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Weekly Report - 31 March 2016 (WR-16-12)

Obama visit forces a change of engagement

From the moment Air Force One touched down in Havana’s international airport and US President Barack Obama and his family disembarked into the rain to the sight of a greeting party in which Cuba’s President Raúl Castro was notoriously absent, the two heads of state vied to gain the upper hand. Obama’s two-day visit resembled a fencing contest replete with feints, parrying and ripostes, the occasional thrust and lunge. For Castro, Obama’s visit vindicated the Revolution, confirming respect and recognition for Cuba’s sovereignty and independence. For Obama the key moments were a televised press conference and a measured speech; testament to his success was that the former left Castro exposed, while the latter provoked a fiercely critical disquisition days later from elder brother Fidel. By comparison, Obama’s subsequent visit to Argentina was of minor consequence but it marked an important geostrategic shift in the hemisphere.

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