Coexistence, a modus vivendi, can be possible between Cuba and the U.S., confirmed in this capital Peter Kornbluh, Senior analyst at the U.S. National Security Archive and author of the book Back Channel to Cuba: The Hidden History of Negotiations Between Washington and Havana.
Kornbluh, who feels optimistic regarding the process that started last December 17th with the speeches of Raul Castro and Barack Obama, pointed out that mutual respect is critical in the talks. Thus, both countries can reach the final goal of restoring diplomatic relations and everything can be normal in the future.
“President Barack Obama will remove Cuba from the list of countries that sponsor terrorism possibly before the Summit of the Americas in April. You are a very important nation in the region of Latin America and the Caribbean and Obama wants to be there with an improvement in our relations with the island and the region,” highlighted the American academician.
To Peter Kornbluh, it makes no sense to normalize relations with a country that sponsor international terrorism. “It’s a lie and an insult to have Cuba in such a list and Obama knows it”, he highlighted.
Amid the morning bustle at the Washington DC Main Railway Station, Kornbluh agreed to talk with the Cuban journalists that attend the second round of talks aimed at restoring diplomatic relations.
“Year 2015 –he said– is decisive so that the US government advances with new positive steps in its relations with Cuba and added that both countries should take advantage of the moment because the presidential cycle would begin again and that may slow down progress a bit.
“The truth is that there is a big push in many sectors in Washington for the government to do more in order to improve its relations with the island”, pointed out the author of “Back Channel to Cuba. The Hidden History of Negotiations between Washington and Havana”.
There is much interest in the United States regarding what is happening, thus shown by the surveys published in the last few days and in this sense, to Peter Kornbluh, the public support of the president lies there.
However, forces opposed to the improvement are still powerful and influential in Congress, especially from the Republican party, he said, at the same time he assured that such adverse power is little, even in Miami.
He specified that U.S. is not going to stop being the country that it is in its essence and will always “push” toward its interests. But “pushing” in a context of civilized relations is very different from doing so in a context of aggression or low-intensity war as it has been throughout the past half century.
