The Real Lesson Learned From Carnival’s Cuba Odyssey
Gerard Dion Cuba Unchained
Friends,
The lifting of Cuba’s maritime travel ban this past week is the most concrete example we have to date of how normalized relations between the United States and Cuba are doing more to resolve differences between our countries and expand rights for the Cuban people than a half-century old policy of isolation ever achieved.
Despite what some in South Florida might claim, the lifting of the ban—which prohibited Cuban-born travelers from entering or leaving the Island on commercial vessels—was not the direct result of protests and lawsuits. Such actions against corporate interests seeking to do business in Cuba are not new to Miami, and in the past have only succeeded in deterring American companies from entering the Cuban market.
In this instance, public outcry certainly helped create a sense of urgency and its impact should not understated, though no more than it should be exaggerated. The fact is Miami-based protests and lawsuits have never persuaded the government in Havana to change a single one of its policies to the benefit of the Cuban people. Only one thing got us across that finish line last week, and that was engagement.
What made the real difference was that for the first time we had a mechanism in place to channel our frustration into constructive action; that Carnival’s attorneys and U.S. diplomats could sit down with Cuban officials and reach a resolution in an amicable manner.
It took negotiations, not confrontation, to actually secure the changes. And when you consider how slowly Cuba has moved to implement economic reforms and open up to American businesses, their announcement last Friday that they would lift the ban should be seen as a major advancement. Not because it flung the Island’s doors open—Cuban-born travelers have already been able to take flights to the Island for years—but because it showed how quickly the dynamics of relationship between the U.S. and Cuba are changing with increased personal and commercial ties.
Never mind the theatrics: After two weeks of controversy, a travel ban that had been in place for decades was lifted because both sides acknowledged it no longer served any purpose. Now if only the U.S. Congress would follow suit and end our own anachronistic laws toward Cuba, starting with the one that restricts the right of over 300 million Americans to travel freely to the Island.
On another note, pressure has also grown recently to do away with the Cuban Adjustment Act, including among lawmakers who still insist that we maintain the embargo on Cuba. While we agree that the CAA should be repealed, it must only be done so in tandem with the embargo. As we have previously stated, eliminating one and not the other is arbitrarily punitive to the Cuban people. We can never fully normalize ties if our immigration policy encourages thousands of Cubans to leave a country facing serious demographic challenges. But at the same time, we should not revoke privileges for migrants fleeing Cuba’s moribund economy while upholding blanket sanctions that contribute to the conditions they’re feeling in the first place.
If Congress wants to stem the flow of migration from Cuba, they can start by lifting the travel ban. After all, if the complaint from some Members is that economic opportunity—and not political asylum—is what drives this migration, then it only makes sense to adopt policies that foster growth on the Island itself. And if Congress wants more conducive relations, they should lift the embargo altogether. As we saw with Carnival, deeper economic ties with Cuba are a faster and more effective incentive for change than the embargo has ever been.
Finally, we want to congratulate U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Roberta Jacobson on her long overdue confirmation. For far too long, her nomination was held up as petty political payback for serving our country in diplomatic talks with Cuba. She has been an excellent public servant and we wish her the best in her new role.
Thank you for your support,
Gerard Dion Cuba Unchained
