Barack Obama's March 21-22 visit to Cuba is undoubtedly an historic moment, as it marks the first time in 88 years that a sitting American president has set foot on the island. But superlatives are far less useful than a pragmatic look at the practical implications — for both the United States and Cuba — of Obama's legacy-enhancing move.
In fact, pragmatism is among the main shapers of Obama's approach to Cuba. He recognizes the failure of the trade embargo, in place since 1960, to push the country to strengthen human-rights protections, much less to move toward democracy. Thus, Obama has pragmatically — perhaps even somewhat cynically — decided to abandon trying to compel Cuba's leaders to change their political system. After all, if the U.S. had set a political opening in Cuba, or even a modicum of respect for human rights by the government, as a precondition for normalization of diplomatic relations, the two countries would still be at an impasse.
But while Obama may be burnishing his legacy by pursuing unconditional normalization — so-called engagement — what he is not doing is securing any actual change in Cuba. "Engagement" is, ultimately, just rhetoric.