Obama authorizes raft of business dealings with Cuba:
The White House on Friday announced wide-ranging changes to loosen travel, commerce and investment restrictions on Cuba, moving to fulfill President Obama’s goal of breaking down barriers between Washington and Havana…
They are to take effect on Monday on the eve of the visit to Washington by Pope Francis, a proponent of the reconciliation between the United States and Cuba who quietly helped broker the agreement last year between Mr. Obama and President Raúl Castro.
Mr. Obama spoke to Mr. Castro by telephone on Friday to discuss the normalization process.
(New York Times, September 18, 2015)
It speaks volumes about the significance of Cuba among Caribbean nations that Francis will be the third pope (following John Paul II and Benedict XVI) to make a papal visit. Especially considering that Francis will only be the fourth pope to visit the United States.
John Paul II, the peripatetic pope, was the first one to visit many countries around the world, including Haiti, the Dominican Republic (3), Trinidad and Tobago, Puerto Rico, St. Lucia, Jamaica, and The Bahamas (albeit a mere stopover).
In any event, it’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood….
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U.S./Cuba open embassies…