Cuba, an Enduring Patience

One of the fathers of the current European Union, Jean Monnet, was visionary when he wrote, “Europe is an enduring patience.” This is more or less what Raúl Castro recently said after shaking Obama’s hand at the Atlapa Convention Center in Panama City: “We are ready to discuss everything but we have to be patient, very patient.”

This could be the secret to making sure that this new process doesn’t come off the rails: Stifling the maximalist lack of hope and being patient in the face of opposition and previous failures.

The atmosphere at the Seventh Summit of the Americas was very different to that which inspired Yvon Deulofeu, current general director of Cubavision International, to write Paraninfo, a rigorous account about the assassination attempt, which took place 15 years ago at the hands of a group led by Posada Carriles, attacking Fidel Castro during his visit to Panama for the Ibero-American Conference of Heads of State.

During his speech lasting 42 minutes, Raúl revealed that John Kennedy had called him in 1963, in a conciliatory tone, just some days before being assassinated in Texas, which can help us to understand the extent of the patience to which he referred to in his speech. Little wonder that the younger brother’s next telephone conversation with an American president was delayed for 52 years.

Face to face, for the first time in half a century, a pragmatic and a revolutionary have staged their intention to seize this opportunity before the world, despite the process requiring a great deal of patience in order to cross so many hurdles.

After an hour of conversation, without tension, in a small room reserved to this end, they agreed to open embassies in both countries, although one loose end remains as it is not guaranteed that American diplomats will have freedom to move around the island.

The American president, backed by his presidential staff, in particular by Benjamin Rhodes, has changed his strategy; the long-standing dispute with Cuba hasn’t achieved any objectives and has been used by many as an excuse to make their northern neighbor a scapegoat, which has then affected relations with other countries in the region. It is therefore necessary to change this method, facing the evidence that the isolation policy has only served to confine the United States to its own backyard. In reality, just announcing reconciliation with Havana has already allowed Washington to attract political dividends in Latin America.

Castro calls for patience and Obama is cooperating, as he has proved by straight away taking Cuba off the list of state sponsors of terrorism, after the Panama summit.

The illustrious brother who spoke at the summit for longer than protocol allowed, by eight minutes — “passion exudes from all of my pores when revolution is talked about” — didn’t waste the opportunity, between the applause of a satisfied audience, to give Obama a hand, insisting that Latin American countries should support the U.S. president — “an honest man with a manner of being that comes from his humble origins” — with his intention to clear the embargo on the island.

This could be the cornerstone to the process because the Republicans, as a matter of principle, don’t seem likely to yield to this new plan nor to facilitate this Democrat trick on the threshold of a new presidential election. Neither is there a lack of sceptics who, sitting waiting comfortably, sarcastically decree, “More of the same, six of one and half a dozen of the other.” That is to say, for this copious school of thought, that while the Castro family rule in Cuba no change will take place.

The reason is that the old hatreds have not disappeared as if by magic, as shown by the confrontations, in Panama City’s Parque Porras, between dissidents and Castro supporters, in which Felix, El Gato, Rodriguez, who is well known in Cuban-American affairs and who boasts about having captured Che Guevara in Bolivia, has again been tangled up.

But these skirmishes haven’t managed to cloud the good feeling between the two countries; they continue to the rhythm of a dance which started in Havana – a few months ago – with a blonde Cuban, Josefina Vidal, and a dark-haired American, Roberta Jacobson. A slow and measured rhythm which has nothing to do with the frenetic “Se Me Perdió la Cartera,” which was danced to, at the other Ibero-American Summit in Cartegena, by the candidate Hilary Clinton to the sound of the African Charanga band.

Progress is still insignificant and it must be asked what the commander-in-chief will be thinking in his refuge in Jaimanitas after his brother’s display of charm towards their Yankee counterpart.

Perhaps the podium will be for the eternal Poulidor?*

*Translator’s note: Raymond Poulidor – a former professional bicycle racer who was known as the eternal second because he never won the Tour de France despite finishing in second and third place eight times.