Obama reaches out to Cuba and Venezuela

> Posted by William Gibson on April 20, 2009 11:34 AM



Chavez and Obama make nice at summit (Getty images)


President Obama concluded an historic Summit of the Americas on Sunday determined to try a whole new approach to dealing with Cuba and Venezuela.

So far, all concerned seem determined to make nice. Everyone, that is, except for Newt Gingrich and other critics in this country who fear that Obama is naively playing with adversaries.

``How do you mend relationships with someone who actively hates your country?’’ Gingrich, the former Republican House speaker, said this morning on NBC’s Today Show. ``Cuba releases zero prisoners, yet we make nice with Cuba.’’

Obama sounded encouraged about his new approach at a press conference on Sunday. He defended his cordial exchange with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and his overtures to Cuban President Raul Castro, who was excluded from the summit.


Raul Castro

``It's unlikely that as a consequence of me shaking hands or having a polite conversation with Mr. Chavez that we are endangering the strategic interests of the United States,’’ Obama said.

He pointedly branded the strict embargo of Cuba a failure. He even suggested that U.S. officials have a thing or two to learn from Cuba’s outreach to Latin America. He noted that Cuba has made many friends by exporting thousands of doctors to countries in need.

``It's a reminder for us in the United States that if our only interaction with many of these countries is drug interdiction, if our only interaction is military, then we may not be developing the connections that can, over time, increase our influence,’’ he said.

Obama added, however, that he was not overlooking Cuba’s absence of political rights.

``The Cuban people are not free,’’ he said. ``And that's our lodestone, our North Star, when it comes to our policy in Cuba.’’

Clearly, under Obama we will see a new strategy of engagement with Latin America. Will it help?