On the eve of the Summit of the Americas in Trinidad, and with Obama's recent decision to lighten travel restrictions to the island, the USA's failed Cuban policy has come back into focus. Obama was elected on a promise to change Cuban policy. That promise was not given lightly; diverging from the traditional, immutable hard-line position was a politically risky move that neither of his main competitors in the presidential race was prepared to commit to. But if there was any time to re-evaluate Cuban policy, now would be the time. Florida has lost its status as a coveted swing-state, opinion among the Cuban-American community has softened. And not least, Fidel Castro has stepped down. But, if US policy is now to change, then expectations must change as well.
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