International
security
Obama
Cuba policy reversal ignites firestorm on Hill, excites U.S. businesses
Marco
Rubio among bipartisan group of lawmakers vowing fight against normalized
relations
Anti-Castro
protester Lazaro Lozano (left) argues with a pro-Obama supporter in the Little
Havana area of Miami Wednesday in the wake of an Obama administration
announcement that could mean a major shift in U.S. policy toward Cuba.
(Associated Press) more >
Casting
aside a half-century of foreign policy, President Obama on Wednesday said the
U.S. will normalize ties with Cuba, open an embassy in Havana and reduce trade
and travel barriers — a seismic shift in America’s relationship with the
communist island that drew praise from businesses eager to tap into the Cuban
market but touched off a bipartisan firestorm on Capitol Hill.
The
dramatic reversal in U.S. policy, which has stood since the early 1960s, comes
after 18 months of secret high-level meetings in Canada and Vatican City, a
personal appeal from Pope Francis and, in the final steps achieved over just
the past few days, the long-awaited release of an American aid worker held in
Cuba for five years and the return of several spies to the communist regime.
But
the mending of relations between Washington and Havana, while opening a new
market to a host of American industries and, among other things, rolling back a
U.S. prohibition on Cuban cigars, won’t come without a fight.
Senators
of both parties have issued blistering rebukes of the move, and a visibly angry
Sen. Marco Rubio, a Cuban-American from Florida and a potential 2016 Republican
presidential candidate, indicated he may look to block funding for a U.S.
embassy in Cuba and could hold up the confirmation of a to-be-named American
ambassador.
For
Mr. Obama, the policy overhaul represents another attempt to engage with
America’s perceived enemies and use diplomacy, rather than isolation, as a way
to move U.S. interests forward.
Many
analysts say the goal of fundamental political and social reforms in Cuba —
such as greater freedom for the press and political expression — will be easier
to achieve if Havana has formal, friendly ties with Washington.
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