US-Cuba relations enter an intriguing phase

Since President Barack Obama had dramatically announced normalisation of relations with Cuba on  December 17, 2014 following secret negotiations  brokered by   Pope Francis there has been a spate of criticism from Republican lawmakers and neocon intellectuals.
The decision to normalise relations with communist Cuba after 50 years  of animosity is one of the most radical shifts in the foreign policy of the United States of America. Obama is now planning to visit Cuba.
As a part of normalisation accord, Cuba released Alan Gross, a US contractor imprisoned there for the last five years and an unnamed US intelligence agent  who was arrested 20 years back  in exchange of three Cuban spies jailed in the US in 2001.
Obama shook hands with Cuban President Raul Castro in Panama City on April 10 on the occasion of the 7th Summit of Americas. They first met and shook hands during the funeral ceremonies of Nelson Mandela at Johannesburg on December 10, 2013.  
This was for the first time that Cuba attended the Summit of Americas which began in 1992 at the initiative of President Bill Clinton.
Incidentally, President of Venezuela Maduro who succeeded Hugo Chavez, attended the summit in spite of the fact that Venezuela and the US are not maintaining diplomatic relationship at ambassadorial level since the last six years and  Obama's administration imposed sanctions on a group of Venezuelan officials and declared Venezuela a threat to the US.
 Latin American countries are gradually rising economically. Panama which hosted the 7th Summit of Americas, is a fast-growing economy in the region. Expansion of Panama Canal will increase its trade with the United States and other countries in Latin America.
At a meeting of international business leaders where leaders from Mexico, Brazil and Panama were present, President Obama had pledged $ 1.0 billion aid initiative for Central Americas and praised Mexican President Enrique Pena for overhauling its oil sector. Obama also pointed out that Latin America's export to the United States have grown more than 50 per cent since he took over the presidency in 2009. He also attended a meeting of civil society in Panama city.
A gradual path towards normalisation of relations between the US and Cuba will likely be open soon. In this connection, a declaration of removing Cuba from the list of states sponsoring terrorism will be made by the President of the United States. A review of the list is-under study at the White House. As soon as Cuba is cleared off the list from terrorism sponsoring country further step will be followed in establishing  diplomatic missions in Havana by US while Cuba will open mission in Washington DC.
But lifting of economic sanction would take certain time because the US Congress is now dominated by the Republican lawmakers. Republican lawmakers are against opening of relations with Cuba so long as the Castro regime remains in power. While President Obama called on the Congress during his State of Union address in January this year to end embargo against Cuba, prominent Cuban-American lawmakers are against it unless democratic values are honoured in Cuba. However, the US Chamber of Commerce is in favour of developing relations with Cuba.
This being the scenario in the United States of America, it is yet to be seen which way the wind blows during the process of normalising US diplomatic relations with Cuba.
The writer is a retired diplomat and former president of Toastmasters International Club of America.
  amjad.21@gmail.com