After a Half Century, Thaw in US-Cuba Ties

US and Cuban presidents Barack Obama and Raúl Castro issued simultaneous announcements – a start to normalizing ties after 53 years “that could bring more trade, support for Cuba’s nascent entrepreneurs and more open communications with the island,” reports Mimi Whitefield for the Miami Herald. The two countries also exchanged prisoners. “Obama not only said that the U.S. and Cuba would work toward reestablishing embassies in their respective capitals but also that the United States planned a series of measures that would increase U.S. travel and trade with Cuba and allow a freer flow of information to and from the island. The U.S. also is reviewing whether Cuba should remain on a list of state sponsors of terrorism.” Obama is limited to action allowed by executive authority; US Congress must lift the full embargo. The secret talks began 18 months ago, encouraged by Pope Francis. The announcements angered some Cuban Americans whose families fled the island over the years, but the United States has stood alone in its policy; the Associated Press notes: “The American economic embargo on Cuba drove a wedge between the U.S. and Latin American nations.” Obama maintains that trade and diplomacy could work better than isolation. – YaleGlobal