Jorge Dominguez, PhD, Harvard University Antonio Madero Professor for the Study of Mexico, Emeritus, is the author of a wide variety of papers, articles, and books on recent and contemporary Latin America. Cuba remains a central part of his scholarly interests and the subject of many of his writings. Dr. Jorge Dominguez participated in a discussion, published in Latin America Advisor in May 2016, in which he offered opinions on the success of then-President Barack Obama’s trip to the Caribbean nation.
Dr. Dominguez noted that President Obama’s visit marked the beginning of an opening of relations that have been strained for more than half a century, paving the way for greater business, cultural, and information exchanges that can aid Cubans’ striving for a more free society.
President Obama was the first sitting president of the United States to travel to Cuba in almost 90 years. Calvin Coolidge, in 1928, was the most recent previous president to have visited the country during his term of office.
When President Obama visited Havana in March of 2016, he publicly noted the historic nature of the event. In addition to his meeting with Cuban President Raul Castro, news outlets broadcast his speech from Havana in which he stressed the necessity of upholding human rights and democracy. The U.S. president additionally held a meeting with Cuban dissidents while on the island.
