TOW #21 (Non-fiction) Mr. Obama’s Historic Move on Cuba

      Towards the end of 2014, America and Cuba broke down the political, social, and economical barriers between the two to begin a new history of America-Cuba relations. Although there are many people in the United States who disagree with what America did, The Editorial Board of the New York Times believes it was the proper move and an important change to American foreign policy. The Editorial Board of the New York Times used quotes from the leaders of both nations and factual evidence to show how America made the right choice in opening up to Cuba.

      The New York Times uses quotes from both Obama and Raul Castro, the Cuban president, to praise this new step to America-Cuba relations. Obama says, “These 50 years have shown that isolation has not worked. It’s time for a new approach”. This shows how practical Obama was in his decision and how he made the right decision. Obama made the right choice to open up to Cuba. Castro says, “We must learn the art of coexisting with our differences in a civilized manner". This quote from the Cuban president shows Cuba's willingness to cooperate with America and escape from the isolationism that hindered the nation's growth for 50 years. By using the words of the two leaders of both nations, both willing to cooperate with each other, shows how America-Cuba relations might turn out for the better.    The New York Times also use evidence that appeals to logos to show the leaps America and Cuba are making in diplomacy and policy. The Obama administration said the the changes in relations have, "the potential to empower Cuba’s growing entrepreneurial class by permitting commercial and financial transactions with the United States. The White House also intends to make it easier for American technology companies to upgrade the island’s primitive Internet systems, a step that could go a long way toward strengthening civil society." The Cuban government also released, "unnamed American intelligence agent who had been imprisoned for nearly 20 years and Alan Gross, a 65-year-old American subcontractor who had been imprisoned in Havana since 2009." While the US, "released three Cuban spies who have served more than 13 years in prison. The prisoner swap paved the way for a policy overhaul that could become Mr. Obama’s top foreign policy legacy." Factual evidence like this shows the effort the two nations are putting into the relations and commending them for the work they are doing to establish healthy connections with each other. The New York Times' Editorial Board believes that Obama made the right move in ending America and Cuba isolationism and, "in all likelihood, history will prove Mr. Obama right."

President Raul Castro addressing the Cuban public on the new policies with America