In an effort to improve relations with Cuba, President Barack Obama loosened travel restrictions Tuesday, allowing American citizens with relatives in Cuba to visit and send money freely to the island nation. The policy shift, which Fidel Castro called ‘positive, although minimal,’ is a small step toward establishing more favorable diplomacy with Cuba, upon which the United States has enforced a trade embargo since the 1960s. Although the embargo itself has yet to be lifted, its debilitating effects are mitigated by Obama’s measure, which, albeit seemingly slow-and-steady, puts policy with Cuba on the right track.
Restricting Cuban-Americans the liberties to visit their families and assist them financially at their will was an outdated practice that should have expired along with the Cold War. But in this time of worldwide financial and diplomatic unrest, taking baby steps is a more viable route than making large, unexpected changes, because it establishes a sense of progress in a gradual, doable way.
This crucial step ‘- rather than leap ‘- in a positive direction gives Obama credibility as a levelheaded, careful diplomat, and extends a cautious hand to Cuba. The new policy will stimulate the Cuban economy and give Cuba, which is decidedly no longer nearly the threat it once was when the embargo was implemented, more resources and support to further its new governmental reforms. Under Ra’uacute;l Castro, positive changes have taken place in Cuba, like the assistance given to private agriculturists and a salary restructuring to benefit harder-working employees in government jobs. These small steps, in conjunction with Obama’s, are building a hopeful future for Cuba.
The United States’ work in establishing a friendlier relationship with Cuba, as well as changing policy to allow travel and transactions to take place there, is a necessary diplomatic gesture to initiate a larger change in the future. Though some camps believe in the complete termination of the trade embargo and lifted travel restrictions for all Americans, while others preach for isolationism, this is a new era in international diplomacy. Now, policies need to be modernized and reevaluated, expired grudges need to be shirked and unnecessary enmities be mitigated. After several decades of being at odds, the United States and Cuba face a long and difficult road toward rectifying their relationship. To begin progress down this road, Obama is smart to start off tip-toeing instead of sprinting.
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