Cuba lobby
Changes in attitude of the Cuban-American community in Miami has been evident for some time, and during the 2008 campaign I noted how the Cuban American National Foundation welcomed Barack Obama's moderate message. Nicky Pear at the Council on Hemispheric Affairs has a good summary of these changes, pointing to a number of specific events that pushed CANF in new directions.
All sides of the three-way relationship seem to be accepting the need for at least an element of pragmatism. It is surely time for the U.S. to continue down this path and make the long overdue steps necessary to put an end to its counterproductive and highly damaging isolationist policy towards Cuba.
Yet it is also true that once in office, Obama has done very little to change U.S. policy, and he recently argued that the U.S. would not change anything unless Cuba liberalized its economy. So even though support for the embargo has dwindled, we have yet to see much evidence that it will be dismantled. And, of course, it is worth noting yet again that the Helms-Burton Act puts much of that power in the hands of Congress anyway (see section 204 of the law).
1 comments:
Comunism in Cuba has been a Great Tragedy, Isolation adds to the miseries of Cubans.
Some shy friendship of the USA to Cuba could perform miracles. But Perhaps that is not going to happen in the next two years.
Republican Takeover of the House of Representatives means the death of Immigration Reform and Great Immigration Battles in Congress and in the Media - The U. S. Congress will be a cacophony of harsh emotions with few fruits in Immigration
In General and not only for immigration I do not think that the Next U. S. Congress is going to be very productive of good laws. This new Congress is going to have a lot of Reactionary Retrogrades, and everybody will be strongly engaged in partisan politickering and focused on the U. S. Presidential Elections of year 2012.
The Republicans have been the Party of NO, of Filibuster and Obstruction in the last two years - But the Democrats in Congress can give the same medicine to the Republicans.
Vicente Duque
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