The United States and Cuba, just ninety miles apart, though for more than 50 years they might
as well have been in two different solar systems. In fact, for all practical purpose they were a
world away…until now. On Sunday
President Barack Obama bridged another ideological chasm by becoming the first
U.S. President in 88 years to visit the Island nation. As many observers have noted, the Cuba that
the 30th President (Coolidge) visited is not the same as the one 44
visited this week.
The ninety miles that separate Cuba and Key
West is equivalent to a trip from Charlotte to Greensboro (North Carolina), or from
Washington, DC to Richmond, VA, (though we are are separated from Cuba by the
Atlantic Ocean rather than a highway).
Folks who know the history of our two countries are aware the spatial
and geographic distance has not been the primary barrier between the two. Rather geo-political differences, nearly
capped by a potential nuclear war between the United Soviet Socialist Republic
(former official name of Russia) and the United States of America.
Fidel Castro led a movement in Cuba to
overthrow Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista. Though Batista was a strongman, he was also a
U.S. ally. The Cuban Revolution, which
displaced Batista (with Castro) lasted from 1952 to 1959. Castro immediately changed Cuba’s political
dynamics by aligning himself and the country with Russia, which was engaged in
the Cold War with the U.S. President Dwight D.
Eisenhower responded to this shift by allocating $13.1 million to
the CIA to plan Castro’s overthrow. The
organization worked with counter-revolutionary forces to plan the operation.
The (failed) operation known as the Bay of Pigs
Invasion resulted. On April 17, 1961 the
CIA-sponsored expedition manned by the paramilitary group Brigade 2506
confronted the Cuban Army, led by Prime Minister Fidel Castro. The invading group had been trained in
Guatemala, and launched its mission from that country. The CIA had grossly underestimated the Cuban
Army’s readiness for battle; the counter-revolutionaries were defeated in 3
days.
This incursion agitated Fidel Castro. He grew even fonder of his budding
relationship with Nikita Khrushchev and Russia.
As a result, he asked Khrushchev to intervene. Partly in response to the Bay of Pigs
Invasion, but more due to the U.S. having deployed Jupiter ballistic missiles
in Italy and Turkey with Moscow within range, The Soviet agreed to a request from Castro to place
nuclear missiles in Cuba to deter future American harassment of Cuba. After a secret agreement between Nikita and
Fidel in July, construction of a number of missile launch
facilities started later that summer.
This high stakes political poker game was known
as the Cuban Missile Crisis, which lasted 13 days, from October 16-28, 1962. The hostilities between the United States and the Soviet Union took center stage for the whole world. Up until today, this exercise in brinkmanship
is as close as the world has come to a full-scale nuclear war. A long period of tense
negotiations ensued.
Ultimately, President John F. Kennedy, who
succeeded President Eisenhower, and Nikita Khrushchev, First Secretary of the
Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union forged and
agreement to stand down. The Soviets
dismantled their missiles in Cuba and returned them to Russia (Technically the
U.S.S.R. was comprised of more than Russia).
This weaponry downgrade was subject to U.S. inspection and
verification. For its part, the U.S.
agreed never to invade Cuba without direct provocation. Secretly, it also agreed to dismantle American
missiles in Italy and Turkey. The high
intensity of these negotiations between the two Super Powers revealed a need
for a quick, clear, and direct communication line between the two nations’
leaders in Washington and Moscow.
Because of this, the two countries established the Moscow–Washington
hotline. Afterward, a series
of agreements sharply reduced tensions between the two countries over the
course of subsequent years.
The five preceding paragraphs went deep into
the weeds of American History, Cuban History, and geo-politics. Undoubtedly that includes more information
about a time before many of you were born than some readers feel they would
ever need to know. However, sometimes there is no substitute for context. Those paragraphs provide the bedrock for not
how, but why we needed to get to this past Sunday and President Obama’s visit
in the first place. To give you a quick
anecdote, I saw a meme recently that said, “The person who know how will always
have a job. The person who knows why
will always be his/her boss.” I want you
to know why President Obama needed to go to Cuba so that you can be a knowledge
boss, not merely someone working your way through this topic. And yes, it’s that important.
On December 17, 2014, after secretive
discussions, heavily influenced by Pope Francis, President Obama announced the
restoration of full diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States,
and the opening of an embassy in Havana.
Pope Francis helped broker a prisoner swap, which was a key element of
the rapprochement of the two nations.
When I initially posted on this topic, back on July 1, 2015 (…”Rapprochement: The
United States and Cuba Resume Diplomatic Relations!”), I framed the unexpected news this way:
“The announcement, a surprise at the
time, followed the end of 18 months of secret talks that produced a prisoner
swap negotiated with the help of Pope Francis,
and concluded by a telephone call between Presidents Obama and Raúl Castro.
The unexpected and historic deal broke a prolonged stalemate between two
countries separated by just 90 miles of water, but oceans of mistrust and
hostility that go back to the days of Theodore Roosevelt’s charge up San
Juan Hill, and the nuclear brinksmanship of the Cuban missile
crisis.”
Cuba was always on President
Obama’s foreign policy agenda to-do list.
There were those who doubted he would get it done…and others who hoped
he would not. Not surprisingly, there
are a number of folks who are less than enthused now that he has moved on
another key initiative that once again, flummoxed his opponents. Still, despite the naysayers, there was no
lack of interest, judging by the size of the President’s travel party. Not only did a host of members of Congress
make the trip, but he was also accompanied by a number of American businessmen.
A frequent question I have
heard or seen in print in the wake of the President’s trip is “Will anything of
substance emerge from this venture?”
Tealeaf reading is not my forte.
I do believe however that the President built this move on a solid
foundation; recognition of the fact that five plus decades of embargoing Cuba
has not substantially benefited America, or Cuba. While it may have provided Cuban Americans
with an element of satisfaction over exacting punishment for their personal
loss, the preponderance of economic “timeout” did not bring Cuba to its knees,
nor return expatriates their possessions.
The President has reasoned that moving to a win-win scenario from a
lose-lose- scenario makes more sense, both in terms of economics and of humanitarianism. Not only might both countries receive a boon,
but also, formerly estranged family members may leverage new opportunities to
reunite. It may not be a huge step
forward, but a step forward it is.
In wrapping this up,
consider several examples of how President Obama pressed his own case:
“I
have come here to bury the last remnant of the Cold
War in the Americas. I have come here to
extend the hand of friendship to the Cuban people.”
He noted the
continuation of very real differences between the two countries, including
political systems and economic models.
On this point he added:
"I
can't force you to agree," then he added his belief that "every
person should be equal under the law; citizens should be free to speak their
mind without fear.” That line drew
applause.
He also said
that people should be able "to organize, to criticize their government,
and to protest peacefully, and they should not be arrested for doing so.”
He recognized
that not everyone agrees with him on these issues, but went on to say, "But
I believe those human rights are universal. I believe they are the rights of
the American people, the Cuban people and people around the world."
President
Obama also made a key observation about the Presidential races here in
America. He noted:
"You
had two Cuban-Americans in the Republican Party running against the legacy of a
black man who was president while arguing that they're the best person to beat
the Democratic nominee who will either be a woman or a democratic
socialist. Who would have believed that
in 1959? That's a measure of our
progress as a country."
Of course
while the trip is steeped in diplomacy and meetings, and concluding discussions,
negotiations, and agreements, there was more.
President Obama took his family, including Michelle, Malia, Sasha, and
his mother-in-law, Mrs. Robinson. They
attended a scheduled baseball game between the Cuban National Team and the
Tampa Bay Rays. President Obama sat
between President Castro and his family.
For record, and for the baseball fans among you, The Rays won, 4-1.
At least for
now, I will embrace the optimistic point of view regarding that frequent query
I noted above. I believe that POTUS’
visit will yield substantive results for the people of Cuba, not just for the
Castro Brothers and for American businesses.
It is said a journey of a thousand miles begins with the first
step. Consider the journey
underway. “Viva Cuba: President Obama Visits Havana!”
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