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President Obama鈥檚 decision to reestablish full diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States for the first time since 1961 reflects the president鈥檚 conviction 鈥� laid out in his first inaugural address 鈥� that engagement with foreign adversaries is better than isolation.

Mr. Obama鈥檚 historic decision means that two longtime antagonists 鈥� who have what the president himself described Wednesday as a 鈥渦nique history鈥� 鈥� will establish embassies in each other鈥檚 capital and exchange ambassadors. While lifting the half-century-old US embargo on the Communist island would take an act of Congress, Mr. Obama will go as far as legally permissible to ease travel and trade restrictions between the two countries and get relations to 鈥渘ormal.鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 time for a new approach鈥� with Cuba, Obama said in an Oval Office televised statement. 鈥淭hese 50 years have shown that isolation does not work.鈥�

The president鈥檚 action is only the latest 鈥渋tem on Obama鈥檚 bucket list,鈥� said Mike Gonzalez, senior fellow in international affairs at Washington鈥檚 Heritage Foundation. A Cuban-American opposed to Obama鈥檚 actions, Mr. Gonzalez warned Wednesday that more executive actions, like recent steps on immigration, could be coming from the White House.

Indeed, with Obama having essentially checked off Cuba on his diplomatic to-do list, might Iran be next?聽

Perhaps, according to descriptions from senior administration officials of the 18 months of secret diplomatic effort with Cuban officials that culminated in Wednesday鈥檚 dramatic policy shift. They suggest that Obama could take a similar historic step with Iran before leaving office 鈥� if diplomats can reach an accord on Iran鈥檚 nuclear program next year.

One senior administration official, who briefed reporters Wednesday on the Cuban diplomacy, made a specific comparison to a secret administration diplomatic effort with Iranian officials in 2013. That mission led to a 鈥渏oint plan of action鈥� on Iran鈥檚 nuclear program and an unprecedented degree of diplomatic contact between the US and Iran.

Obama specifically referred to Iran in his 2009 鈥渆ngagement with adversaries鈥� inaugural address.

Noting that Obama has favored engagement whenever possible, the official said, 鈥淥penness is a better policy than isolation in advancing the things we care about in Cuba.鈥�

Foreign policy conservatives blasted the decision, saying the move would do nothing for human rights and democracy in Cuba and would only strengthen the Castro regime鈥檚 hold on power.

Obama held a 45-minute telephone conversation with Cuban President Ra煤l Castro on Tuesday, a degree of high-level communication not seen between the two countries since the Cuban revolution. 聽聽聽

Wednesday鈥檚 action, which administration officials had been hinting at for months, was made possible by Cuba鈥檚 agreement to release Alan Gross, the US contractor who had been jailed in Cuba for five years on what amounted to espionage charges.

Cuba agreed to release Mr. Gross on 鈥渉umanitarian grounds,鈥� a move that allowed both governments to stand their ground on Gross鈥檚 five years in prison. The US insists he did nothing unlawful in helping to set up Internet access for the island鈥檚 Jewish community, while the Cuban government maintains he was justly convicted of spying and undermining the government.

The two governments also concluded a 鈥渟wap鈥� of three Cuban intelligence agents in prison in the US for 15 years for a man the US identified only as an 鈥渋ntelligence asset鈥� who had been in prison in Cuba for more than 20 years.

In Havana, church bells rang as President Castro announced the turning of a page with the US on state television.

Speaking upon his return to the US, Gross called Obama鈥檚 actions 鈥渁 game-changer I fully support.鈥� He added that it was 鈥減articularly cool鈥� to be sitting beside Secretary of State John Kerry as the president laid out the steps he was directing Mr. Kerry to take, including a review to remove Cuba from the State Department鈥檚 list of state sponsors of terrorism.

Impact from Obama鈥檚 action is expected to be felt from US farmlands to Cuba鈥檚 nascent private sector. US farmers will be able to sell more food more easily to Cuba, while measures will be forthcoming that allow Cuban private restaurants, hair salons, and other small businesses, to purchase supplies 鈥淢ade in USA.鈥�

Cuban Americans will be allowed to remit more US dollars to family in Cuba. And while the ban on general US tourism to Cuba will remain, since it is part of the embargo, the administration plans to continue a broadening of permissible categories of US travelers to Cuba that it began in 2011.

In his statement, Obama said he 鈥渓ooks forward to engaging Congress鈥� in a 鈥渟erious deliberation about lifting the embargo,鈥� but reaction from Capitol Hill Wednesday suggested such a move is far off.

Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, a Cuban-American Miami native, called Obama鈥檚 action 鈥渄isgraceful鈥� and said it was based on an 鈥渋llusion鈥� that trade and more US dollars in Cuba 鈥渨ill somehow translate to pluralism and freedom.鈥�

Some congressional opponents of Obama鈥檚 opening to Cuba predicted the president will be stymied wherever possible 鈥� for example by congressional holds on any ambassadorial nomination to Havana and on any funding to advance the policy.

What that promises is more controversy ahead over Cuba. Obama鈥檚 action Wednesday opens a new chapter on a tortured half-century relationship. But it also renews the decades-old debate over how best to bring about change in a poor but proud communist island ninety miles off the Florida coast.