Along with the exchanging of prisoners, the United States and Cuba made public their plans to "normalize" relations between the two countries. On Wednesday, President Obama addressed the nation in a statement that explained the new approach with Cuba.
"In the most significant changes in our policy in more than fifty years, we will end an outdated approach that, for decades, has failed to advance our interests, and instead we will begin to normalize relations between our two countries. Through these changes, we intend to create more opportunities for the American and Cuban people, and begin a new chapter among the nations of the Americas," the President stated.
Cuba, a country ruled by the Communist party, has been at odds with the United States for half a century. Since the Cold War, and the fear of Communism, the United States has been cautiously defensive towards Cuba in both political and economic policies, though geographically Cuba is only 90 miles or so off the coast of the U.S.
President Barrack Obama and President Raul Castro held secret meetings for the past year and a half in order to negotiate the exchange of prisoners as well as propose plans for restoring connection between the two countries.
Obama's speech began with a brief history of the two nations, and his original intent to restore the severed relations when he came into office. The U.S. President claimed that the previous policy was archaic and impractical in modern times.
He then alluded to one of the blockades between the two countries: the prisoners. The U.S. welcomed back two U.S. citizens: Alan Gross and an intelligence agent. Gross, a USAID sub-contractor, was held prisoner in Cuba for 5 years. The intelligence agent was held in Cuba for almost 20 years. In return, the United States released three Cuban prisoners who were charged with spying and relaying information back to the Cuban government from within the United States. They were imprisoned for some 15 years.
The President mentioned the importance of the information that the agent brought to the U.S. and called him, "one of the most important intelligence agents that the United States has ever had in Cuba."
"Having recovered these two men who sacrificed for our country, I'm now taking steps to place the interests of the people of both countries at the heart of our policy," said Mr. Obama.
President Obama then stated three parts of the plan to restructure the relationship between Cuba and the U.S.
The first aspect was the assignment of Secretary Kerry to "immediately begin discussions with Cuba to reestablish diplomatic relations that have been severed since January of 1961." The United States would also establish an embassy in Havana and allow Cuban officials to visit the U.S. in order to improve communication in areas such as "health, migration, drug-trafficking, and disaster-response."
The second aspect was Secretary Kerry's review of Cuba as a State Sponsor of Terrorism. Obama argues that Cuba should not be considered a terrorist nation because of its current views against the use of terrorism.
Lastly, President Obama stressed the need to be more open with Cuba.
"We are taking steps to increase travel, commerce, and the flow of information to and from Cuba. This is fundamentally about freedom and openness, and also expresses my belief in the power of people-to-people engagement. With the changes I'm announcing today, it will be easier for Americans to travel to Cuba, and Americans will be able to use American credit and debit cards on the island," he said.
The President of the United States also spoke of efforts to increase the ability to travel, send money, conduct business, and telecommunicate to and from Cuba.
"Today we are making these changes because it is the right thing to do. Today, America chooses to cut loose the shackles of the past so as to reach for a better future - for the Cuban people, for the American people, for our entire hemisphere, and for the world," he said.
