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It is an exciting, unknown, and mercurial time for relations between the United States of America and the Republic of Cuba. President Barack Obama recently announced that formal relations between the neighboring countries are being created after years of diplomatic isolation. The move was partially motivated by the release of Alan Gross, an American who had been imprisoned in Cuba for five years.

Since Fulgencio Batista’s government fell to Fidel Castro’s Cuban Revolution, from 1953 to 1959, Cuba has been ruled by a single-party system that controls the vast majority of capital inflow. In addition, the government has nationalized all land and the economy and has used propaganda, terror techniques, and executions to control citizens. In 2008, Fidel Castro transferred governmental leadership to his brother Raul Castro. In 2018, power is scheduled to be transferred to Miguel Diaz Canel. The looming death of the Castro brothers may symbolically provoke rapid, inevitable change in Cuba. Nevertheless, Cuba is on track to experience significant social, political, and economic changes in the near future. For over fifty years, the United States had an economic embargo against Cuba. In the status quo, the embargo is being lifted and diplomatic communication and relations are finally being restored.

In his speech, President Obama stated, “Isolation has not worked. It’s time for a new approach. I believe this contact will do more to empower the Cuban people.” The truth is that the United States’ condemnation of Cuba under the embargo did not help the Cuban people or cause any major changes. In fact, The United Nations and nearly the entire international community have never supported the embargo.

The international community hopes that economic and cultural benefits Cuba will gain in the near future are distributed to all Cuban people, not just the regime and close supporters. With a more reform minded Diaz Canel taking over and the looming symbolic death of the Castro brothers, political reform in Cuba is likely. With the removal of the embargo and normalized relations with the United States, Cuba may more peacefully and effectively be able to deal with the opposing viewpoints that will arise during Cuba’s transition.

In South Florida, there is a significant, active and opinionated Cuban population, including within the Pine Crest community. It is very interesting to hear the perspective of Cuban Americans on the normalization of relations between the United States and Cuba. An interesting phenomenon is that there seems to be a divide by age among Cuban Americans. The older population, who experienced the regime firsthand and fled from Cuba to the United States, are worried that nothing will change in Cuba and the lifted embargo will simply generate profit for the regime. On the other hand, younger Cuban Americans seem to be more excited about the improving relationship and optimistic about change.

Junior Elizabeth Pozzuoli, a Cuban American, noted the age separation stating, “There is a separation between older and younger Cuban Americans. Older folks experienced moving to America and went through a difficult transition. They are skeptical about opening relations because they believe the money will only flow to the regime. Younger Cuban Americans are driven by curiosity on the subject; they seek a potential opportunity to visit Cuba.”

Spanish teacher Elia Fiallo, a Cuban American, is somewhat worried about the normalized relationship stating, “I am a bit skeptical that diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States will cause significant change for the Cuban people. There is no way to assure access to things like money and the internet for Cubans.”

Junior Lindsay Siegel, whose family comes from Cuba, said, “The changing relations between Cuba and the United States will probably initially benefit the Cuban government.  However, I hope that changes will later help the Cuban people.”

Hopefully, normalized relations between the two countries will usher in a new era of cooperation, peace, and mutual benefits between the United States and Cuba. After all, only ninety miles separate the traditionally antagonistic countries. In today’s complicated geopolitical world, Latin America is rapidly gaining influence in major political, economic, and social affairs. A friendly or at least communicative relationship between neighboring Cuba and the United States should go a long way in benefiting the people of both countries in the future.

Sources: New York Times, VOA News

http://www.voanews.com/content/reu-cuba-releases-american-alan-gross/2562509.html

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