Wednesday, November 18, 2009
A battle is building in the United States over whether the current ban on travel to Cuba should be lifted. The ban originally prohibited any citizens in the United States from tourist travel to Cuba. Director of the Center for Latin American Studies, Philip Williams says that President Obama has made progress by lifting the ban for Cuban-American citizens and that the next step is to allow American citizens. Williams believes that America hasn't been able to influence Cuba because of the lack of engagement. Williams adds that he isn't optimistic that the ban will be lifted because of disproportionate political views, he says that older generation Cubans want to keep the ban. Camillo Buscaron, a 20 year old Cuban-American citizen explains that Cubans like his grandparents carry a lot of emotional baggage against Cuba. However, Buscaron believes that America can influence Cuban government that is, if they use new tactics. The House of Foreign Affairs Committee will be holding a hearing on the issue Thursday.