A historic visit to Cuba by Barack Obama – the first such gesture by a US president in almost 90 years – cements his policy of healing the rift between the nations. It will also help ease a source of friction between the US and Latin America.
It’s no surprise that Obama’s wish list includes better scientific cooperation. He knows that this has long been a powerful means of bridge building. For instance, the US National Academy of Sciences runs , and both governments seem to value this neutral channel of engagement.
Similar links have been forged with China, India and Russia – and , showing that science provides a context for dialogue where political tensions hinder other routes of communication.
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What’s more, in fields including biotechnology, oceanography, biodiversity, public health and the management of disasters such as hurricane threats.
Its education system achieved nearly 100 per cent literacy by the 1970s and its higher education and research sectors are impressive for a nation of just over 11 million people.
Storm preparedness
What can be expected from the Cuba visit? Obama is likely to promote technology-based entrepreneurism and expanded access to the internet. There are real opportunities in forming partnerships with Cuban biotechnology efforts, in particular in its trials for new vaccines for lung cancer and other human and animal diseases.
Cuba and the US also share many environmental challenges such as climate-induced sea level rise, preparing for hurricanes, and protecting marine resources and biodiversity.
In this context, one visionary proposal that emerged from the scientific community last week suggests (Science, doi.org/bdks).
But the path to greater cooperation has obstacles, including opposition from some Republicans hoping to contest November’s US presidential election.
There are also US laws that still limit engagement. Changing these needs congressional action – unlikely in the short term. Key among them is the Helms-Burton Act, which enshrines the US economic embargo of Cuba into law. It inhibits scientific cooperation by raising barriers to funding for cooperative projects and by limiting Cuban scientists’ access to modern equipment. It also penalises non-US companies that do business with Havana.
Despite all this, research cooperation offers a valuable path to deeper ties. There are many opportunities for science-based collaboration. Taking them will amplify and encourage a new future between the US and Cuba.
