This month’s Cuba News quotes Jose Valiente, chairman of the World Trade Center Tampa Bay, on the rationale for organizing a fact-finding trip of business leaders to Cuba this summer. “We want to get our community ready for when the time comes,” said Valiente, a Cuban-American. It’s all about relationships…It’s a totally non-political endeavor.”
Two points.
First, it’s problematic what can be accomplished by those who — despite positions of some influence — have never been players in sincerely trying to bridge trade differences between the U.S. and Cuba. They’ve been, in effect, part of the problem.
The Cubans aren’t stupid – or inattentive. They know more American interests will be coming out of the woodwork to try and self-servingly position themselves to take advantage of opportunities in a post-embargo Cuba. Not every fact-finder will be rewarded. Some won’t even get visas.
Second, there’s no such thing as a fact-finding, business trip to Cuba that is “nonpolitical.”