OBAMA EM CUBA E CUBA PÓS-OBAMA: O QUE ACONTECERÁ?
[A] Carta da empresária cubana Julia de la Rosa publicada pela Casa Branca em 17dez2016.
Edição: Ronald de Almeida Silva
My name is Julia de la Rosa, and I am a Cuban cuentapropista -- or Cuban entrepreneur. Over 20 years ago, my husband [Sylvio Ortega] and I started our own business in Cuba providing lodging and transportation to visitors in our neighborhood in Havana. Everything about my business was on a very small scale: We had two bedrooms and one old car, and we did almost everything ourselves.
As a cuentapropista, I watched this historic change help my business grow in ways I would have never expected. The demand for our services dramatically increased with the growing number of visitors, so we had the opportunity to expand. We now run a real bed and breakfast with 10 bedrooms, and have 17 people working with us as we provide services 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Now, we’re starting a small taxi company, as transportation requests have increased -- especially in old, classic cars. Thanks to these new times, we can even come to the U.S. to buy pieces to restore our eight American cars.
More than 500,000 Americans visited Cuba last year. Ten U.S. airlines are flying between American and Cuba citizens. And American cruise lines will soon start pulling into our ports. That’s going to mean a lot for Cuba's development.
But this new relationship has not only changed my business, it’s changed my life. Like many others Cubans, I have family in the U.S., and thanks to President Obama’s decision to re-establish relations, my biggest dream could finally come true -- to travel to Miami to meet my father's family. I am incredibly grateful to President Obama for his leadership in forging this historic change for the U.S. and Cuba, and for what it will mean to both the Cuban and American people for generations to come.
Hope to see you in Havana soon,
Julia
Julia de la Rosa
Havana, Cuba
Havana, Cuba
[B] Visita histórica: O que Barack Obama quer em Cuba?
Fonte: BBC Brasil; 20 março 2016
foto 1: Image
copyright REUTERS; Obama faz
visita oficial a Cuba para selar reaproximação
[2] O último presidente dos Estados Unidos que viajou oficialmente para Cuba foi Calvin Coolidge, em um navio de guerra, há 88 anos.
[3] De lá para cá, uma revolução aconteceu na ilha, e o alinhamento dela com a União Soviética no bloco socialista durante a Guerra Fria fez com que as relações com os Estados Unidos fossem completamente cortadas.
[4] Desde então, de 1961 até hoje, um embargo econômico – dentre tantas outras restrições impostas pelos americanos – deixou os dois países em lados opostos.
[5] Elio García, um senhor de 70 anos, lembra da Revolução Cubana em 1961 como se fosse hoje. "Eles não se conformam com o fato de nós termos feito uma revolução socialista embaixo de seus narizes", disse Fidel Castro, em um discurso que marcou o início do socialismo em Cuba. Para Elio e sua família, algumas coisas não mudaram desde aquele discurso.
[6] Ele segue vivendo no mesmo apartamento e fazendo o mesmo trabalho. Desde o embargo imposto pelos americanos – que começou com o presidente John F. Kennedy, em 1962 -, a vida de Elio seguiu a mesma.
[7] Mas com a visita de Obama e a reaproximação com os Estados Unidos, as coisas devem mudar um pouco.
[8] A ideia do presidente americano é levantar o embargo econômico de vez e reestabelecer as relações comerciais e turísticas com Cuba.
[9] Aos poucos, ele tenta avançar nesse sentido – e a visita à ilha é um passo crucial para isso.
[10] MAS AFINAL, O QUE OBAMA QUER EM CUBA?
foto 2: Image
copyright; REPRODUCAO; Presidente
chegou a Havana com a primeira dama Michelle Obama na tarde deste domingo [20mar2016]
Reaproximação
[12] Quase que imediatamente, Raúl começou a diminuir algumas das restrições estabelecidas pelo Estado no setor econômico.
Desde
então, surgiram algumas empresas pequenas privadas no país, especialmente no
setor do turismo, e milhares de trabalhadores começaram a trabalhar por conta
própria.
[13] Foi nesse novo contexto que foi tomada a decisão de reestabelecer as relações diplomáticas com os Estados Unidos. O plano de reaproximação foi anunciado por Obama no fim de 2014, mas não é algo que tem pleno apoio entre os políticos do país.
foto 3: copyright REUTERS; Raúl Castro
iniciou abertura de Cuba e já fez alguns encontros com Obama para debater a
reaproximação
[14] O candidato a concorrer à Presidência pelo
Partido Republicano, Ted Cruz, por exemplo, já se comprometeu a reverter a
abertura do governo de Obama a Cuba e voltar com as políticas do passado, caso
chegue à Casa Branca. O senador Marco Rubio pensa da mesma maneira.
[15] Em Miami, centro do exílio cubano, uma marcha foi convocada para este domingo em protesto pela visita do presidente americano à Havana.
[16] Para Obama, que tem apenas mais um ano na Presidência, a visita é simbólica e necessária para garantir a continuidade do processo depois de sua saída.
[17] A reaproximação ficará como legado dele ao país – e ele tem a intenção de consolidar isso antes de deixar a Casa Branca para não correr riscos de o próximo presidente interromper o projeto.
[18] A contagem regressiva para Obama deixar o governo já começou e ainda há muito em jogo. O que o presidente quer agora é acelerar o processo de reaproximação com a ilha.
[19] "O tema de Cuba não era tratado como prioridade do governo. Mas agora, faltando menos de um ano para Obama sair, a viagem presidencial é simbólica para que Cuba volte a ser prioridade", analisou Arturo López Levy, professor de Política na Universidade do Texas, nos Estados Unidos.
Acelerar o
processo
[20] Desde
que anunciou a reaproximação, Obama já tomou algumas medidas para retomar as
relações com Cuba. Uma delas foi a reabertura da embaixada americana na ilha e
a outra foi a retirada de restrições para viagens de cidadãos americanos à
Cuba.
[21] No ano passado, houve um aumento de 54% de turistas viajando dos Estados Unidos para a ilha.
[22] Obama já flexibilizou o embargo econômico e comercial à ilha – mas ele só pode acabar completamente se a medida for aprovada no Congresso, que é o maior obstáculo do presidente no plano de reaproximação.
[22] Na visita histórica que começa neste domingo, alguns congressistas dos dois partidos foram acompanhar o presidente em Cuba, mas ainda é pouco provável que o fim do embargo aconteça antes de Obama deixar a Casa Branca – o que ele está tentando fazer, porém, é pelo menos acelerar o processo.
foto 4: Image copyrightAFP; Embaixada dos
EUA em Havana foi reaberta em 2015
[23] Rhodes pontuou que não fará sentido fechar a
embaixada na ilha – que foi reaberta em julho do ano passado, ou voltar a
impedir que os americanos viahem a Cuba ou mesmo pedir aos empresários que
esquecessem os projetos em que estão trabalhando relacionados ao país.
[25] Ele acredita que Cruz ou Rubio, se eleitos, poderiam até retardar o processo, mas não freá-lo.
[26] Nesta semana, foi anunciado que uma empresa americana, depois de meio século, terá instalações em Cuba e voltará a operar voos comerciais entre os dois países no fim deste ano.
Transição
[28] Segundo
Rhodes, não é esperado um encontro entre Obama e Fidel Castro, o ex-presidente
e líder da Revolução Cubana – símbolo da separação ideológica entre os dois
países.
[29] No entanto, haverá uma reunião com "membros que se opõem ao governo e são críticos", disse. O fato de poder falar com dissidentes havia sido uma das condições impostas por Obama para viajar. O presidente também discursará ao povo cubano em algum momento da visita de dois dias.
[30] "Será o primeiro presidente afroamericano
que falará a uma população que tem muitos descendentes de africanos. Isso não
pode ser subestimado", aponta o professor Frank Mora.
Foto 5: Image
copyright AFP;
Obama
discursará para população em Havana
[31] Para a Casa Branca, desde o anúncio oficial da
visita no início deste ano, a viagem seria uma forma de "avançar nos laços
comerciais e pessoais que possam melhorar o bem-estar do povo cubano".
Além disso, a visita teria como objetivo "expressar o apoio americano aos
direitos humanos".
[32] A viagem acontece a poucas semanas do congresso do Partido Comunista em Cuba, que será em abril e pode decidir quem será o sucessor do governo em 2018 – o primeiro presidente de Cuba desde 1959 que não terá o sobrenome Castro.
[fim da reportagem]
[C] Charting a New Course with Cuba: Two Years of Progress [17dec2016]
Source: The
White House; by Ben Rhodes
White House Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic
Communications & Speechwriting.
Notes may be archived: http://wh.gov/privacy.
Dec, 17, 2016; 4 hrs ago
[1] Two years ago, the United States and Cuba surprised the world by
announcing a coordinated effort to begin normalizing relations.
[2] It took 18
months of secret negotiations, a trip to the Vatican, and a leap of faith by
both sides to get there, but in one announcement on December 17, 2014,
President Obama decisively broke with decades of a failed policy.
[3] The goal was clear: to help the Cuban people live a
better life through engagement — not isolation. We saw how the other approach worked: the
Cuban people suffered under economic isolation; the human rights situation in
Cuba was not improving; and the United States was isolated within our own
hemisphere — and the
wider world. It was time for a new approach.
[4] The results
are clear: engagement has worked. The United States and Cuba established formal
diplomatic relations, and opened Embassies. And the United States Embassy in
Cuba now works to support entrepreneurs, speak up for human rights, advocate
for U.S. businesses, and build bilateral cooperation.
[5] We’ve increased engagement between our peoples. If
Americans want to go to Cuba, their government shouldn’t tell them not to, so
we removed absurd restrictions on the ability of Americans to visit Cuba, and:
5.1. travel increased by 75 percent from 2014 to 2015;
5.2. more than 500,000 Americans
visited Cuba last year — including
more than 300,000 Cuban Americans;
5.3. ten U.S. airlines now provide service
between U.S. and Cuban cities;
5.4. and three American cruise lines have reached
agreements to go as well.
[6] This travel brings revenue to ordinary Cubans; it
reconciles families who’ve been divided; and it allows for Cubans to get access
to different ideas and points of view beyond their borders.
[7] We’ve
supported the development of Cuba’s private sector. This is a human rights
issue — people
should have the right to live with dignity, and to control their livelihoods.
[8] Thanks in large part to U.S. policy changes — including the decision to allow for unlimited
remittances to Cuba, which total $3 billion — ordinary Cubans are getting access to resources that
allow them to open a small business.
[9] Today, approximately a quarter of Cubans
in the work force are self-employed — a dramatic increase from eight years ago — including cooperatives and 500,000 licensed
independent businesses.
PHOTO 03: President
Barack Obama participates in a question and answer session at an
entrepreneurship event with Soledad O’Brian at La Cerveceria in Havana, Cuba,
March 21, 2016. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
[10] We’ve opened up space for deeper commercial ties, with
changes to allow for cooperation in areas like telecommunications, medicine,
and humanitarian infrastructure. This, too, has led to tangible results. A
Cuban cancer vaccine is now going through a clinical trial in New York.
[11] Google
is going to install servers to increase the speed and quality of the Internet
in Cuba. U.S. companies are supporting the development of Cuba’s hospitality
sector. Many U.S. businesses are exploring opportunities in Cuba that can
benefit both of our peoples.
[12] We’ve
launched bilateral cooperation on issues that matter to our people.
[13] On health,
we’re working together to combat disease, including Zika, cancer, and diabetes.
[14] On agriculture, we’re working to promote the safety and productivity of our
farming.
[15] On law enforcement, we’re working together to counter-narcotics and
human trafficking.
[16] On education, we’ve increased student exchanges, University
partnerships, and English language instruction.
[17] On mail, we’ve restarted direct
mail service between our countries.
[18] We’ve
elevated America’s standing in Latin America and around the world.
[19] Our Cuba
policy was a major obstacle to getting things done in the hemisphere, and a source
of tension around the world.
[20] Here’s one concrete example of how that’s changed:
since our Cuba opening, we were able to send an envoy to support peace
negotiations in Havana that ended the conflict in Colombia — the longest running war in the Americas.
[21] And
this change is evident across the hemisphere. When President Obama took office,
the United States was on the defensive in the Americas; today, our standing has
never been higher.
PHOTO 04: President Barack Obama greets people in Old Havana, Cuba, Sunday, March 20, 2016. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
[22] Of course, serious differences remain between the United
States and Cuba.
[23] We still have grave concerns about the ability of people to
protest, speak their minds, and exercise universal rights in Cuba.
[24] But
engagement offers us a much better way to support civil society and stand up
for our values.
[25] It’s already allowed us to get some political prisoners
released, to support expanded internet access, and to empower Cubans who can
start a business or connect with people from other parts of the world.
[26] That is the
progress we must build on, including by having Congress lift the embargo that
does nothing to support the Cuban people, and does a lot to hurt them.
[27] Indeed, if policies are supposed to be responsive to our
people, every survey shows this new approach is widely embraced.
[28] A 2015 Pew Research Center poll found that 73% of Americans
approve of re-establishing diplomatic relations with Cuba, and 72% of Americans
approve of ending the trade embargo.
[29] A 2016 Florida International University
poll of Cuban-Americans in Miami-Dade County found that 65% of respondents
favor the re-establishment of diplomatic relations.
[30] Surveys in Cuba show even
higher support for a new chapter that offers hope — the ability to move beyond a difficult
history.
[31] Moving
backwards would be an historic mistake, punishing American travelers and
businesses; harming the Cuban people; and hurting our reputation in our
hemisphere.
[32] Moving forward will allow us to continue partnering with the Cuban
people in their pursuit of a better life. We should choose the future, not the
past.
[D] Cuban entrepreneurs urge President-elect
Trump to maintain relations with Cuba
Source: FoxNews.com;
By Nikki Abrego
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2016/12/07/cuban-entrepreneurs-urging-president-elect-trump-to-keep-our-relations-with.html
WASHINGTON, D.C.
[1] A group of entrepreneurs from Cuba is urging
President-elect Donald Trump to keep the changes in trade and travel that began
almost two years ago and which they say are improving life on the long-isolated
island.
[2] On Wednesday, the group of Cuban entrepreneurs released a
letter signed by over 100 Cuban private business owners sent to Trump in which
they said:
[3] “Over a half of million people now work in the private sector,
earning considerably more money than state jobs and offering more autonomy in
business decisions. We’re hopeful that our government will make additional
changes to the legal framework and market conditions in the future.”
[4] “Reforms made by the U.S. government to allow for increased
travel, telecom services and banking have helped substantially as we attempt to
grow our businesses,” the letter said.
[5] “We’re confident that you understand the importance of
economic engagement between nations. Small businesses in Cuba have the
potential to be drivers of economic growth in Cuba and important partners of
the U.S. business community.”
[6] Four entrepreneurs participated in a press conference on
Wednesday in Washington, D.C., along with groups that favor lifting the
U.S.-Cuba embargo.
[7] When
Fidel Castro died, Trump tweeted, “If Cuba is unwilling to make a better deal
for the Cuban people, the Cuban-American people and the U.S. as a whole, I will
terminate deal.”
[8] That created concern among proponents of restored diplomatic
relations that Trump would undo all the changes the Obama administration
undertook, by easing trade and travel restrictions.
[9] “As a businessman, Mr. Trump would be proud of the
entrepreneurial spirit of the Cuban people,” James William, president of Engage
Cuba, a national advocacy organization dedicated to dismantling the U.S.
embargo on Cuba, said. “These changes have helped Cuba's private sector grow
and are widely supported across the island.”
[10] At the press conference Marta Elisa Deus Rodriguez, one of
the entrepreneurs, said “I now own three businesses, and I want to grow all of
them, and that’s why I hope the new administration does not change this
policy.” She fears that if the policy does change, her business will
suffer.
[11] Julia de la Rosa and her husband [Sylvio Ortega] have run a bed and breakfast more than 20
years. And when the U.S. and Cuba re-established relations and Airbnb came to
Cuba, their business was able to grow. They have had hundreds of visitors in
the past 18 months, and increasing their staff to 17 people.
[12] “I hope that President elect-Trump recognizes how much these
changes have helped us. We want to improve our relations with the U.S. and
think about the future and what our two countries can accomplish together,” de
la Rosa said.
[13] According to Reuters, private businesses still have no access
to wholesale stores and can only import or export goods via government
agencies.
Nikki Abrego is a college
associate at Fox News Latino. She is a senior at the University of Miami.
Instagram: abrego_nikki
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