Approximately 90 miles from the U.S. shore is the island of Cuba, an ally of the United States when it was governed by dictatorship. Fidel Castro came to power when he overthrew Cuba's dictatorship and our relationship has never been the same.
The next President should hold meetings with Castro or whomever the Cuban leader is at the time with the intent to open and have diplomatic relations with Cuba. Cuba and America could become full trading partners and in time Cuba could become a free country for its people. Fifty plus years of sanctions and boycotts never achieved its goal---the overthrow of Castro by its people; it is time to try something different.
The idea of Cuba being more inline with our enemies than with America is unacceptable after all these years. President Kennedy before his death had plans to start a dialog with Cuba to bring them back in our hemisphere. He had the wisdom to realize the communist hold on Cuba had to be broken. Unfortunately, his untimely death put an end to this endeavor.
An independent, free Cuba would make our hemisphere safer. Our relationship with Cuba should be a strong, mutual one; not one where the U.S. dominates. The United States should not be worried because Cuba is communist. That will fall soon enough from natural forces just like communism in Russia fell.
The next President will have to stand up to the Cuban people in Florida who will not take kindly to this new policy. President Kennedy during the Cuban missile crisis of 1962 called Cuba, "that imprisoned island." Almost 50 years later, our foreign policy toward Cuba has not changed that. The time for action is way over due.
Picture: © Rafael Perez/Corbis
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