First hints from the White House
On Thursday of last week, the new White House shed some light on its Cuba strategy. Biden’s Press Secretary Jen Psaki (who I must say I find very impressive) slyly flipped to the relevant section of her notes as a reporter asked whether her boss would be reversing Trump’s heavy-handed Cuba policies. Her response was succinct and well considered, but only somewhat illuminating:
"Our Cuba policy is governed by two principles. First, support for democracy and human rights — that will be at the core of our efforts. Second is Americans, especially Cuban Americans, are the best ambassadors for freedom in Cuba."
She finished her brief remarks by stating that the Biden strategy towards Cuba will be a departure from previous administrations, but that she didn’t “have anything to predict” quite yet.
AFP via Getty Images
Let’s review Psaki’s first point. Focusing on democracy and human rights is a politically deft way to be pro-engagement without coming under fire from Cuban-American hardliners. This is a savvy move. Not only are democracy and human rights very important principles, but they give the Biden administration political cover to go into conversations with the Cuban government without pre-conditions. The Marco Rubio crowd generally does not support any type of diplomatic engagement with Cuba while it maintains its current system of government. Democracy and human rights are the magic words to get the diplomatic conversations started.
Now to Psaki’s second point — that Americans are the best ambassadors for freedom in Cuba. The word freedom is another one of those politically useful words. Hardliners generally don’t want Americans to travel to Cuba because at least some of the money ends up funding Cuba’s large communist bureaucracy. Psaki is taking the edge off by positioning travel as a channel for promoting American values.
Her remarks can be taken to mean that travel to Cuba will open up when feasible, i.e., sometime after both countries are in a better place with the pandemic.
For proponents of diplomatic engagement with Cuba, these are encouraging words, but they leave us with no greater insight into the Biden administration’s timeline for action. With all its other priorities (COVID-19, climate, the economy, etc.), it may be many months more before the White House is able to kick off its Cuba strategy.
For more insight on what Biden wants to do in Cuba (and what the Cubans want from him), check out my friend Patrick Oppmann’s analysis for CNN from Friday.