Obama’s No. 1 challenge in Cuba

(Photo: Pablo Martinez Monsivais – AP)

It’s too soon to pass judgment on President Barack Obama’s decision to visit Cuba, but this much can be said: if he doesn’t hold an exclusive meeting with Cuba’s peaceful opposition leaders, his trip will help legitimize the longest-ruling dictatorship in the Western Hemisphere.

Obama may give us a pleasant surprise, and prove that Republican presidential hopefuls and others who automatically criticized his March 21-22 trip to the island were wrong. He could show skeptics that direct contact with Cuba is more effective to advance the cause of universal freedoms on the island than trying to isolate it.

But judging from the first White House statements on the visit, it’s doubtful whether Obama will have the sort of high-profile meeting with opposition leaders that would have a real impact in Cuba.

Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes told reporters that, during his stay in Cuba, Obama will meet with Cuban ruler Gen. Raúl Castro and “members of civil society, including those who certainly oppose the Cuban government’s policies.” My translation: that’s a room full of people from all walks of life, including many government supporters, where a handful of dissidents will get lost in the crowd.

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