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outdated Cold War-era approach that has been employed for so long.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