President Obama gets friendly with Raul Castro of Cuba

President Barack Obama got friendly with Raul Castro of Cuba via the goodwill gesture of a firm handshake when the two met recently. This is the first time US-Cuba relations have thawed since the past half century or so.

President Obama had a long chat with President Raul Castro of Cuba in Panama recently. This was prior to a meeting which is to be held soon that will see to a détente regarding the animosity between the two countries.

It’s been more than five decades since Cuba and the United States enjoyed a friendly relationship. With the coming of Fidel Castro’s communist regime coupled with the disastrous Bay of Pigs Invasion by JFK (something about which he was to later on say “how could we have been so stupid!”) the bond between the two nations broke and matters went from bad to worse.

But now it seems that the war clouds have disappeared and the dreary days of the Cold Warriors are over for good. Obama was especially very happy and said in an optimistic tone of voice that as the pact between the two nations was a done deal, the citizens of Cuba will see better days. And although right now things are in their initial phases, its just one step from a handshake to a bear hug. 

When the conversation gets more interactive with the passage of time, the respective leaders of the United States and Cuba will cement their commercial and cultural ties. The Cold War has not resurfaced since a long time ago. And now is the right time to finally bury the hatchet and call bygones bygones.

The embargo that had been imposed and the general cold shoulder the United States had shown Cuba have gone with the wind. Now it is all smiles and a spirit of camaraderie and warm feelings which is a good sign.

Since the two countries are neighbors this suits them as well. Cuban citizens will be welcomed on US soil and the terrorism charges against the island nation will be dropped. The only time in the past that President Obama and Raul Castro have met is a brief encounter during Nelson Mandela’s funeral two years ago.

That barely lasted for a split second and was perfunctory and very formal. But such is not the situation at present. The open door policy of the US has been lauded by Cuba’s leaders and the feeling is mutual that things ought to go back to the good old days when everything was normal.  

Sources: NBC , Haaretz