Curious Cuba Confusion

Hi, remember me? Well, my first quarter resolution hasn't been going too well, but I've also had a new kink in my blogging schedule. That would be the non napping Realpolitik toddler. Yes, it's true, my days of quiet nap filled afternoons might be coming to an end very soon but in the mean time onward to the blog of the day.

A few days ago I heard on NPR - about my only source for news anymore. That Raul Castro commented that maybe the Cuban government may have said and done some things in the past that could have hurt Cuban-American relations. I am glad to see the Obama administration take some steps to ease some of the tensions that exist while also relaxing some of the restrictions on Cuban living in the U.S. traveling to Cuba and how much money can be sent to relatives who still live on the island.

My confusion and I guess surprise is Raul's comment. His brother, Fidel, who had been in power for over 5 decades and has only criticized the United States from its policies to its leaders and everything in between. I never thought I might see the day that a Castro, especially while Fidel is still alive, might say that maybe the leadership has been wrong in their actions all these years. I am not sure where this change of heart has come from but I do believe that it is sincere. It might be that everyone has little warm fuzzies for our President Obama - which we saw during the G-20 summit - or maybe it Fidel's ailing years he has seen how both sides have erred in their relations with one another. Whatever the case may be I think how the United States government and the Cuban government proceed may bring some new policies towards Cuba. We may not be ready yet to repeal the embargo until the Castro government, be it Fidel or Raul, are completely gone, but I do think this is a situation has a positive conclusion in I hope the next several years.