History in Havana

Barack Obama and Raul Castro end Cold War's last front

Almost 90 years ago, the last president of the United States to visit Cuba, Calvin Coolidge, addressed the island nation's grandees in the ornate Grand Theatre in Havana. On Tuesday, President Barack Obama stood on that very stage and declared that the last destructive legacy of the Cold War, the schism between the US and the country that was once its closest ally in the Americas, was at an end. In the audience was Cuban President Raul Castro, brother of the revolutionary leader Fidel Castro; and Mr Obama was careful to address the fears of Cuba's leaders and of its founding generation by saying that the US would not impose its economic and political system on Cuba. But, in words that were surely unprecedented for any live broadcast in that tightly regimented country, the American president nevertheless spoke up for free expression and the exchange of ideas, saying that Cubans themselves could build a new and prosperous Cuba if they were granted the opportunity to seek out new ideas and express them freely.

Mr Obama's foreign policy legacy is often controversial, and some would say that he has underperformed - though given that he started his tenure as president by winning the Nobel Peace Prize, pretty much any achievement could be seen as insufficient. While the fact that the US is seen less and less as the guarantor of the liberal international order is to be regretted, it is nevertheless the case that Mr Obama has had the vision to end long-burning conflicts with Iran and Cuba that make less and less sense in the new global order. In Havana, Mr Obama used both his genius as a speech-maker and his considerable personal charisma to satisfy all possible constituencies - the Cuban leadership, its dissidents, and Cuba-watchers back home. In the speech, and in the joint press conference with President Castro he insisted on the previous day, the rapport between the two leaders - men of very different backgrounds and ages - was on display, as Mr Obama pressed Mr Castro to answer journalists' questions and teased him about the Castro family's famous ability to speak for hours. Mr Castro did not hold back, either, criticising the US' inability to provide free education and healthcare for all - something Cuba is rightfully proud of. Mr Obama made a point of saying that he welcomed such criticism, which would help make the US a stronger country and society.

Cuba has long been seen as a museum piece - not only as the only old-line Communist state left, given North Korea's descent into poverty and paranoia, but also because Havana itself now looks like a memento of the 1950s, when the Revolution cut it off from the world. The US lies but a few miles north of the island, and American music and sport are influential; young Cubans are poised to take advantage of the end of the sanctions that Mr Obama has promised. In other ways, too, Cuba is likely to change. Many noted the symbolism of a president of African descent addressing a largely white audience of Cuba's leaders - although the island is two-thirds black. Change will come to the Caribbean's largest island, and it is hoped that its process of adjusting to the 21st century will be as painless as possible.