Bahauddin Foizee - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

OP-ED ARTICLES/ COLUMNS by Bahauddin Foizee

The US President Barack Obama’s administration declared, in December 2014, to bring an end to dec... more The US President Barack Obama’s administration declared, in December 2014, to bring an end to decades long sanction policy with regard to Cuba. Obama himself criticized the sanction policy to be a failed policy. Perhaps Obama has realized the possibility of huge commercial gains that may be achieved by improving relations with Cuba. However, many Republicans and even Democrats think otherwise, and prefer to continue the bitterness with Cuba.

As the end of Obama’s tenure approaches, fear has arisen that with the change of administration in 2016, the attempt to normalize Cuba-US relations that is tuned by Obama administration may be reversed. With such a disastrous reverse policy back to bitterness, the US would lose the opportunity of huge commercial gains that could only be achieved by improving relations with Cuba, and not by continuing the standoff.

The combination of — (i) transformation of ideals and value of Cuban society into global capitalism, (ii) reestablishment of the old US businesses in Cuba, (iii) availability (for the US manufacturer) of a well-trained and well-educated Cuban workforce that is cheaper at the same time, (iv) possibility for the US of finding a new energy supply destination right next-door, (v) possibility for the US of earning profits from Cuban energy industry (in distant future though) — will cultivate (for the US) huge commercial gains from Cuba that has not been seen since the late 1950s. Although the impacts of normalization of relations between the US and Cuba seem very optimistic, the continuation of this normalization policy will only be possible if the administration that would succeed Obama administration decides to continue with this policy, and thereafter, successfully overcomes many hurdles posed by the ones who, within the US political elites, oppose the normalization policy. Therefore, the administration succeeding the Obama administration would surely be instrumental in making the final call.

The US President Barack Obama’s administration declared, in December 2014, to bring an end to dec... more The US President Barack Obama’s administration declared, in December 2014, to bring an end to decades long sanction policy with regard to Cuba. Obama himself criticized the sanction policy to be a failed policy. Perhaps Obama has realized the possibility of huge commercial gains that may be achieved by improving relations with Cuba. However, many Republicans and even Democrats think otherwise, and prefer to continue the bitterness with Cuba.

As the end of Obama’s tenure approaches, fear has arisen that with the change of administration in 2016, the attempt to normalize Cuba-US relations that is tuned by Obama administration may be reversed. With such a disastrous reverse policy back to bitterness, the US would lose the opportunity of huge commercial gains that could only be achieved by improving relations with Cuba, and not by continuing the standoff.

The combination of — (i) transformation of ideals and value of Cuban society into global capitalism, (ii) reestablishment of the old US businesses in Cuba, (iii) availability (for the US manufacturer) of a well-trained and well-educated Cuban workforce that is cheaper at the same time, (iv) possibility for the US of finding a new energy supply destination right next-door, (v) possibility for the US of earning profits from Cuban energy industry (in distant future though) — will cultivate (for the US) huge commercial gains from Cuba that has not been seen since the late 1950s. Although the impacts of normalization of relations between the US and Cuba seem very optimistic, the continuation of this normalization policy will only be possible if the administration that would succeed Obama administration decides to continue with this policy, and thereafter, successfully overcomes many hurdles posed by the ones who, within the US political elites, oppose the normalization policy. Therefore, the administration succeeding the Obama administration would surely be instrumental in making the final call.