The New Start in US-Cuba relations is a right step in the right direction. President Obama was right when he said the severing of ties with Cuba did not really work. Now is the time to kick-start a viable process that will end a 54 year political debacle that divided families and wounded lives. This is not only victory for Latin America but also Cuba and the US altogether. This is victory for American foreign policy and international peace. However, I do not agree with the idea that Cuba should be transitioned into a democracy when the country itself has prided itself as a democratic state within the ambit of its own socio-cultural and historical developments. The thought that Cuba should and must necessarily embrace Western democracy and reduce human rights abuses in order for the US to consider lifting further sanctions must be heavily resisted. Cuba has the rights under international law to promote and pursue its own style or brand of government. Democracy should be seen beyond what we are made to believe by the West. All the same, this new start is a win-win situation for both countries. The cold war has ended and so must the sanctions and embargo on Cuba. Rachael M. Rudolph
Posted on: Thu, 18 Dec 2014 08:54:00 +0000
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