Engaging Cuba, One Step at a Time

HAVANA -- In Havana, the most conspicuous evidence that hostility toward the U.S. has softened can be found at the U.S. Interest Section along the Malecón promenade. When I was last here in early 2008, the gleaming white tower was camouflaged by more than a hundred billowing black flags that Fidel Castro had erected in 2006. The flags were meant to block a scrolling marquee displaying anti-Fidel, pro-America messages, installed by the Bush administration.

Nowadays, the building gets a lot more direct sunlight. After the Obama administration pulled the plug on the marquee in June, Fidel removed almost all the flags, leaving only a single row of much smaller banners that flap awkwardly atop towering, gray poles. The image illustrates the current U.S.-Cuba relationship, a fragile, quid pro quo arrangement with enormous expectations building on both sides. ...