The announcement by President Obama, delivered by Press Secretary Robert Gibbs yesterday, to loosen travel and financial restrictions toward Cuba is a positive shift in policy for Cuban-American relations. To expand on the policy shift, it was announced that United States will work with telecom companies to offer cell phone and television service to Cubans. Opening up communication with the island is a welcomed approach to dealing with the aging Communist Regime.
Why now?
With Fidel Castro in the twilight of his life and Raul Castro not far behind him, the opening of relations to the populous of Cuba is a perfect storm. By requiring relatives in the United States to pay for the cell phone and television access is a brilliant move by President Obama. The requirement will give the United States greater access to intelligence gathering via provisions in the Patriot Act signed by President Bush in 2006.
Finally the Patriot Act, which stripped away a level of civil liberty in the United States, will bear fruit as with the loosening of Cuba restrictions. While the United States is searching telephone and financial records of Cuban-Americans, a grassroots campaign can be launched via ads broadcasted into Cuba. The missing element to all this is how Castro’s feel about the shift. Since Fidel Castro has looked for an end to the Embargo for years, one can assume the shift is welcomed and encouraging.
The shift in policy also allows Raul Castro to tout a relationship change with the United States that his brother Fidel was unable to achieve. Raul Castro will be tempered by the potential ground swell of Democratic rhetoric that runs counter to the Communist doctrine. The perfect storm of the decline of Russian power, Patriot Act, Raul Castro, and the election of a Community Organizer to President of the United States may finally open up Cuba to America.
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Yep, this is how Cuba makes the United States communist. We should have known. Doh!
ReplyDeleteThose darn democrats...they are really socialist and communist. Who would have known?
Hmmm. Please elaborate on how I am saying that Democrats are really socialist and communist. I am applauded President Obama for loosening the restrictions on Cuba. Nowhere in my commentary do I equate Cuba to making the United States a communist state. My point it contrary to that. Through the use of the Patriot Act, President Obama will be armed with intelligence to create a grassroot push for Democracy in Cuba. However, please elaborate.
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