Barack Obama’s pan-American strategy is gathering steam and appears to bear some fruit, Moscow State University associate professor at the Faculty of World Politics Alexey Fenenko observed. The expert has commented on the US leader’s recent landmark visit to Cuba that has opened a new chapter in Cuban-American relations after decades of antagonism and economic blockade of the island. In his bid to restore and strengthen ties between Washington and Havana, Barack Obama encouraged Cubans to leave the past behind and made a solemn pledge to further speed up the normalization of US-Cuban relations.
Obama, who has become the first US president in almost 90 years to visit Cuba, was heartily welcomed by the Cuban people on all sides of the political spectrum, of the most diverse views and convictions. Cuban authorities took all kinds of safety precautions to tighten security and protect their high-profile guest from any unpleasant surprises. For example, football fans were only admitted to an exhibition baseball game that Obama attended during his trip to Havana by invitations distributed by the Castro government. Some of the shops along the streets of Old Havana that Obama and his family toured had been ordered to stay closed.
In any case, the US ‘soft power’ policy, now reaching out to Cuba, is bringing good results. The US President recalled that he himself came to power under the slogans of pan-Americanism revival. While he may not have achieved outstanding successes on that arena, a certain progress cannot be denied, and the historic trip to Cuba is an irrefutable proof thereof.
