Cuba Presented in This Summary

¶ … Cuba

Presented in this summary are four documents that could very well inform possibilities of policy shifts of the United States of America (U.S.) with respect the highly controversial small Communist state of Cuba. The first document entitled, With Castro Stepping Down, What is Next for Cuba and the Western Hemisphere, documents the hearing of the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, Committee on Foreign Affairs, House of Representatives, Second Session of the 110th Congress. Attended by members of the subcommittee as well as representatives from the academe and policy think-tanks on the Western Hemisphere/the Americas with the proceedings presided by subcommittee chair, Honorable Eliot L. Engel. The report included eight prepared statements and a letter from the Organization of American States dated March 3, 2008 regarding the crisis in the Andean region involving Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela on the killing of FARC leader, Raul Reyes; how this changes how the U.S. deals with these countries in light of the regional security agreement to cut off support for states that are found to be cuddling or providing support for identified terrorist organizations. One of the key points raised in the document is the consensus that the decision of Fidel Castro to relinquish power to his younger brother, Raul Castro, as an open door for Cuba to become a democracy. However, there is an apparent distrust that Raul may be no different from Fidel. The main issue of the hearing was how to best achieve democracy in Cuba in light of the change in administration. Key issues raised include: Will there be changes in U.S. policy toward Cuba with Fidel Castro relinquishing his rule to his younger brother? Second, what are the repercussions of the different scenarios of changing, not changing, or a policy somewhere in between these two? Third, should the U.S. reach out to the new administration or should it wait for Raul Castro's administration to act on changing the course of its relations with the U.S.

In light of what is viewed as a positive development under the administration of Raul Castro

, most of the speakers, whether for or against the U.S. embargo, expressed that U.S. policy in Cuba needs to be viewed not only in light of the internal political developments but should also take into account the reconfiguration of alliances among the different governments in Latin America, as well as the accompanying dynamics in the region. It also takes into consideration other developments in U.S. relations with other nations in Latin America based on the main strategy of dialogue and engagement with the fourfold focus of democratic consolidation; prosperity and economic opportunity through bilateral free-trade agreements, APEC expansion in the Americas; energy security; building social capital in Latin America in the areas of education, health, access to capital, economic infrastructure, and personal security, and professional exchanges and youth programs; and security cooperation with the recognition of non-traditional threats stressing the relationship of security and prosperity. In more than one occasion, the current policy of embargo was challenged by representatives from the think-tanks as not serving the purpose of actually promoting democracy in the Cuba, which is seen as inimical to campaign for democratic consolidation in the region.