Cuban Thaw

President Obama meets with President Castro in Panama.

The Cuban Thaw[1] (Spanish: el "deshielo" cubano-estadounidense[2][3]) is a historic warming of Cuba–United States relations that began in December 2014.

On December 17, 2014, U.S. President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raúl Castro announced the beginning of a process of normalizing relations between Cuba and the United States. The normalization agreement was secretly negotiated in preceding months with the assistance of Pope Francis. Meetings were held in both Canada and Vatican City.[4] The agreement would see the lifting of some U.S. travel restrictions, fewer restrictions on remittances, U.S. banks' access to the Cuban financial system,[5] and the reopening of embassies in Havana and Washington, which closed in 1961 after the breakup of diplomatic relations following the establishment of Cuba’s close alliance with the USSR.[6][7]

Exchange of political prisoners

Gross returns to the United States on December 17, 2014, aboard a U.S. government plane; Gross was released by the Cuban government in a prisoner swap.

As far back as May 2012, it had been reported that the U.S. had declined a "spy swap" proposed by the Cuban government, wherein the remaining three of an original group of convicted Cuban spies known as the Cuban Five, in prison in the U.S. since the 1990s, would be returned to Cuba in exchange for USAID contractor Alan Phillip Gross. Gross had been imprisoned in Cuba for illegally providing computer equipment, satellite phones, and internet access to Cuba's Jewish community without a permit required under Cuban Law.[8]

Despite initial U.S. refusals, the prisoner swap eventually took place in December 2014 following the President's announcement of intent to move towards normalized relations.[9] In addition to Gross, the swap included Rolando Sarraff Trujillo, a Cuban who had worked as an agent for American intelligence and had been in a Cuban prison for nearly 20 years.[10][11][12] Additionally, in early January 2015, the Cuban government began releasing a number of imprisoned dissidents, as requested by the United States. By January 12, 2015, it was reported that all 53 dissidents were released.[13]

The prisoner swap marked the biggest shift in White House policy towards Cuba since the imposition of the embargo in 1962, and removed a key obstacle to bilateral relations.[14]

Easing of travel and trade restrictions

Although the Cuban trade embargo can only be ended by the U.S. Congress, the Obama administration took executive action to greatly ease restrictions on travel to Cuba by U.S. citizens, as well as restrictions on the import and export of goods between each country.[15]

In his 2015 State of the Union Address to Congress, Obama called on lawmakers to lift the embargo against Cuba.[16]

Cuba did not move to lift travel restrictions on Americans immediately, an issue expected to be raised at bilateral talks in Havana in January 2015.[17]

Conan O'Brien became the first American television personality to film in Cuba for more than half a century in February 2015.[18]

The Associated Press reported on February 28, 2015, that Major League Baseball had been in talks about playing spring training games in Cuba, but there was not enough time to arrange them for the current season. The league expressed openness to holding future games in the island country, but players' association president Tony Clark said it was unclear when that might happen.[19] Commissioner Rob Manfred said on March 19 that the league would likely play an exhibition game in Cuba sometime in early 2016.[20]

Charter flights between John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City and José Martí International Airport in Havana, operated by Sun Country Airlines, began in March 2015.[21]

Normalization of relations

After the Obama administration announced an effort to normalize relations between both Cuba and the U.S., bilateral talks were scheduled to take place in January 2015. Initially, both the Cuban and U.S. governments have identified the opening of reciprocal embassies as a goal.[22] However, both representative delegations have stressed concern over resolving key issues before embassy discussions can take place.

On January 21, the United States and Cuba began bilateral talks in Havana to discuss further normalization issues. The U.S. delegation led by US Assistant Secretary of State Roberta Jacobson, and Josefina Vidal Ferreiro, Cuba's head of North American affairs, sat down for the first day of closed-door talks in the capital’s Convention Center. The talks reportedly centered around migration policy.[23] In particular, Cuban representatives urged the U.S. to end its immigration privileges to Cuban refugees, also known as the Wet feet, dry feet policy, which allows any fleeing Cuban citizens U.S. residency and citizenship, as long as they are found on U.S. soil and not at sea.[23] In addition to Cuba's concern over U.S. migration policy, the Cuban delegation assured the U.S. that normalization talks will not yield significant changes unless Cuba is removed from the U.S. State Department's list of state sponsors of terrorism. Cuba is one of four countries on the list, the other three being Iran, Sudan, and Syria. The U.S. government said that it had begun an intelligence review in order to evaluate whether Cuba can be removed from the list.[24][25]

In regard to U.S. interests, the U.S. delegation made it clear that "improved human rights conditions, including freedom of expression and assembly", remain a central element of U.S. policy in normalizing U.S.-Cuban relations.[26] Furthermore, despite Cuban objections, the U.S. stated that it will stand by its Cuban migration policy under the Cuban Adjustment Act.[26]

A second round of talks took place in Washington, D.C., late in February 2015. Negotiators described the talks as productive and said several issues were close to resolution. However, the issue of Cuba's listing among state sponsors of terrorism by the U.S. government remained a significant sticking point, although Cuban diplomat Josefina Vidal said its removal was not strictly a precondition to reopening embassies.[27]

A third round of talks were held in Havana from March 16–17, 2015. However, the talks ended abruptly after just a day, without any public comment.[28] Obama and Castro themselves met at the Summit of the Americas in Panama on April 10–11, where Castro delivered an address praising Obama and apologising for blaming his government for the ongoing U.S. embargo.[29] After meeting with Obama, Castro called for the reopening of the embassies, while both presidents said they were looking forward to more direct engagement between Cuba and the United States despite their differences.[30]

On April 14, President Obama informed the United States Congress that he had decided to lift the designation of Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism because "the government of Cuba has not provided any support for international terrorism during the preceding six-month period," and it "has provided assurances that it will not support acts of international terrorism in the future."[31] The U.S. Congress can prevent the removal of Cuba's designation by passing legislation within 45 days. If Congress fails to pass such legislation within 45 days, Cuba will automatically be removed from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism.[31]

Guantanamo Bay controversy

On January 28, while attending a meeting of Latin American leaders in San José, Costa Rica, President Raúl Castro asserted that the United States should return the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base and lift the embargo on Cuba before reestablishment of relations can occur.[32]

The White House responded the next day, saying that it had no intention to return the base. White House spokesman Josh Earnest indicated any such move is out of the question. "The President does believe that the prison at Guantánamo Bay should be closed down, but the naval base is not something that we wish to be closed."[33] This issue has yet to be resolved.

Domestic political responses

In the United States

The Cuban Thaw has received some political backlash in the United States, most notably from Senator Marco Rubio of Florida. Rubio, a Cuban American Republican who opposed the thaw, said the change in policy could lead to the U.S. reopening its long-defunct embassy in Havana, something he opposes, as “diplomatic recognition [would] provide legitimacy to a government that doesn’t deserve it.”[34][35]

The 2014 congressional elections a month and a half prior to the announcement of the thaw meant that Senator Bob Menendez, a Cuban-American Democrat from New Jersey, had to relinquish his chairmanship of the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations in January 2015. However, as the committee's chairman in December 2014, Menendez was an early critic of Obama's decision to normalize relations with Cuba. In a December 17 commentary published by USA Today, Menendez criticized the Democratic president "for compromising on bedrock U.S. values", charging that the Obama administration "has wrongly rewarded a totalitarian regime and thrown the Cuban regime an economic lifeline".[36] Menendez is one of just a few Democrats who have criticized Obama over the shift in relations with Cuba.

Congressional opponents of the new Cuba policy vowed to try to block its implementation, with Rubio announcing he would hold up the confirmation of any U.S. ambassador to Cuba whom Obama might nominate.[37][38] Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas described the policy as a "tragic mistake."[39] However, the Associated Press reported that business groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce would likely apply pressure on congressmen to accept the diplomatic thaw, and Republican Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona, a supporter of the shift, predicted many congressmen would come around.[40]

Like Senator Flake, Senator Rand Paul, a Republican from Kentucky, supports the thaw on the grounds that increased trade relations will benefit both Cubans and Americans. Senator Paul, in response to Senator Rubio, argued that “Senator Rubio is acting like an isolationist”, and that, “The 50 year embargo just hasn’t worked. If the goal is regime change, it sure doesn’t seem to be working.”[41]

Similarly, Obama's former Secretary of State and 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton strongly endorsed the decision. Clinton has argued that the embargo “had propped up the Castro government because they could blame all of the country’s problems on the United States. Moreover, the embargo did not have any impact on freedom of speech, freedom of expression, or on freeing political prisoners.”[42][43]

In Cuba

Raúl Castro, the Cuban president since 2008 and one of the leaders of the Cuban Revolution of the 1950s, declared in 2013 that "a slow and orderly transfer of the leadership of the revolution to the new generations" was already in progress.[44] Castro has reportedly pledged to step down entirely by 2018. In announcing the agreement in December 2014, Castro struck a balance between praising the Marxist revolution that brought him and his brother Fidel to power almost 60 years prior and extolling the benefits that would be brought about by improved relations with the United States, namely the end of the Cuban embargo.

Fidel Castro appeared to welcome the thaw between Cuba and the United States in a statement published by Granma on January 26, 2015. Despite saying that he "does not trust United States policies", he stated, "We will always defend cooperation and friendship with all the peoples of the world, among them our political adversaries."[45]

In December 2014, Raúl Castro publicly thanked Pope Francis and the Catholic Church for their role in the secret talks that led to the U.S.–Cuban prison swap. According to Church officials within Cuba, several plans to build Catholic churches, which have been blocked since the revolution in 1959, are being processed. The first church is to be built in Sandino. It will be the first Catholic church to be built in Cuba since 1959, when the communist Castro regime declared the country an atheist state.[46][47]

At a CELAC meeting in 2015, Raúl Castro gave a speech claiming "Cuba will continue to defend the ideas for which our people have assumed the greatest sacrifices and risks." In that speech, he detailed the history of Cuba's foreign relations. Throughout the speech, he condemned the United States' history of manifest destiny, detailing a basic history of American and Cuban relations. After talking about the United States' policy in Cuba, he went on to condemn the United States' assistance in installing the "terrible dictatorships in 20 countries, 12 of them simultaneously," referring to the United States' supporting of Latin American dictatorships. Following that, Castro detailed the history of Cuba's history following the Cuban Revolution. But despite his prior backlash against the United States, Castro summarized his speech by praising the recent improvements in American-Cuban relations, and wondered why "the countries of the two Americas, the North and the South, fight together against terrorism, drug trafficking and organized crime, without politically biased positions."[48]

International reactions

International reactions were mostly positive, with Radio Poland having reported that the Foreign Ministry of Poland is "encouraging Washington to go further by lifting a long-standing embargo".[49]

Russia one of Cuba's closest allies, encouraged Washington to go further by lifting a long-standing embargo and removing Cuba from the list of State Sponsors of Terrorism. It also said that the policy of sanctions and isolation of certain countries will never work.[50]

Israel was one of the few countries not to issue a statement welcoming the change, and it was reported that the Israeli Foreign Ministry is "miffed" at having been caught off guard by the change.[51] Israel-Cuba relations have been icy since the 1960s, and Israel has been the only country to consistently side with the U.S. against UN resolutions criticizing the embargo.

Several Latin American leaders publicly welcomed the thaw, with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro hailing Obama's move toward normalization as a "valiant and historically necessary gesture", despite being a regular critic of U.S. policy.[52] Colombian Liberal ex-President Ernesto Samper in his capacity as President of UNASUR said that "this was very good news, not only for Cuba but for the entire region". Juan Carlos Varela, the conservative President of Panamá, said that in the 7th Summit of the Americas to be held in his country after April 7, 2015, it will be "achieve(d) the dream of a united region".[53]

The Canadian government, which maintained more positive relations with Cuba than the United States did during and after the Cold War, also responded favorably, with Foreign Minister John Baird suggesting to The Atlantic commentator Jeffrey Goldberg that the policy shift could help "transform" Cuba for the better.[54]

Media perception

Media sources, which were quick to dub the sudden turnaround in relations the "Cuban Thaw",[1] have predicted that it will lead to a wide variety of social and economic benefits for the two countries, as well as some less obvious impacts. Newsweek reported that the stock market jumped once elements of the Cuban thaw were reported.[55] Reuters reported that the thaw would "make it more likely the Cuban government will extradite fugitives sought by U.S. officials."[56] The Associated Press reported environmentalist concerns that the thaw would lead to the opening of "one of the most prolific oil and gas basins on the planet," which sits off the coast of Cuba.[57] Bloomberg News reported that the thaw would even benefit Major League Baseball, with teams gaining major new opportunities to sign Cuban players.[58] The New Republic has deemed the Cuban Thaw to be "Obama's finest foreign policy achievement."[59]

Granma, Cuba's state newspaper, published numerous articles regarding the Cuban Thaw. It stated that "International public opinion supports removal of Cuba from U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism," and that "[t]he decision is recognized as an important step in advancing President Obama’s policy change to improve relations between the two countries."[60] Additionally, they stated that "[t]he Cuban government recognizes the just decision taken by the President of the United States to eliminate Cuba from a list on which it never should have been included" and reiterated that Cuba "rejects and condemns all acts of terrorism in all their forms and manifestations, as well as any action that is intended to instigate, support, finance or conceal terrorist acts."[61]

See also


References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Parker, K. Quincy (January 8, 2015). "CARICOM Launches Five-Year Plan". The Nassau Guardian. The rapprochement of which Christie spoke has been referred to as 'The Cuban Thaw'.
  2. ↑ "Se inicia la Cumbre con la mira puesta en el 'deshielo' cubano-estadounidense". Télam (in Spanish). April 10, 2015. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
  3. ↑ Reyes Uschinsky, Carla (January 28, 2015). "Dos mujeres diplomáticas dirigen las negociaciones en el deshielo cubano". Mundario (in Spanish). Retrieved April 17, 2015.
  4. ↑ Nadeau, Barbie Latza (December 17, 2014). "The Pope's Diplomatic Miracle: Ending the U.S.–Cuba Cold War". The Daily Beast. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
  5. ↑ Tannebaum, Daniel & Stokes, Amber (December 18, 2014). "Key Points from the President’s Announcement on Cuba Sanctions" (PDF). First Take. PwC Financial Services Regulatory Practice.
  6. ↑ Keane, Angela Greiling & Dorning, Mike (December 17, 2014). "Cuba’s Half Century of Isolation to End". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on December 18, 2014. Retrieved December 21, 2014.
  7. ↑ Baker, Peter (December 18, 2014). "Obama Announces U.S. and Cuba Will Resume Relations". The New York Times. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
  8. ↑ Robinson, Circles (May 11, 2012). "US Says NO to Alan Gross-Cuban 5 Swap". Havana Times.
  9. ↑ "Cuba libera a Alan Gross y EE UU a los 3 espías". CubaNet (in Spanish). December 17, 2014.
  10. ↑ Mazzetti, Mark; Schmidt, Michael S. & Robles, Frances (December 18, 2014). "Crucial Spy in Cuba Paid a Heavy Cold War Price". The New York Times. p. A1. Retrieved December 19, 2014. He was, in many ways, a perfect spy—a man so important to Cuba’s intelligence apparatus that the information he gave to the Central Intelligence Agency paid dividends long after Cuban authorities arrested him and threw him in prison for nearly two decades.
  11. ↑ Goldman, Adam (December 18, 2014). "U.S. Spy Freed by Cuba Was Longtime Asset". The Washington Post.
  12. ↑ Garvin, Glenn; Tamayo, Juan O. & Mazzei, Patricia (January 1, 2015). "Spy Wars: A Wilderness of Mirrors in U.S.–Cuba Swap". The Miami Herald. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
  13. ↑ Ford, Dana & Lopez, Juan Carlos (January 12, 2015). "Cuba Releases 53 Political Prisoners". CNN. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  14. ↑ "Cuba libera a Alan Gross y EE UU a los 3 espías". CubaNet (in Spanish). December 17, 2014.
  15. ↑ Adams, David (January 19, 2015). "Obama Must Work with Congress to Reform Cuba Embargo: Policy Experts". Reuters.
  16. ↑ Avila, Jim & Keneally, Meghan (January 20, 2015). "President Asks Congress to Lift the Embargo Against Cuba". ABC News. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
  17. ↑ Wroughton, Lesley & Frank, Marc (January 19, 2015). "U.S. Wants End to Travel Curbs, Set Up Embassy in Cuba Talks". Reuters. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
  18. ↑ France, Lisa Respers (February 16, 2015). "Conan O'Brien Takes Show to Cuba". CNN. Retrieved February 17, 2015.
  19. ↑ "MLB Considering Games in Cuba". ESPN. Associated Press. February 28, 2015. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  20. ↑ Costa, Brian (March 19, 2015). "MLB Likely to Play Exhibition Game in Cuba". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
  21. ↑ "Direct Flights Between Cuba and New York Have Started". Skift. Associated Press. March 18, 2015. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
  22. ↑ Whitefield, Mimi (January 22, 2015). "Despite Many Differences, the United States and Cuba Made Positive Steps Toward Establishing Embassies". Miami Herald. Retrieved January 22, 2015.
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 Klapper, Bradley & Weissenstein, Michael (January 21, 2015). "US, Cuba Spar Over Migration Policy at Historic Havana Talks". Yahoo! News. Associated Press.
  24. ↑ Trotta, Daniel (January 21, 2015). "Cuba Wants off U.S. Terrorism List Before Restoring Normal Ties". Reuters.
  25. ↑ Sparrow, Thomas (January 23, 2015). "How Will Cuba Get off the State-Sponsored Terrorism List?". BBC Mundo (BBC).
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 Trotta, Daniel & Wroughton, Lesley (January 22, 2015). "U.S. Presses Cuba on Human Rights in Talks on Restoring Ties". Reuters.
  27. ↑ Vick, Karl (February 27, 2015). "Cuba Talks Turn Awkward Over Terror Listing". Time. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  28. ↑ Archibold, Randal (March 17, 2015). "U.S.–Cuba Talks on Restoring Diplomatic Ties End Abruptly". The New York Times. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
  29. ↑ "Raul Castro Says Cuba Blockade not Obama's Fault". The Huffington Post. Associated Press. April 11, 2015. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
  30. ↑ Bobic, Igor (April 11, 2015). "Barack Obama and Cuba President Raul Castro Make History with First Sit-Down Meeting". The Huffington Post. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 DeYoung, Karen (April 14, 2015). "Obama Removes Cuba from the List of State Sponsors of Terrorism". The Washington Post.
  32. ↑ Al Jazeera Staff (January 28, 2015). "Raúl Castro to US: Return Gitmo, End Embargo". Al Jazeera.
  33. ↑ Toppa, Sabrina (January 29, 2015). "The U.S. Will Not Return Guantanamo Bay to Cuba, the White House Says". Time. Agence France-Presse.
  34. ↑ "In Paul–Rubio Feud over Cuba, a Preview of GOP’s 2016 Foreign Policy Debate". The Washington Post. December 20, 2014. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  35. ↑ King, Ledyard (January 7, 2015). "Rubio Open to Hearings on Changing U.S.–Cuba Relations". USA Today. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  36. ↑ Menendez, Robert (December 17, 2014). "Sen. Menendez: One-Sided Deal Rewards Cuba Regime". USA Today. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  37. ↑ "US–Cuba Shift: Opponents Threaten to Block Changes". BBC News. December 18, 2015. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  38. ↑ Kane, Paul & O'Keefe, Ed (December 19, 2014). "Opponents Formulate a Strategy to Derail Obama’s New Cuba Policy". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  39. ↑ Nelson, Rebecca (December 17, 2014). "Ted Cruz: Obama's New Cuba Policy 'Will Be Remembered as a Tragic Mistake'". National Journal.
  40. ↑ "Not Much Chance of Congress Stopping Cuba Policy". The Press of Atlantic City. December 18, 2014. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  41. ↑ Weigel, David (December 19, 2014). "Rand Paul Battles Marco Rubio Over Cuba Policy". Bloomberg Politics.
  42. ↑ "Hillary Clinton Backs Shift in US Policy Toward Cuba". Firstpost. Indo-Asian News Service/Agencia EFE. December 18, 2014. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  43. ↑ Rappeport, Alan (December 17, 2014). "On Cuba, Hillary Clinton Is an Advocate for Normal Relations". First Draft. The New York Times.
  44. ↑ Frank, Marc (July 26, 2013). "Cuba's Raul Castro Promises Succession Has Started". Reuters. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  45. ↑ Trotta, Daniel (January 26, 2015). "Fidel Castro Issues Statement Apparently In Support Of U.S.–Cuba Diplomacy". The Huffington Post. Reuters. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
  46. ↑ Williams, Thomas D. (January 31, 2015). "Cuba Allows Construction of First Catholic Church Since 1959". Breitbart News.
  47. ↑ Oppmann, Patrick (January 30, 2015). "Cuba to Build First New Catholic Church Since Castro". CNN.
  48. ↑ "Cuba Will Continue to Defend the Ideas for Which Our People Have Assumed the Greatest Sacrifices and Risks". Granma. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
  49. ↑ "Poland Urges US to Go Further with Cuban Thaw". Radio Poland. December 19, 2014.
  50. ↑ "Comment by the Information and Press Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the easing in US-Cuba relations". Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Russia). December 17, 2014.
  51. ↑ Ahnsaf, Zalman (December 26, 2014). "Foreign Ministry Miffed Over U.S–Cuban Thaw". Hamodia (Jerusalem). p. 6.
  52. ↑ Otis, John (December 18, 2014). "In Latin America, Not Everyone Is Thrilled with the U.S.–Cuba Thaw". All Things Considered (NPR). Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  53. ↑ "Reacciones en el mundo por normalización de relaciones entre Cuba y EEUU" (in Spanish). Instituto Cubano por la LIbertad de Expresión y de Prensa. Retrieved April 20, 2015.
  54. ↑ Goldberg, Jeffrey (December 21, 2014). "Canada's Foreign Minister: U.S. Influence Will Make Cuba Better". The Atlantic. Retrieved January 22, 2015.
  55. ↑ "Betting on a Cuban Thaw: Stocks Soar on Rumors of U.S. Relations With Cuba". Newsweek. Reuters. December 17, 2014.
  56. ↑ van Hall, Karey & Heavey, Susan (December 22, 2014). "U.S. Sees Cuban Thaw Boosting Odds of Returned Fugitives". Reuters.
  57. ↑ "Cuban Thaw May Unlock New Oil Fields". The New Zealand Herald (Aukland). December 22, 2014.
  58. ↑ Levinson, Mason & Novy-Williams, Eben (December 18, 2014). "Cuban Thaw Seen Creating 'Open Season' on Signings for MLB Teams". Bloomberg Business.
  59. ↑ The New Republic, The Cuban Thaw Is Obama's Finest Foreign Policy Achievement to Date, by Joel Gillin, April 13 2015.
  60. ↑ "Broad Recognition that Cuba Should Never Have Been Listed as a State Sponsor of Terrorism". Granma. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
  61. ↑ "Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Relations General Director for the United States, Josefina Vidal Ferreiro". Granma. Retrieved April 17, 2015.