Thaw Thaw, Not War War

After more than half a century of bringing the world to the brink of a nuclear war, and decades of sustained hostility, the heads of Cuba and the US met for the first time since 1958. Barack Obama and Raúl Castro (Fidel Castro’s brother) sat side by side in a small conference room on the sidelines of a regional summit in Panama, both the US and Cuban flags conspicuous by their absence and the mood less celebratory and more cordial and businesslike, but the occasion nonetheless historic.

The meeting was a result of nearly two years of secret talks and quiet diplomacy, negotiated by Latin American and US diplomats and leaders, with even the Vatican chipping in. If the 1989 collapse of the Berlin Wall became the symbol of the end of the Cold War, the handshake that followed this meeting between Obama and Castro represents what has come to be called ‘the Cuban Thaw’.

Obama and Castro, leaders of two different ideologies in mutual conflict, understand the need to deliver stability to the region. This move could help their countries normalise their relationship. Both want trade embargoes to be lifted and travel to be opened up between the two nations. There are also media reports that Obama is likely to strike Cuba off the list of countries considered sponsors of terror.

While the US has been able to foster beneficial relationships with former rivals like Vietnam, and to an extent even China and Russia, its relationship with Cuba has remained frozen as a relic of Cold War policy. The US has been accused of organising coups to topple the Fidel Castro regime and sanctioning embargoes that have crippled the island nation’s economy, while Havana has been charged as a single-party regime with scant regard for human rights and dissidents. For decades, no end was in sight to the standoff. Depending on your ideological persuasion, the antagonism between the two came to represent a battle between communism and capitalism, dictatorship and democracy, or David and Goliath.

On the day of Castro’s meeting with Obama, the former was vociferous in his condemnation of the US for its coup attempts in his country; but quite remarkably, Castro added that Obama was not to blame. As reported by Reuters, Castro said at one point, “I apologise to President Obama, because he is not responsible for any of this.” Obama on his part claimed that the US will not be imprisoned by the past. He told The New York Times, “I’m not interested in having battles that frankly started before I was born.” “The Cold War,” he said, “has been over for a long time.”

There are, however, plenty of hurdles to be overcome. The US Congress is reluctant to lift America’s trade embargo on Cuba. And many in Cuba view the changes as a betrayal of the ideals of the 1950s revolution. Even those Cubans who celebrate new trade prospects are wary of the intentions of the US. Also, there are other sore points. Washington wants Havana to restore full human rights and demands compensation for US-owned financial assets seized at the time of the revolution. Castro, in turn, has demanded that America’s legally-fuzzy Guantanamo Bay facility be returned to Cuba.

The future, however, is uncertain. Raúl, like his long-ailing brother Fidel, is ageing if not old, and there is uncertainty about what will happen to Cuba when the brothers are no more. For the US—already facing foreign policy challenges like the growing power of the Islamic State to Iran’s nuclear programme and Russia’s involvement in Ukraine—if this rapprochement goes ahead as planned, it could be the lone success story in many years.

About The Author

Lhendup G Bhutia

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