It was short and sweet: “next month, I’ll travel to Cuba to advance our progress and efforts that can improve the lives of the Cuban people” – those were Barack Obama’s terse words on Twitter to announce this historic diplomatic and political development – a US President is to set foot on Cuban soil. That Obama chose Twitter was amazing in itself.
Obama’s ground-breaking encounter with Cuban opposite number Raúl Castro in Havana will take place in March. It will be the first time in 88 years in which a US president has visited the Caribbean island and met any of the revolutionary Castro family.
The US President will have a meeting with Raúl Castro and “members of civil society, entrepreneurs and Cuban citizens from different areas,” according to his Twitter posts. The visit is a huge step towards ending the rivalry between the two former Cold War adversaries.
Barack Obama’s posts on his official Twitter account on 18 March 2016
The American and Cuban Presidents announced the resumption of their diplomatic relationship at the end of 2014. More than a year later Obama acknowledged there had been some progress, including the removal of Cuba from Washington’s list of nations that support terrorism, the release of political prisoners by both countries, the upgrading of their “interest sections” to embassies, and the agreement signed this month to allow the restoration of commercial flights between the two nations. “Our flag flies over our Embassy in Havana once again and more Americans are traveling to Cuba than at any time in the last 50 years,” said the President on Twitter.
However, there are some major obstacles still to overcome to repair the fall-out between the two sides. Obama’s announcement to lift the trade embargo on the island, famously including Cuban cigars and in force since 1962, is waiting upon Congressional approval, and his plans to close the US military base at Guantánamo Bay are as far away as ever from being realised. The US Government has concerns about human rights in Cuba that Obama says he will raise with Castro during their meeting.
First lady Michelle Obama will accompany her husband on the trip planned to take place on 21-22 March. The visit comes at an interesting moment, just a month after Ramón Castro, the eldest of the brotherly trio, died aged 91.
Ramón participated in the Cuban insurrection during the 50’s, which led to his middle brother Fidel becoming President for more than 30 years before his younger brother Raúl took the baton, as Fidel’s health gave way. Yet he kept out of politics in the aftermath of the Revolution’s victory.
After Fidel’s retirement as Head of State in 2008 and the recent death of Ramón, the gradual opening of the regime by 84-year-old Raúl could be one more sign of the inevitable decline of the Castro dynasty.
