Peter Hakim's Guest Entry on Cuba

By Peter Hakim
National Journal, April 22, 2009

Washington’s 50-year-old policy of isolating and sanctioning Cuba has never accomplished much. Today, it is an anachronism that serves mainly  to isolate the United States from the rest of the hemisphere.

The Obama Administration has wisely started to fashion a new Cuba policy by taking the very modest steps of scrapping all restrictions on family travel and remittances to the island. These are measure that most Cuban Americans support . The Cuban American community, which has zealously blocked any easing of Cuba policy, may be politically weaker and more diverse than it once was, but its views cannot be disregarded.

President Obama has made clear that it is now up to the Cuban authorities in Havana to respond with reciprocal steps of their own and he has suggested a short menu that includes freeing of political prisoners, allowing more Cuban citizens to travel, and cutting Cuba’s heavy tax on remittances. This emphasis on reciprocity could prove troublesome for the Obama Administration, should the Cubans refuse concessions. President Obama’s objective of a “new beginning” in US-Cuban relations could then be cut short at the start. Latin American countries would end up pressing Washington—not Havana—for new concessions. This just what Obama’s critics would welcome.

Instead of leaving it to all up to the Cubans, the Obama Administration should seek to push some of the burden elsewhere. The U.S. should stop trying to block other countries and multilateral institutions from doing business with Cuba. Washington should cease its efforts to keep the OAS and multilateral development banks from engaging Cuba and not intrude into the diplomacy of such nations as Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and Spain that are strengthening their political and economic ties to Cuba. Instead, Washington should encourage such engagement to facilitate Cuba’s successful reintegration into hemispheric affairs, and assist the island’s transition toward an open economy and  political system.

President Obama could also transfer some of the burden from the US government to its citizens. He could make it easier for academic, cultural, and athletic exchanges with Cuba by relaxing the bureaucratic obstacles and overdrawn restrictions that now apply. The United States could allow an expansion of its already vigorous agricultural trade with the island.

The purpose of all this is to start a process that will lead to a steady improvement in US- Cuba relations, and assist the island’s transition toward democratic politics and market economics. Ideally, Washington should seek a wide-ranging dialogue with Cuba (as it did with Vietnam nearly 15 years ago). There should be no question, however, about US support for Cuba’s advancing toward free expression and association, the rule of law, respect for human rights, and competitive elections. But a democratic society in Cuba should be the objective of U.S. engagement, not a precondition. And the US should not try to do it alone.