Obama Reopens Migration Talks With Cuba

Signals cooperation on counterterrorism, drugs, emergency aid

(NEWSER) - Cuba today said it's ready to restart talks with the US on migration and postal services, the New York Times reports. An American official confirms, meanwhile, that the island nation will also work with the United States on issues including terrorism, drugs, and disaster relief. The development marks another step toward improved relations between the two countries as part of President Obama’s heightened emphasis on diplomacy. More»

Will remove Bush's restrictions on cultural, academic trips

(NEWSER) - President Obama intends to peel back restrictions on travel to Cuba enacted under George W. Bush, allowing academic, religious, and cultural groups to more freely venture to and from the communist island. Obama already lifted the restrictions for Americans with relatives on the island in 2009, but is now returning in full to the broader “people to people” policy that existed under Bill Clinton, the New York Times reports. More»

President sidesteps question on Castro government's legitimacy

(NEWSER) - Prominent Cuban blogger Yoani Sánchez emailed a list of questions to President Obama, and in an unusual move, he responded. Obama's answers, which Sánchez posted today, largely reiterate his stated positions on Cuba. But he also indicates he has no interest in "talking for the sake of talking," and he tactfully declines to answer whether he would recognize Raul Castro's government as legitimate. More»

(NEWSER) - Raúl Castro has warned the US not to expect any changes to Cuba's communist system, saying that while Barack Obama's administration was less "aggressive," he was not prepared to make peace. His comments came after Hillary Clinton made several remarks suggesting better relations if Cuba changed its ways, Reuters reports. "With all due respect to Mrs. Clinton, they didn't elect me president to restore capitalism in Cuba, nor to hand over the revolution," said the Cuban president. More»

Other Latin American coups will follow from US-trained forces

(NEWSER) - President Obama and Fidel Castro finally agree on something: Both think Honduran President Manuel Zelaya should be returned to power, Reuters reports. Writing on the website of a state-run newspaper, Castro warned that if Zelaya’s ouster isn’t overturned, “a wave of coups threatens to sweep many Latin American governments,” which could be left at the mercy of US-trained military forces. More»