The normalization of relations with Cuba — a long-delayed measure — offers the opportunity to lift the embargo on the island that has had so many negative effects on the Cuban people. An initial measure could be to open up medical communication between American and Cuban doctors.
Lifting the embargo — and recognizing the Cuban regime — requires congressional approval, but President Barack Obama should move that motion forward despite the opposition.
History has shown that the embargo has benefited no one except its targets: the Castro brothers. It has allowed them to maintain a strong grip on power, to use it as a rallying point against the United States, and as a scapegoat for the deprivations Cubans have endured since the embargo was imposed in 1962.