Shaking out the Obama-Castro handshake
In Cuba, today鈥檚 handshake between leader Ra煤l Castro and US President Barack Obama was a non-event.
That鈥檚 because official state TV and Granma, the Cuban Communist Party鈥檚 official newspaper, omitted the salutation from its coverage of former South African President Nelson Mandela鈥檚 memorial ceremony. [Editor's note: subsequent broadcasts did include footage of the handshake.]
While the handshake quickly went viral, lighting up media sites聽worldwide, Cuban blogger Yaoni S谩nchez was quick to point out on Twitter that government-controlled TV stations failed to even show the encounter, much less hypothesize what it symbolizes for Cuba-US relations.
If Cuba鈥檚 press ignored the handshake, should we also be wary of staring too hard at the tea leaves?
鈥淚t is probably unwise to read too much into Obama鈥檚 handshake with Ra煤l Castro,鈥� says Michael Shifter, president of the Inter-American Dialogue in Washington. 鈥淭o have refused to greet Castro 鈥� especially at Nelson Mandela鈥檚 memorial service 鈥� would have stood out as small-minded, and completely at odds with Mandela鈥檚 generosity of spirit.鈥�
Mr. Shifter highlights that, after the handshake, Mr. Obama pointedly criticized governments that do not tolerate dissent from their own people, a veiled reference to Cuba, China, and Zimbabwe, whose leaders were all in attendance.
鈥淭he Obama administration is open to improving relations with Havana, and this mostly symbolic gesture underscores that openness, but there is a long way to go before one can talk about a meaningful thaw,鈥� says Shifter.
The handshake shakeout is likely to garner mixed reactions from Cubans: with left-leaning Cubans enthused to see any potential warming that could lift economic sanctions, while right-leaning Cubans push back against any friendliness toward the Castro government, according to Shifter. Miami-based blog , which is written by Cuban-Americas, for one, criticized Obama for lending 鈥渃redence and recognition to a vile and bloody dictatorial regime.鈥�
of the handshake, which shows Obama approaching Castro and Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff. Brazil has cast itself as a protector of the island nation and a mediator between Latin America and the US. The last time Cuba鈥檚 leader shook hands with a sitting US president was more than a decade ago, when Fidel Castro bumped into Bill Clinton at the United Nations in 2000. Nothing came of what Mr. Clinton鈥檚 aides dismissed as a 鈥渃hance encounter.鈥�
Larry Birns, director of the Council on Hemispheric Affairs, says there may be something more to today鈥檚 handshake. Mr. Mandela was a peacemaker who openly embraced former Cuban leader Fidel Castro (who handed leadership to his brother Ra煤l in 2008).
鈥淢andela represented a policy that Obama talked about during his election campaign but has failed to deliver,鈥� says Mr. Birns. 鈥淚t is almost as if Mandela has reached from the grave and committed one more act that he鈥檚 been so richly praised for.鈥澛�
