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New York Times: “End the U.S. Embargo on Cuba”

Not only is it the NYT editorial board top feature in its Sunday edition, but the editorial is published in both English (link here) and Spanish (here). The piece is required reading for anyone interested in Latin American affairs and is a careful, point-by-point reading of the current situation as regards the two countries as well as The Americas as a wider region, but perhaps the key point comes at the end:

In April, Western Hemisphere heads of state will meet in Panama City for the seventh Summit of the Americas. Latin American governments insisted that Cuba, the Caribbean’s most populous island and one of the most educated societies in the hemisphere, be invited, breaking with its traditional exclusion at the insistence of Washington. 

Given the many crises around the world, the White House may want to avoid a major shift in Cuba policy. Yet engaging with Cuba and starting to unlock the potential of its citizens could end up being among the administration’s most consequential foreign-policy legacies. 

Normalizing relations with Havana would improve Washington’s relationships with governments in Latin America, and resolve an irritant that has stymied initiatives in the hemisphere. The Obama administration is leery of Cuba’s presence at the meeting and Mr. Obama has not committed to attending. He must — and he should see it as an opportunity to make history.

This humble corner of cyberspace fully supports the NYT Op-Ed position.

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