Did Cuba trip make a lasting impact for Illinois?

Did Cuba trip make a lasting impact for Illinois?
Illinois delegation visited 10 years ago hoping to foster relationship
By ADRIANA COLINDRES
GateHouse News Service
Posted May 09, 2009 @ 11:17 PM
Last update May 10, 2009 @ 12:00 AM
SPRINGFIELD —

Nearly 10 years after accompanying Illinois Gov. George Ryan on a
historic trip to Fidel Castro's Cuba, members of the delegation say
they're glad they went.

"I can't imagine it wasn't personally rewarding for each and every one
of us," said David Chicoine, a former dean of University of Illinois'
College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences.

Harder to gauge, however, is whether the October 1999 journey was of
lasting benefit for Illinois.

Ryan initially described the five-day trip as a way to foster a trade
relationship someday between Cuba and Illinois, but the U.S. government
frowned on that. It later was billed as a "humanitarian mission" to help
Cubans and Illinoisans build bridges with one another.

The delegation of about 50 included lawmakers, educators and officials
from Peoria-based Caterpillar Inc., Decatur-based Archer Daniels Midland
and other Illinois businesses.

The trip made the Republican Ryan the first sitting U.S. governor to
travel to Cuba since Castro seized power in 1959.

U.S. policy changing

While Castro has since stepped aside in favor of his brother, Raul, the
relationship between Cuba and the United States is unchanged. The two
countries still don't have formal diplomatic relations, and a U.S. trade
embargo against the island nation remains in effect.

Throughout his Cuban travels, Ryan repeatedly called for an end to the
embargo.

Last month, President Barack Obama announced the U.S. government would
lift restrictions on how much money Cuban-Americans could send to their
Cuban relatives. Further, the president said, Cuban-Americans should be
allowed to travel to Cuba as much as they want.

Several members of the Ryan delegation said they support Obama's moves.
Some would like to see him go even further by dropping the embargo.

"I think the evidence is real clear that the boycott has not worked.
It's only helped Castro to sustain himself in power," said House Speaker
Michael Madigan, a Chicago Democrat.

"I think we ought to just normalize relations with the island," he
added. "The best way to dismantle the communist regime in Cuba is to
normalize relations with America so there can be a free flow of goods
and services and information."

Todd Sieben, a former Republican state senator from Geneseo, called
Obama's actions a positive step.

"I think the time is long past since Cuba represents any kind of threat
to the United States," he said.

In south Florida, where delegation member Ana Cecilia Velasco now lives,
the U.S. policy changes have led to a divided response from the large
numbers of Cuban-Americans who settled there after fleeing Castro's regime.

"You'll find people who are fanatically against anything supporting the
Cuban government," Velasco said. "However, you will also find people who
have parents (in Cuba) who are getting older in age," so they want to
travel there more easily.

As for her own view, Velasco said she has "great faith that whatever
President Obama is doing right now has been done thoughtfully and with a
lot of care as to what consequences and repercussions the United States,
as a whole, is going to have to live with."

Boon to Illinois trade?

Opening trade between the United States and Cuba could benefit certain
sectors of the U.S. economy, including agriculture, pharmaceuticals and
heavy machinery - all of which have a strong presence in Illinois.

But it's unclear whether the 1999 trip means that the Land of Lincoln
would stand to gain more than other states if Cuba and the United States
normalize diplomatic relations.

"That's a long time ago. That's 10 years ago," Chicoine said. "From an
economic standpoint, it's probably much more of an important issue for
the Cubans and the Cuban economy than it is for the U.S."

Doug Crew, a retired governmental affairs manager at Caterpillar Inc.,
added: "Given the time that has passed since then, I think the potential
for opportunity because of that trip is increasingly limited."

State Sen. Dan Rutherford, R-Chenoa, believes the Illinois economy would
get a boost from open trade with Cuba, though not necessarily just
because of the Ryan trip. Illinois is well-positioned to do big business
with Cuba because it's a major producer of corn and soybeans and a major
manufacturer of pharmaceuticals, he said.

Geography also plays a role, Madigan said, recalling how Ryan used a map
to point out to Castro how easily goods could be transported on the
Mississippi River from Illinois to Cuba.

Place in history

In the long run, the Ryan delegation's trip to Cuba might be remembered
more for its historical significance in altering the way Cuba and the
United States deal with one another.

"These kinds of geopolitical changes usually don't take place as a
result of one incident," said Crew, citing President Ronald Reagan's
1987 speech calling for the destruction of the Berlin Wall.

That speech didn't immediately cause the Berlin Wall to fall, but it
eventually did come down. Similarly, Ryan's gesture by going to Cuba
helps make the case for easing U.S. sanctions, he said.

An attempt to contact Ryan, now in federal prison on corruption charges,
was unsuccessful. His wife, Lura Lynn, said neither of them is speaking
to the media.

Rutherford, who in 1999 was a state representative, credited Ryan for
his "foresight and tenacity in taking on this political statement."

The U.S. government authorized Ryan's trip to Cuba but wasn't exactly
thrilled about it, several delegates recalled. After Ryan met with
Castro, a State Department spokesman said he shouldn't have done it.

Ryan was firm in his belief that the trip "ought to happen," Madigan said.

"When the historians write about the relationship between the United
States and Cuba, in what will eventually become normalization of
relations, I'm sure they'll point to Ryan's trip," he said. "And they'll
either say that it helped or it didn't hurt."

Adriana Colindres can be reached at (217)782-6292 or
adriana.colindres@sj-r.com

Did Cuba trip make a lasting impact for Illinois? - Peoria, IL -
pjstar.com (11 May 2009)

http://www.pjstar.com/news_state/x114618898/Did-Cuba-trip-make-a-lasting-impact-for-Illinois