reverse the said sanctions. Maduro is confident his cause will have favourable reception from the Cuban leader and others who are dubbed as “left-wing” leaders.

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