US seeks to return Latin America to backyard: Expert

Press TV has interviewed Gloria Estela La Riva, a Latin America expert in San Francisco, to discuss US President Barack Obama’s historic visit to Cuba.

The following is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: First of all, what do you make of this visit? It is being held as a historic visit. Do you see it that way as well?

La Riva: Yes it is a historic visit, the fact that the United States has not had a president visit or even up until a few months ago had any kind of discussion with the president Fidel Castro and now President Raul Castro of Cuba for more than 55 years, it is historic in that sense but in addition it gives hope to many people that this really could be the beginning of the end of the blockade which is an absolute necessity before there is truly normalization of relations between the two countries.

Press TV: Well I am glad you bring that up. Will Obama be able to achieve anything though by this visit or will it remain forever a symbolic move, so to speak?

La Riva: I think first there is two parts to this answer and that is that I do not think that the Obama administration or those who support his efforts to lift the blockade are doing it because they want to truly respect Cuba’s sovereignty, independence and leave them to their own system of socialism. Obama himself said last December that US policy of blockade had failed to advance United States’ interests in Cuba and also Latin America.  

It was an admission that the US is quite isolated by its harsh aggression against Cuba with the blockade. But in addition, there are only a few measures that President Obama can do as executive of the United States because lifting the economic and financial blockade in its entirety is now an act of Congress. However, there have been a few things done lately that there is now direct postal service. Obama now says that Cuban entities can use US dollars in transactions, in purchasing items from Cuba, food and other goods. However, there is a great obstacle and that is that even though banks are now being told they will not be sanctioned for doing transactions with Cuba, the blockade still makes many businesses quite wary especially banks in actually establishing those economic relations.

Press TV: Of course as you have just pointed out too over here that this expansion of ties so to speak or resetting of ties there is not going to be a relationship of mutual respect, so to speak, the US has its own interest to follow. Is this a risk that the Cubans are willing to take for the sake of economic perks they may get?  

La Riva: I think the visit of Obama is a very important symbol. It shows with the attitude of a very gracious, courteous and respectful attitude by all the Cuban people. He has been given a very warm welcome and will be treated respectfully as a head of state even despite all these years of [aggression] and hostility by the US and the fact that the blockade still exists shows the openness of the Cuban people having normal relations with the US while still maintaining their principles.

But I would like to point something out. These last few days President Obama extended and resigned the executive order declaring that Venezuela is a risk and a dangerous security threat to the United States, so it shows that these are really two tracks to the same objective of the US wanting to return Latin America to the backyard that it once was, trying to overturn governments like Cuba, Venezuela but as well Bolivia and Ecuador.

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