A New Chapter in US-Cuba Relations?

​For most of us, we have never really known a Cuban government which allowed relations with the United States to truly defrost. Prior to January 1, 1959, Cuba had a dictatorial government which allowed US businesses to operate provided that a costly “vig” was paid  directly to the Fulgencio Batista government.

And prior to Batista, the Cuban government was deep into graft with all sorts of criminal enterprises for its  own gain and not for any benefit for the Cuban people. This was revealed in many “entertainment” outlets in books and movies, most notably The Godfather.

Hence, the Cuban Revolutions throughout the 1950s led by Dr Fidel Castro and others.

We all know about the Bay of Pigs fiasco and the Cuban Missile Crisis which occurred during the Kennedy Administration. And subsequently, until 2015, when President Obama tried to normalize relations, this island ninety miles from Key West was essentially a true adversary.

Many Cubans have come to the US to live freely, giving much to this country, but wishing for the same freedoms for the countrymen they left behind.

Now, it is possible to see those dreams to come true. Especially in light of the fall of the Maduro regime in Venezuela.

For over sixty-five years, the Soviet Union, and then Russia, had been the Cuban government’s “protector” and sponsor, militarily and economically to prop up the Cuban government. But the cost to Russia to continue this relationship has proven costly, and impossible, as it continues to fight its war with Ukraine.

As well, the Chavez and Maduro regimes in Venezuela provided economic assistance in exchange for Cuban intelligence capabilities and other benefits. But no longer.

Curiously, we saw the Cuban government fire on an American fishing boat with no response by the US government. The battle is discussed among other issues in Saturday’s  Miami Herald and other media sources. Then, when asked about it, President Trump would only say, “They’re talking with us, and maybe we’ll have a friendly takeover of Cuba.”

And in light of other recent developments with Iran, and by extension, China and Russia, we may bear witness to a major shift in US-Cuba relations. 

It would be a huge foreign policy accomplishment by President Trump. Time will tell, for sure.