Cuban blogger puts Obama & Castro on the spot

Cuban blogger Yoani Sanchez is putting her media spotlight to good use and recently wrote an article on the Huffington Post in which she poses a series of questions to both President Barack Obama and Raul Castro challenging the current state of US/Cuban relations.

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Apparently, President Obama has agreed to answer her questions, which Sanchez already has in hand and is planning to post tomorrow. We will follow up when she shares President Obama's answers. Sanchez also developed a questionnaire for Cuban president Raul Castro, but she does not mention whether or not she expects him to answer.

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Of her reasoning behind the questionnaires, Sanchez says:

The conflict between the governments of Cuba and the United States not only prevents the people of both shores from establishing smooth relations, but also determines the steps, of the lack thereof, that must be taken for the necessary transformation of our society.

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Political propaganda tells us that we live in a besieged city, David facing Goliath, a "voracious enemy" about to pounce on us. I want to know, from my diminutive position as a citizen, how this dispute is going to play out, when will it cease to be the central theme in every aspect of our lives.

Here are her questions for Obama:

1. For years Cuba has been a U.S. foreign policy issue as well as a domestic one, in particular because of the large Cuban American community. From your perspective, in which of the two categories should the Cuban issue fit?

2. Should your administration be willing to put an end to this dispute, would it recognize the legitimacy of the Raul Castro government as the only valid interlocutor in the eventual talks?

3. Raul Castro has said publicly that he is open to discuss any topic with the U.S. provided there is mutual respect and a level playing field. Is Raul asking too much?

4. In a hypothetical U.S.- Cuba dialog, would you entertain participation from the Cuban exile community, the Cuba-based opposition groups and nascent Cuban civil society groups?

5. You strongly support the development of new communication and information technologies. But, Cubans continue to have limited access to the internet. How much of this is due to the U.S. embargo and how much of it is the responsibility of the Cuban government?

6. Would you be willing to travel to our country?



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