Professor Darling Comments on Effort to Normalize U.S. Relations with Cuba

KTVU-CHANNEL 2 -- “This is the biggest change in more than 50 years,” said Juanita Darling, International Relations professor and program director for the Latin American Studies Program at San Francisco State University. Darling cautioned that the political road to completely lifting the embargo on Cuba will likely be a very challenging one. “We need to remember we can’t completely underestimate the power and determination of the hardliners on both sides,” Darling said, adding that many people expected the embargo to come to an end more than 20 years ago, after the fall of the Soviet Union. “Both sides are very determined to keep the policy from changing, because it serves their interests. We can expect to see some attempts to disrupt this process.” Darling said the lack of political will for change is not just on the U.S. side. “There are hardliners in Cuba who see the U.S. influence as very negative.”