By Alyssa Landers
Within two days of taking office, President Barack Obama publicly announced his intention to close Guantanamo Bay Prison in Cuba. In an effort to set a new precedent not only on torture policies but on respect for the rule of due process, The New York Times has quoted Mr. Obama as stating that “We believe we can abide by a rule that says, we don’t torture, but we can effectively obtain the intelligence we need.”
In addition to the closing of Gitmo, the new administration’s professed commitment to bipartisanship and openness in foreign diplomacy seems to set the stage for a new kind of relationship between the United States and former enemies such as Cuba. Recently, Republican senator Richard Lugar urged fellow senators to broaden their outlook on Latin-American relations and advocated for “lifting Bush administration restrictions on travel and remittances to Cuba, reinstituting formal bilateral cooperation on drug interdiction and migration, and allowing Cuba to buy U.S. agricultural products on credit.” During his candidacy, Obama also pledged to “immediately allow unlimited family travel and remittances to the island,” thereby removing the restrictions of the Bush administration.
Moreover, advocates of lifting the almost 50-year-old trade embargo with Cuba attest that it would “cost to the US economy at $1.2 billion per year” to maintain the blockade. President Obama, however, stated that he intends to “maintain the embargo to press for changes in the Communist-run country.” And with the current economic crisis as his top priority, Latin-American relations seem to have taken a backseat.
Russia, on the other hand, wasted no time in securing ties with their former Cold War ally in an effort to develop new markets and re-establish diplomatic ties. In fact, recent talks between Russian president Medvedev and Cuban leader Raul Castro (brother of Fidel Castro) have not only proven friendly, but downright nostalgic. The two leaders talked of rekindling old ties, but carefully neglected to mention any plans for military re-alignment.
President Castro, who admits that his “expectations of a change in U.S. policy may be too high,” made clear that he was open to talks with Obama. But with the recent global economic crisis—which, in addition to three recent hurricanes in the region, hit the island particularly hard—Cuba is looking to gain an economic foothold. The Obama administration, however, has made clear that it will not necessarily remove the trade embargo, thereby pushing Cuba toward more accepting allies, like Russia and China.
What remains to be seen then, is whether or not President Obama will answer the call to end the trade embargo—a move endorsed by the United Nations as well as Cuba. To date, the embargo has had no effect on bringing democracy to Cuba. And while Mr. Obama set a precedent of respect for human rights in his closing of Guantanamo Bay, he may have to rethink his strategy on U.S.-Cuba relations.
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