Royster in Cuba as U.S. Announces Renewed Diplomatic Relations

Posted July 7, 2015

On July 1, as President Obama announced the reestablishment of diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba, twenty Atlanta government, business, and academic leaders were convening in Havana. Ivan Allen College Dean Jacqueline Royster was part of the group which was exploring the possibilities for Atlanta-Cuba relations should the U.S economic embargo against Cuba be eased.

The five-day tour was organized by the World Affairs Council of Atlanta (WAC) to facilitate understanding of the trade and investment climate under the Castro government. Royster was among the Council board members in attendance along with Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, Ambassador Charles Shapiro, Jorge Fernandez of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. The group met with business, cultural, and religious groups, private business owners and European business executives, and Jeff DeLaurentis, who serves as the U.S. political/economic section chief at the U.S. Interests Section in Havana.

The group seeks to position Atlanta as a U.S. business gateway for Cuba, other Caribbean nations, Central America, and South America, a scenario similar to that envisioned under Royster’s Africa Atlanta initiative.

“As we observed with many nations across the Continent of Africa during the Africa Atlanta 2014 activities, Cuba seeks also to declare its own potential with eyes securely on the present and future, not just the past,” said Royster. “Without a doubt, the horizon for success is complex, with a critical need for systemic transformations capable of supporting sustainable pathways for development and thoughtful change.”

“The Cuban people, however, seem resilient, amazingly capable, and enthusiastic about what lies ahead,” she said. “My sense is that in the City of Atlanta, with our own potential for multidimensional international impact and leadership, we need to think well about our capacities to form viable partnerships with Cuban counterparts and to engage robustly, in moving these remarkable opportunities forward.”