I am not a foreign policy expert. I just wanted to say that up front. I do have an opinion about the US governments policy concerning Cuba.
In the recent Republican debates in Florida, a question was asked about improving the relationship between the United States and Cuba. It is apparently the Republican policy to maintain the status quo with Cuba that was initiated with the communist revolution in the 1959. Since then, we have maintained an embargo and nearly went to war during the Cuban Missile Crisis. While the trade and travel restrictions have eased somewhat, Cuba is not on the American vacation list. Normalization with Cuba would benefit the suffering economy of the island nation.
Normalization does not mean that the US sanctions communism. The US is demonstrating a flip flop on the issue with communism. China, still a communist country, provides the US with a vast amount of goods. (A great deal of the cheap crap we buy at Wal-Mart comes from China.) The US talks freely about the dictatorial government of Venezuela, yet we buy oil from them. Why then do we maintain such a distant relationship with one of our closest neighbors?
A downside? I am sure there is a possible downside to the normalization of relations with Cuba. There might be an influx of illegal immigration. There has been that in southern Florida for decades with the exception that the illegal immigrants were called refugees and given sanctuary. We don't do Mexicans that way. There is sympathy with refugees from a 'evil' government, but no sympathy for those who simply look for a better life. Normalization would change the status of those who leave Cuba to come to the United States.
I see that normalization Cuba would be beneficial for both the American people and the Cuban people.
