OP-ED: Chance to Change Course on Cuba (Japan Times, JAPAN)

The new political landscape in Washington and Havana offers a chance to change a foreign policy decision that has caused considerable, and unnecessary, suffering for almost half a century — the U.S. embargo against Cuba.

The Nation magazine has reported that Cuban President Raul Castro, in private talks with American actor Sean Penn, has expressed a willingness to meet with U.S. President-elect Barack Obama and discuss issues of common interest. A crucial component of these talks should be lifting the U.S. embargo on Cuba.

Although lifting the embargo — or recognizing the Cuban regime — requires congressional approval, Obama and the Democratic Party majority in Congress should be able to move forward with this, even if recalcitrant opponents in Congress are taken into account.

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