Obama and Cuba

The possibility of the USA formally softening its stance with the Caribbean island raises some interesting questions in terms of international relations.

And on this note the Independent’s Big Question is a good starting point.

To my mind, Obama is unlikely and unwise to usher in radical change soon. First, he has too much on his hands already. An economic crisis. A deepening crisis in Afghanistan. And there is always the possibility that Iraq could escalate again (some early warning signs have been visible in the shape increased numbers of suicide bomb attacks). The second reason why he is unwise to usher in change? He has too much on his hands already. Past Presidents have been lucky to successfully deal with crises on one front, never mind multiple ones. And there are a host of other massive challenges facing the White House incumbent also. Relations with China, the Middle East peace process, envoronmental change to name but three.

Before reading the article, there is an important caveat: tens of thousands of Americans to travel to and from Cuba. The point is that they do it via secondary countries, mostly Mexico and Canada. This is a fact that comes as a surprise to British tourists when they tour the streets of Havana.