Part two: Observations in modern-day Cuba

Three major changes happened just prior to my visit to Cuba. First, direct commercial flights began flying between the U.S. and Cuba. I paid a little more than $200 for a round trip with JetBlue, purchasing my tickets only a couple weeks in advance. Of course, you must still fit into one of the 12 exceptions for travel if you are an American, but travel agencies and cruise lines (which have only recently begun docking in Cuban ports) have found ways around this, constructing educational and “people-to-people” itineraries. Regardless, the airline has you sign an affidavit indicating your official purpose of travel, a requirement which became clear to me that many Americans fabricate or exaggerate. No one ever checked my press credentials.

The flight from Ft. Lauderdale lasted about 45 minutes, cruising over the Everglades and the Florida Keys before rapidly arriving in Havana’s José Martí International Airport. While regarded as a journalist by the U.S. per the delicate rules of the embargo, to the Cuban government, I was a tourist. Cuban tourist visas you are required to purchase can be arranged through the Cuban embassy, at the American airport of departure and reportedly via third parties. I purchased mine at the airport during check-in for $50, although it can be ordered in advance for less. Foreign travelers are also required to purchase a Cuban health insurance plan, which was included in the cost of my airline ticket.

In a second major change, the Obama administration lifted the previous limitations on the individual purchase of Cuban cigars and rum. Simultaneously, Obama called on Congress to finally end the embargo. The former reform was a very welcome one, as I was able to take home two boxes of cigars and two bottles of delicious, aged Havana Club Rum. As for the embargo, Congress has been reluctant to take up the politically sensitive issue, with some prominent Republicans claiming the communist government has not given enough ground on human rights or civil liberties of its citizens to warrant lifting the embargo. To them, this would be tantamount to rewarding bad behavior. President Donald Trump has indicated that he will “terminate the deal,” revoking the recent normalization of relations and looser regulatory policy if Cuba is unwilling to renegotiate with him.

The last major development just prior to my visit was the death of former Cuban leader Fidel Castro. Images of the fallen leader were present throughout the island, and slogans such as “I am Fidel” could be seen painted on the side of buildings or “Cuba is Fidel” printed across the front page of the Granma, the Communist Party newspaper. To most Americans, Fidel was just a dictator. But to many Cubans remaining on the island and others throughout the developing world, he was a David who stood up against Goliath; Fidel shook his fist defiantly against the powerful U.S. and lived to tell the tale. When Fidel and his bearded green-clad guerrillas rode triumphantly into Havana, they were replacing a brutal right-wing dictatorship that was subservient to the U.S. government and business interests. And while poverty in Cuba is extraordinary, the lives of many of the poorest Cubans improved after the revolution with newfound access to health care, education and expanded rights for women and blacks.

Read the conclusion of this column Wednesday on ideology, oppression and the need for new policy.

Ford Dwyer is a third-year student at the Levin College of Law. This is part two of a three-part series.