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Cuba in 2015 from the Central
European Perspective
Martin Palouš
Czech Diplomat, former Ambassador to the United States (2001-05) and Permanent
Representative to the United Nations (2006-11)
1. The New US policies

T

he decision of the US and Cuban
Governments to re-establish the
diplomatic relations between the two
countries has certainly added new dynamism to the debate on Cuba. Two
schools of thought are clashing here. The
argument of the supporters of the new
US policy towards Cuba is clear and
simple: the policy of isolation practiced
by the US Government in the past has
not produced any positive results, so let
us try something else! Regardless of how
strong the will to hold power and the
intense survival instincts of the Cuban
totalitarian regime are, there are a growing number of new elements characterizing the current Cuban situation that are
not and, by their very nature, cannot be
under its control. In spite of all the efforts of the current power-holders to
preserve the status quo the Cuban reality
today is different from the past and is
changing irreversibly with ever growing
speed. Yoani Sanchez once said: “Cuba
se cambia”, and nobody can stop this
trend! The Government of the United
States must depart in its policies towards
Cuba for the basic fact that any society
simply cannot remain the same forever.

The constructive engagement of the
Cuban Government, the re-establishment
of diplomatic relationships between
Cuba and the United States and their
gradually renewed economic cooperation must be perceived just as a first, but
absolutely necessary, step on a journey
towards the accomplishment of the
ultimate goal the US Government is
pursuing here. Its new Cuba policy is
certainly not to serve the US “national
interests” only, but to enhance – in
conformity with the fundamental American values and principles- freedom and
prosperity of the Cuban people! The
opponents of the decision of President
Obama to engage the current Cuban
Government in the process of rapprochement believe to have now strong
empirical evidence supporting their point
of view. The new US policy is already a
year old and nothing has really changed
in Cuba. It has generously offered a
number of concessions and nothing has
been obtained in return. Raul Castro’s
Government is still using its traditional
methods of control and manipulation,
fully endorsing the original ideological
visions of Fidel and subscribing to the
“revolutionary” program based on them.

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