Cuba's large northern neighbors: a comparison

Canada keeps a much lower profile in the hemisphere than the outspoken United States; perhaps it is the simple comparison to Washington which allows it to maintain largely friendly relations with every government in the West. Still, it is interesting that Cuba’s two large northern neighbors would have such very different relationships with Havana. One news item today brought the disparities to my attention: just a few weeks after the Obama administration tightened travel restrictions on flights to Cuba (and other nations it deemed “state sponsors of terrorism”), Canada’s Harper administration reached an agreement with Havana that would expand Canadian airline access to the island’s airports.

Under the arrangement, four Canadian charter airlines will be permitted to fly among multiple locations after landing in Cuba. Canadian vacationers will now be able to fly their nation’s airlines to several different cities on one trip to Cuba, which is a plus for the many tourists that so enjoy the island and visit Cuba several times a year. And that’s Havana’s motivation, as well; the Castro administration is hoping the arrangement will boost tourism in 2010. Last year, 900,000 Canadian tourists visited Cuba. The goal for the coming year is to break 1 million.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper continues to view the Cuban government as a regime with human rights problems, but his administration also has full diplomatic relations with Havana and stands against the U.S. embargo. His nation’s policy of engagement with Cuba stands in stark contrast to the policy of isolation preferred by the neighbor between them.

(Image from eaves.ca)