Sun-Sentinel: Congress Likely to End Travel Ban

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South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com
U.S. leaders inherit 50 years of failure

Guillermo I. Martinez


October 8, 2009


Make no mistake about it, U.S. policy toward Cuba is about to change, again.

President Barack Obama is the 11th U.S. president to try to enact a different Cuba policy since the 1959 Cuban Revolution. The first U.S. presidents to deal with the Castro government tried to forcefully oust the regime. The next set of predecessors tried isolating Cuba from the rest of the nations in the hemisphere and around the world.

They all failed.

Others, like Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, tried drawing closer to the Cuban regime — as Obama now seeks to do — by lifting travel restrictions for Cuban Americans visiting the island, or negotiating immigration treaties or allowing cultural, educational and sporting exchange programs. They also failed.

People say that the U.S. policy toward Cuba for the past five decades has failed. That is not precisely right. All efforts by U.S. presidents, at either trying to subvert and oust the regime or to improve relations with Cuba, have failed. It is not one policy that has failed. All policies over the past 50 years have failed.

The most militant anti-Castro policies did not work, but neither have other more moderate policies designed to bring closer ties with the Cuban government so that it might improve the lives of its people and allow all Cubans on the island to enjoy a truly democratic regime with respect for individual human rights.

One must bring this now precisely at a point because all indications are that the Obama administration is steadily relaxing its Cuba policy, granting permits for cultural and educational exchange programs, even though the regulations have not changed.

The current administration already has lifted restrictions for Cuban Americans who want to visit their relatives on the island, or who wish to send them money. It has granted telephone companies permission to establish cell phone service in the island if the Cuban government grants them permission. And it is likely that Congress will pass a law allowing all Americans to travel to the island.

So the Obama administration is following the Carter and Clinton administrations in seeking better ties with the Cuban government. The latter administrations failed and paid for their mistakes. So will Obama.

Guillermo I. Martínez resides in South Florida. His e-mail is [e-mail].

COMMENTS (2) | Add Comment

A government controlled by money interests is unable to br reasonable wrt Cuba. First they refused to allow their companies to accept 20 year bonds in payment for the industry and property nationalized and then they tried to starve the cubans. What do you expect? By the way the farm land taken from my ancestors(United Empire Loyalist), when do I get it back?

Inggframe (10/08/2009, 11:28 AM )

How did Carter and Clinton "pay" for their mistakes?

Max-42 (10/08/2009, 9:06 AM )