Dawn of a new era

WE WOULD like to think that it’s not far-fetched to believe that in death Nelson Mandela played a big role in making a prospect, unthinkable in world affairs, possible. It was at Madiba’s memorial service on December 10, 2013 that US President Barack Obama shook the hand of Raul Castro, the leader of what had once been one of America’s most implacable foes. That handshake, signalling a thawing of frosty relations between the two neighbours, was witnessed by dozens of heads of state and government at the service in Joburg, and millions of TV viewers around the world.

And Friday saw a new chapter in this fascinating story – the US hoisted the Stars and Stripes over its newly reopened embassy in Cuba. This action has sent a message that has resonance far beyond the gates of the newly reopened mission in Havana. It was the culmination of a remarkable behind-the-scenes diplomatic manoeuvre designed to end more than half a century of hostility.

Obama and Raul Castro, 84, the current president and brother of 89-year-old Fidel Castro, announced on December 17 that they would reestablish diplomatic ties – 54 years after US marines took down the flag at their Havana embassy on January 4, 1961. The US had been given just 48 hours to quit the island by Fidel after he and Dwight Eisenhower formally severed ties.

Obama now has a golden opportunity to seal his legacy by closing the American military prison at Guantanamo Bay, located within the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba. He pledged to close down the camp during his presidential campaign in 2008.

Closure of the detention centre – known for its harsh treatment of prisoners, many of whom had been transported there from Afghanistan and Iraq – will prove beyond doubt that Obama means business about a new era in Cuba-US ties.