With Return of
Cuba, Washington is Back in the Americas Fold (Folha, Brazil)
"The
United States gains from the removal of a permanent hindrance to its relations
with all other Latin American states - even those with absolutely no sympathy
for the Castro regime. … All had already decided that Cuba would
have to participate in the 7th Summit of the Americas in May, which created a Sophie's
choice for Obama: either give up attendance at an event created by the U.S. in
the first place - or the meeting would fail. Not anymore. The summit will be a
celebration of a reunited American family."
In his first meeting with then-President LuizInácio Lula da Silva,
Barack Obama told him he intended to normalize relations with Cuba by the end
of his first term.
He couldn't, but now, halfway through his second, he fulfilled
on his promise, which is good for everyone - the United States, Cuba, Brazil
and Latin America in general.
For Cuba, it's easier to quantify the benefit: its foreign
minister, Bruno Rodriguez, recently calculated the losses due to 50 year
embargo at an impressive $1.126 trillion.
That is, roughly, half of Brazil's annual GDP.
However long it takes to lift the embargo itself, it is
obvious that life will be easier for the two million Cubans living in the
United States and for those wishing to trade with the island.
Posted By
Worldmeets.US
Two million represent almost 20 percent of the entire Cuban
population (11 milion), which makes remittances and the
business it can potentially generate manna in abundance for the Caribbean
island.
This will certainly represent a boost to the difficult
transition that Cuba is now committed to, from a fully state-owned economic
system to one in which the private sector will eventually predominate.
Washington is gambling that the actions put in place
December 17 "will unleash the potential of 11 million Cubans by ending
unnecessary restrictions on their political, social, and economic activities."
The United States also gains from the removal of a permanent
hindrance to its relations with all other Latin American states - even those with
absolutely no sympathy for the regime but which have emotional memories of the
romantic 1959 Cuban revolution.
Which is why all had already decided that Cuba would have to
participate in the 7th Summit of
the Americas in May, which created a Sophie's
choice for Obama: either give up attendance at an event created by the
United States in the first place - or the meeting would fail.
Not anymore. The summit will be a celebration of a reunited
American family.
Of course, as it is part of the North American DNA, doing
business with Cuba influenced the decision to review a policy that in any case had
failed miserably.
The decision to finance the port was made under the presupposition
that it would make economic sense only if it could export to the United States,
which will require a lifting of the embargo.
Now that this is in sight, Brazil is well placed for exports
via Cuba.
Furthermore, the normalization presupposes an end to the Helms-Burton Act,
which punishes non-U.S. companies doing business with Cuba.
Therefore, Brazilian firms will no longer need to resort to negotiations
with third countries to profit throught trade with Cuba.
Posted
by Worldmeets.US
Clovis Rossi is a special correspondent and
member of the Folha editorial board, is a winner of the Maria Moors Cabot
award (USA) and is a member of the Foundation for a New Ibero-American
Journalism. His column appears on Thursdays and Sundays on page 2 and on
Saturdays in the World Notebook section. He is the author, among other works,
of Special Envoy: 25 Years Around the World and What is Journalism?
