Normalization, one year later

“We must not expect … Cuba will abandon the ideas that it has struggled for.”

ONE YEAR AGO, President Obama and Cuban leader Raúl Castro announced a historic agreement normalizing relations between the United States and Cuba. The Editorial Board lauded the thaw, with expectations of a year of negotiations to hammer out the details. A year later, while economic issues are being addressed, Cuba remains a repressive nightmare for anyone who disagrees with the regime. The United States should never deem relations with Cuba “normalized” until the Cuban people are free to speak — and without reprisals.

This story was originally published December 16, 2015 at 6:57 PM with the headline "Normalization, one year later."