On December 16, something quite extraordinary happened. President Obama and President Castro spoke on the phone for nearly an hour. Beyond a handshake in South Africa it was their first known encounter. The following day, after more than a year of exchanges and negotiations involving a wide range of figures including the Pope and other world leaders, a carefully choreographed series of events designed to build confidence took place.
It began with a prisoner exchange, statements by both sides, and a six page US briefing note setting out a wide range of measures to improve gradually many aspects of US-Cuba relations. Later there was a less noticed statement from the US Secretary of State, John Kerry, confirming that a high level team would visit Havana in January led by the Assistant Secretary for the Western Hemisphere, Roberta Jacobson. He also said that he would visit.
In their subsequent public statements the US and Cuban Presidents indicated that