According to doctoral candidate Artuto Lopez-Levy, it would be hard to imagine a better opportunity to improve the people-to-people contacts between Cuba and the United States than the last two years. Barack Obama won the presidency with a foreign policy platform emphasizing soft power and dialogue with friends and foes over hostility and unilateralism. The Democratic Party enjoyed a significant majority in Congress, with real chances of passing legislation allowing more travel and relaxing the conditions for the sale of foods and medicines to the island. Washington aside, on February 24, 2008, Fidel Castro stepped down from his government responsibilities and new winds of economic reforms and social liberalization began to blow to Havana.

In keeping with his stated intentions on Cuba, and on foreign policy more generally, it's time for President Obama to allow broad purposeful travel to Cuba, regardless of what the government in Havana does, because it serves American national interests and values. If not now, when?

Read Josef Korbel School doctoral candidate Arturo Lopez-Levy's full commentary on the Havana Note.