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| In U.S.-Cuba Embrace, Rusty Gears of Cold War Diplomacy Finally Move | In U.S.-Cuba Embrace, Rusty Gears of Cold War Diplomacy Finally Move |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Alan Gross was the obstacle that would not be moved — the American contractor whose imprisonment in Cuba kept relations between the United States and Cuba locked in place, as paralyzed as a seized transmission. | Alan Gross was the obstacle that would not be moved — the American contractor whose imprisonment in Cuba kept relations between the United States and Cuba locked in place, as paralyzed as a seized transmission. |
| Now, in both Washington and Havana, the obstacle has been removed as the rusty gears of Cold War diplomacy have begun to move. | Now, in both Washington and Havana, the obstacle has been removed as the rusty gears of Cold War diplomacy have begun to move. |
| Mr. Gross’s release on Wednesday, in conjunction with the release of three convicted Cuban spies held in the United States, amounts to a collective break from more than 50 years of distrust, anger and inertia. Though both President Obama and Raúl Castro, the president of Cuba, will find their own ways to describe what they have done, it is clear that they have both taken a chance on pursuing a path of reconciliation. | Mr. Gross’s release on Wednesday, in conjunction with the release of three convicted Cuban spies held in the United States, amounts to a collective break from more than 50 years of distrust, anger and inertia. Though both President Obama and Raúl Castro, the president of Cuba, will find their own ways to describe what they have done, it is clear that they have both taken a chance on pursuing a path of reconciliation. |
| The prisoners held by each country have been a central complaint of those in Washington and Havana who favored the status quo between the two nations. But Mr. Obama and Mr. Castro have now gone against the hard-liners in their midst by engaging in a simultaneous release of prisoners who have been used and reused, over and over, by critics who have long known — and favored — distance and enmity. | The prisoners held by each country have been a central complaint of those in Washington and Havana who favored the status quo between the two nations. But Mr. Obama and Mr. Castro have now gone against the hard-liners in their midst by engaging in a simultaneous release of prisoners who have been used and reused, over and over, by critics who have long known — and favored — distance and enmity. |
| Both leaders now have victories to point to — and concessions that they will have to explain. But the steps they have taken so far, and the broader policy changes the White House announced on Wednesday, have the potential to transform relations between the United States and Cuba, perhaps in ways not seen since a rebel named Fidel came down from the Cuban mountains. | |
| “What this set of measures can do is to overcome well over 50 years of unproductive and unfortunate hostility between us and Cuba, which has worked to the detriment of both countries,” said Eric Hershberg, director of the American University Center for Latin American and Latino Studies, who is in Havana for a conference. | |
| It will not be easy, though. The practical policy possibilities open to Mr. Obama are still relatively limited. Lawyers interpreting the president’s executive powers quite broadly have argued that he cannot just lift the trade embargo against Cuba, but can rather work around the edges. | It will not be easy, though. The practical policy possibilities open to Mr. Obama are still relatively limited. Lawyers interpreting the president’s executive powers quite broadly have argued that he cannot just lift the trade embargo against Cuba, but can rather work around the edges. |
| The changes that Mr. Obama is announcing include: increasing the amount Americans can send to Cuba, to $2,000 each quarter, up from $500; significantly expanding the reasons under which Americans can travel to Cuba, including any travel in “support for the Cuban people”; and allowing goods and supplies to be sold to Cubans to help spur and expand the growing number of small and medium-sized private businesses there. | The changes that Mr. Obama is announcing include: increasing the amount Americans can send to Cuba, to $2,000 each quarter, up from $500; significantly expanding the reasons under which Americans can travel to Cuba, including any travel in “support for the Cuban people”; and allowing goods and supplies to be sold to Cubans to help spur and expand the growing number of small and medium-sized private businesses there. |
| Mr. Obama has also announced an expansion of information technology sales to Cuba, with the stated aim of helping the Cuban people “communicate freely.” | Mr. Obama has also announced an expansion of information technology sales to Cuba, with the stated aim of helping the Cuban people “communicate freely.” |
| Cuba, in turn, will be under intense pressure to allow more freedom of expression, release domestic dissenters from prison, and open access to information and technology — one of the major demands of young Cubans on the island. In their eyes, if Cuba and the United States are talking again and no longer just enemies, then the Cuban government’s logic of limiting information to protect against American intrusion begins to break down. | Cuba, in turn, will be under intense pressure to allow more freedom of expression, release domestic dissenters from prison, and open access to information and technology — one of the major demands of young Cubans on the island. In their eyes, if Cuba and the United States are talking again and no longer just enemies, then the Cuban government’s logic of limiting information to protect against American intrusion begins to break down. |
| These old habits and cultures, of course, will not be easy to update. The lens through which Cuba has always seen the United States is sovereignty. Cubans are raised to be proud of the country’s ability to thumb its nose at the United States, and the island’s history is filled with examples of Cuban heroes fighting to throw off the yoke of foreign powers, starting with Spain, followed by the Yanquis or the United States. | These old habits and cultures, of course, will not be easy to update. The lens through which Cuba has always seen the United States is sovereignty. Cubans are raised to be proud of the country’s ability to thumb its nose at the United States, and the island’s history is filled with examples of Cuban heroes fighting to throw off the yoke of foreign powers, starting with Spain, followed by the Yanquis or the United States. |
| One important move that could help reset the relationship, according to those who favor warmer relations, involves the United States’ removing Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism. | One important move that could help reset the relationship, according to those who favor warmer relations, involves the United States’ removing Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism. |
| But regardless of what follows, the next few months and years of discussion between Cuban and American officials will be an effort to work around these third rails of past conflicts. Releasing Mr. Gross and the Cuban prisoners allows for access, for discussion, for diplomatic therapy as a precursor for improving relations. But navigating through the old slights and new challenges will require a deftness that no leader from either country has managed to exhibit in decades of confused, intense relations. | But regardless of what follows, the next few months and years of discussion between Cuban and American officials will be an effort to work around these third rails of past conflicts. Releasing Mr. Gross and the Cuban prisoners allows for access, for discussion, for diplomatic therapy as a precursor for improving relations. But navigating through the old slights and new challenges will require a deftness that no leader from either country has managed to exhibit in decades of confused, intense relations. |