JG - The complex dance of engagement with Cuba

Stars and Stripes

The complex dance of engagement with Cuba

Published: Sunday May 10, 2009

David Jessop - THIS WEEK IN EUROPE

What will be the long-term impact of a changed economic relationship between Cuba and the United States on the Caribbean?

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"How might the region develop and its relationship change if the US were ever to restore full diplomatic relations with Havana?

These are questions that are beginning to be considered informally outside of the region in a quiet recognition that the mood in Washington towards Cuba has changed fundamentally and with it, most probably, the likely stance of Europe and other developed nations.

At and before the Summit of the Americas, US Pres-ident Barack Obama made clear that his administration's approach towards Cuba would be very different from that of all of his predecessors. "

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"(I)t became clear that talks have begun to establish formal channels of communication, with the US Assistant Secretary of State for the Western Hemisphere, Thomas Shannon, holding meetings with Jorge Bolanos, the very senior diplomat who heads the Cuban Interests Section in Washington."

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David Jessop is director of the Caribbean Council. Email: david.jessop@caribbean-council.org.