Next Steps - How President Obama Should Advance U.S.-Cuba Relations

Next Steps: How President Obama Should Advance U.S.-Cuba Relations

By: Ted Piccone



In 2009, President Obama began relaxing tough sanctions on Cuba,

expanding the free flow of people and remittances and planting the seeds

of a new paradigm for U.S.-Cuba relations - one that looks beyond the

outdated Cold War-era approach that has been employed for so long.



The Atlantic Council's new poll reflects broad national support for

normalization of relations with Cuba, especially for the sorts of

incremental changes the President can make unilaterally. These results

should give further momentum to President Obama's initial steps to

update U.S. policy on Cuba.



There are a number of steps this Administration can take to advance this

policy and expand contact with the Cuban people:



Provide direct assistance to Cuba's burgeoning small and medium enterprises



Since 2011, the Cuban government has enacted a series of pragmatic

reforms to update the Cuban economic model, including creating space for

private enterprise. As a result, 450,000 entrepreneurs have established

small businesses under these new rules, making up an emerging Cuban

middle class. President Obama can support this positive change by

permitting any U.S. commercial or economic activity that would provide

direct services, donations and goods to Cubans authorized to open

private enterprises in certain authorized categories (including

construction and remodeling, real estate, food and beverage, room

rentals, to name a few). These entrepreneurs are key to the future of

Cuba's political economy.



Authorize further relaxation of trade and financial policy

The President can further facilitate support to the Cuban people

(especially entrepreneurs) by lifting the cap on cash and gifts that

non-Cuban-Americans can send to the island, eliminating the daily

expenditure cap for U.S. citizens visiting Cuba and removing the

prohibition on the use of U.S. credit and bank cards in Cuba.



Remove Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism

Cuba was added to the list in 1982 in response to support it provided to

Latin American insurgencies, including Colombia's FARC. But now, Cuba

plays a key role in facilitating the Colombian peace talks with the FARC

and it has distanced itself from ETA members living on the island.

Tellingly, the State Department's 2013 review states "there was no

indication that the Cuban government provided weapons or paramilitary

training to terrorist groups" and high-level U.S. diplomats no longer

feel the designation is justified. The President should signal his

intention to remove Cuba from the list in the context of direct talks on

other measures needed to improve U.S.-Cuban relations.



Expand ongoing cooperation on issues of mutual concern

Last month, U.S. and Cuban officials met in Havana to continue

discussions on migration, an important building block toward future

normalization of relations. The President should build on this success

by appointing a special envoy to lead similar dialogues on travel,

counterterrorism and counternarcotics, the environment, and trade and

investment.



Normalizing relations with Cuba along these lines would give American

and Cuban citizens the freedom to engage in direct diplomacy and support

the Cuban people in their desire to participate in and benefit from the

updating of the Cuban model.



This piece was originally published on the Atlantic Council LatAmSource

blog.



Source: How President Obama Should Advance U.S.-Cuba Relations |

Brookings Institution -

http://www.brookings.edu/research/opinions/2014/02/10-next-steps-us-cuba-relations-piccone