International Crisis Group

How I drafted USAID’s Cuba transition plan in the 1990s | Claire Luke

When Mark Schneider drafted the U.S. government’s plan for a Cuban transition back in the late 1990s, it was mocked by Cuba as a theoretical exercise that wasn’t going to transpire anytime soon. Now, nearly two decades later, the leaders of both countries have unveiled a dramatic plan that paints transformation in Cuba as an imminent reality.

U.S. President Barack Obama’s bold declaration to build a U.S. embassy in Cuba, ease travel and trade restrictions, develop Cuba’s business environment and telecommunications, and conduct a prisoner exchange appeared to come out of nowhere.

Schneider, though, was contemplating such changes long before last week.

In a rare and exclusive interview with Devex, Schneider — who now works as senior adviser at the International Crisis Group — shared his thoughts about a plan that, in many ways, echoes the one he drafted almost 20 years ago during Bill Clinton’s presidency. His analysis of the challenges associated with a warming of relations between the United States and Cuba ring as true today as they did then.

FULL INTERVIEW (Devex)

Photo: Peace Corps/flickr