Assistant Secretary of State Roberta Jacobson arrives in Havana on Wednesday, Jan. 21, with an extra spring in her step. This is no ordinary trip to the region. It’s the first time since ties between the United States and Cuba were severed in 1961 that senior officials from the two countries have met in the open with the aim of restoring normal diplomatic relations. It’s a history-making visit that would’ve been impossible under what President Barack Obama described in his State of the Union address as a policy “long past its expiration date.”
Jacobson is heading a delegation to negotiate the details of a dramatic announcement made by Obama and his Cuban counterpart, Raúl Castro, just over a month ago. On Wednesday, talks will focus on migration. The day after, the agenda moves toward the monumental topic of normalizing bilateral relations, setting up embassies, and installing ambassadors in both capitals. Steeped in symbolism, the visit marks a crucial, public step toward ending five decades of estrangement between the United States and the Caribbean island.