BEIJING -- The United Stateshas intensified its diplomatic manoeuvre recently through imposing the third set of sanctions against Venezuela, while seeking rapprochement with Cuba and hoping for talks with Syrian government to solve the four-year-old conflict.
With Monday's third round of talks, aiming to restore U.S.-Cuban diplomatic relations and open up embassies, Washington hopes to ease tensions with all the Latin American countries.
However, a series of roadblocks lay ahead in restoring U.S.-Cuba relations.
First, to lift the embargo, imposed by the United States on Feb. 3, 1962, is a biggest obstacle, as the U.S. congress tried to derail U.S. President Barack Obama's plan.
Though many applaud the development, others, such as Republicans and a few Democrats, are slamming U.S. efforts to bury the hatchet with Cuba.
Maybe the Republican-controlled Congress cannot completely derail Obama's plans, Republican lawmakers can put up a series of roadblocks. For now, the lifting of the blockade is still uncertain since the U.S. domestic partisan struggle.
For Cuba, the "historical shackle" is its foremost concern, as the Caribbean country has suffered a heavy blow economically against the backdrop of the Cold War.
After the end of the Cold War, the U.S. continued its policy of isolating Cuba, economically and politically.
In October 1992, the U.S. embargo was reinforced by the "Torricelli Law," which not only fine subsidiaries of U.S. companies that trade with the Cuban government, but also denies economic aid to those countries that subsidize Cuba and prohibits boats of any nationality that make stops in ports of the island country from entering America for six months.
Moreover, the intangible hostility between the two countries and peoples is difficult to fully eliminate in a short time. Though Obama has announced that the outdated U.S. foreign policy to Cuba needs to be adjusted, the U.S. fundamental goal to substitute Cuban regime has never changed.
With Marti Radio and Television as a proof, the U.S. Miami-based international broadcaster, which transmits newscasts and programs in Spanish to Cuba and is financed by the U.S. government, has never stopped its propaganda against Cuba.
The U.S. has announced that it will not cut its finance support to Marti as Cuba has asked. Though the U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry acknowledged in November 2013 that the era of the Monroe Doctrine is over, the fact is opposite that the U.S. still bears cold war mentality.
Furthermore, several issues await to be resolved before moving forward. Cuba asks to be removed from a U.S. blacklist of state sponsors of terrorism, which has obstructed Cuba's access to financial institution.
Though the exclusion was not linked to resumption of relations, it is regarded by Cuba as a precondition.
In the view of Havana, the re-establishment of diplomatic ties with Washington is only a first step for the normalization of relations.
In addition, Washington's refusal to return the Guantanamo Naval Base to Cuba, as well as suspending compensation for the human and economic loss the country has suffered, are still among those obstacles ahead.
After half century of hostility with each other, it is difficult for the U.S. and Cuba to forget the past and build mutual trust. For more advancement in the normalization process, the two sides should appropriately handle a variety of challenges and obstacles.
