Obama Makes History

Surely, one of the most important legacies of Barack Obama’s presidency — once he hands over the presidency to his successor in January 2017 — will have been the end of a conflict that irritated international relations throughout the 20th and 21st centuries and even put the world on the brink of a nuclear conflict. The president’s arrival to Cuba last night extols the end of more than half a century — 54 years to be exact — of estrangement between the U.S. and Cuba.

While the visit has more symbolic value, it also very important strategically for both bilateral relations as well as Latin America. Obama is the first president to travel to Cuba for a bilateral visit since the island’s independence from Spain. Eighty-eight years ago, President Calvin Coolidge visited Cuba with the goal of creating an international summit. He did so on a warship. Obama is in Cuba accompanied by his family and in a climate absolutely unthinkable just a year and a half ago, when Obama and Cuban President Raúl Castro surprised the world with their announcement to normalize relations.

It is true that the path is long for both sides. Washington must definitively lift the embargo, a measure that proved ineffective in bringing down the dictatorship on the island. The decision does not depend on Obama but rather on Congress, which despite having a Republican majority — and in an electoral year — should have enough high-mindedness to put an end to an anachronism that hurts the Cuban population but not its government.

Meanwhile, Raúl Castro has to promote concrete progress in the opening of the regime and respect for human rights. Opposition must stop being persecuted and harassed. In this regard, the meetings Obama will have tomorrow with representatives from Cuban civil society, including several opponents, are very significant. A real, rather than symbolic, increase in freedoms must be a palpable outcome of the process of normalization of the relations between the two countries.

Obama’s stay in Cuba is the ultimate demonstration that both countries are experiencing an irreversible process of reconciliation. It is a clear message that things will never be the same in the United States regarding Cuba, and those changes must also occur on the island.

The historical importance of this event is emphasized even more, as it coincides with another act of extraordinary political significance developing in Havana: the peace talks between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. Obama will speak with Castro about these negotiations, which are already in the final stages to end Latin America’s oldest guerrilla [army]. For decades, both Cuba and the U.S. have supported contenders in war efforts. Now, they must help establish peace.