Obama Leaves A Poisoned Gift To Trump And Castro

Obama Leaves A Poisoned Gift To Trump And Castro / 14ymedio, Pedro Campos

14ymedio, Pedro Campos, 16 January 2017 — Raul Castro's government,
after reestablishing diplomatic relations with Washington and easing
international pressures – which allowed it to renegotiate a large part
of its foreign debt – did all it could to prevent the rapprochement from
resulting in increased business with the United States and its internal
influence in Cuba.

Many called President Obama's policy toward the island a failure and
systematically blamed the president for giving the Castro government
everything in exchange for nothing.

Havana's demands increased and hardened. The Cuban government continued
to blame the "blockade" and the Cuban Adjustment Act for the country's
economic disaster and the stampede of Cuban citizens to the United
States, while nothing or little was done to alleviate the internal
situation, improve democratic prospects and take advantage of the
possibilities offered by the Obama's executive orders.

Few comment that the end of the "wet foot/dry foot" policy – a "gift"
from Obama a few days before handing the government over to his
successor – can put both Raul Castro and Donald Trump in check, because
the closure of this escape valve could generate such an increase in the
internal pressure within Cuba that it will destabilize the government
and force it to undertake changes it has never wanted to, or confront a
crisis of incalculable consequences.

The challenge would be not only for Raul Castro, but also for the new
tenant in the White House, who until recently denied that Obama was born
in the United States and announced an strong hand with Cuba. It will not
be the outgoing president who now has to face the eventual complications
generated by a pressure cooker on the verge of exploding on the southern
border of the United States, who always tried to avoid the country's
intelligence with its impossible complications.

The person who will have to deal with this from the north – with the
consequences of this decision and all its effects and who would have
preferred not to have to mention it, for its undesired effects – is
going to be Donald Trump and not Barack Obama.

Both the president-elect of the United States and Raul Castro are going
to have to see what they can do to avoid unleashing the hitherto
contained anger of the Cuban people, when hundreds of thousands of young
people realize that they have no hope of improving their lives outside
the system that blocks them.

Undoubtedly, the "horse's head" would be for Trump, but the worst part
could touch the government of Raul Castro in his final year, a man who
did not know, did not want to, or could not, take advantage of the
opportunities offered by Obama and instead offered an elegant farewell,
in the mouth of his soldiers: a crown of lead for his head.

Now, the outgoing president, so attacked by Trump in his campaign and
whose hand outstretched towards Raul was not equally returned, will be
able to lounge comfortably in the front row to enjoy the spectacle that
could be generated – and is already being generated (thousands of Cubans
on the way, spread from Ecuador to Mexico, with an uncertain future) –
by his final measure, which the Cuban people will end up suffering.

Source: Obama Leaves A Poisoned Gift To Trump And Castro / 14ymedio,
Pedro Campos – Translating Cuba -
http://translatingcuba.com/obama-leaves-a-poisoned-gift-to-trump-and-castro-14ymedio-pedro-campos/