Calling on Cuba
A Pittsburgh delegation goes beyond goodwill
The delegation of about 65 Pittsburghers in Cuba this week has a chance to set the stage for big opportunities. Not often is a country — even a small one — suddenly and dramatically opened in new ways to American business, culture and tourism. That’s how it is with Cuba, however, and Pittsburgh is smart to get in on the ground floor.
The delegation includes amateur boxers, who will help foster athletic and cultural connections, as well as state lawmakers and development officials, who have business and trade, including export of Pennsylvania agricultural products, on their minds. The visit is possible because of the easing of the half-century-old U.S. trade embargo, which included the resumption of commercial flights to the communist country last fall and the arrival of the first Cuban export, a load of charcoal, in Florida last month.
Pittsburgh is well poised to capitalize on the thaw in bilateral relations. That’s partly because of 20 years of humanitarian work by the local nonprofit Global Links, plus medical exchanges involving UPMC doctors, goodwill visits involving city and other government officials, and Pittsburgh’s establishment of a sister city relationship with Matanzas, about 60 miles east of Havana.
Also, in July, Cuban and Pittsburgh boxers held a series of exhibition matches on the Clemente Bridge. On the Pittsburghers’ trip to Cuba, another exhibition will be held.
The Pittsburghers departed on a charter flight from Pittsburgh International Airport, but the Allegheny County Airport Authority would like at some point to establish regular service to Cuba. So far, fewer Americans than expected are traveling to Cuba from airports that already have commercial flights. Despite the excitement surrounding the partial opening of Cuba — parts of the embargo remain in place — the country has not yet become a hot travel destination as quickly as some believed it would. Others have criticized the slow growth of economic ties and the Cuban government’s continuing intransigence to political openness.
However, all of that will change in time, and delegations such as the one from Pittsburgh are sure to speed the process. As Mr. Ferlo has noted, increased economic ties very likely will lead to political changes, too. The future of Cuban-American relations is a blank slate, and Pittsburghers have a chance to shape the relationship with wide-ranging benefits for the city, America and the long-closed nation about 90 miles off of Florida’s coast.