A Flag Raised 50 Years Later

In December 2013, at the ceremonies for Nelson Mandela’s funeral and to everyone’s astonishment, Barack Obama shook hands with Raúl Castro. At the time, people started asking: Were the old Cold War enemies about to reconcile or was it just good manners at a funeral? The answer would emerge one year later: on Dec. 17, 2014, the two old enemies announced a historic agreement leading to the normalization of relations between both countries.

The more visible face of that agreement was and will be the raising of the flags at the embassies. This Monday, in Washington, the red, blue and white flag was raised; not the American, but the Cuban. In a month’s time, in Havana, with the presence of John Kerry, the red, blue and white flag will be raised; not the Cuban, but the American.

These are historic days, loaded with symbolism for both capitals, and these days are marked by the search for a new course to a history previously told with episodes such as the Bay of Pigs and the missile crisis which have irretrievably separated Washington and Havana.

Despite all the pomp in the raising of the flags, there is still a long way to go to reach the desired normalization, beginning with the dispute of the Guantánamo territories. And Obama still has a long way to go in order to convince the Republicans, who control both houses of Congress, to resolve issues such as the embargo or the travel limitations. Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, son of Cuban immigrants, has already said, for instance, that if he is elected, he will again close the embassy.

On the other hand, we also need to know how far Raúl is willing to open the Cuban economy and society to North American interests. Raising the flag is already half the battle.