WASHINGTON.— Republicans and the business community should embrace the new approach of the U.S. government towards Cuba, an article published by The New York Times on Tuesday, June 23 stated.
Carlos M. Gutiérrez, former chief executive of Kellogg and secretary of Commerce during the George W. Bush administration, indicated in an op-ed that Republicans should cast aside past positions and join the steps that the White House is taking towards relations with the island.
“I believe that it is now time,” Gutiérrez, co-chairman of the Albright Stonebridge Group, argues.
“It has now been six months since Mr. Obama’s policy shift was announced. Both governments have confirmed plans to open embassies, and negotiations have covered a variety of issues,” he continued.
The former official notes that almost every week a new Congress delegation arrives in Havana and admits that, “I never expected negotiations to get this far.”
Gutiérrez highlights his initial skepticism, “Like many fellow Republicans and Cuban-Americans, I was critical when President Obama announced in December 2014 that his administration would begin to normalize ties between the United States and Cuba.”
However, he goes on to state that he is cautiously optimistic that negotiations can move forward, in contrast to plans by some Republican congresspeople to obstruct measures and even cut the funding for the State Department to open a U.S. Embassy in Havana.
According to the politician, his 30-year career at the Kellogg Company taught him that business “can have a transformational and uplifting impact on communities and whole societies.”
He also praised steps by certain U.S. credit card companies to authorize transactions in Cuba, as well as recent sports exchanges.
Regarding the criticisms of some presidential candidates, including Senators Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz, that Obama has conceded too much, Gutiérrez argued that the changes so far have been “incremental” and that this will be “a long and gradual process.”
He notes that contrary to popular belief, the executive actions of President Obama do not allow for free and open trade with Cuba, nor for Americans to visit the island as tourists, a ban which does not apply to any other country in the world.
In conclusion, Gutiérrez urges his fellow Republicans and the business community not to “ignore the possibilities ahead.”
