Editorial: Changing course on Cuba

President Obama's tentative reaching out to Cuba is a long-overdue course correction in a U.S. foreign policy that has outlived its usefulness.

Obama is lifting travel and spending restrictions on Americans with family on the island. He also rescinded a ban preventing U.S. telecommunications firms from seeking business in Cuba.

These steps are small, but important. In fulfilling a campaign promise, Obama is trying a markedly different approach to relations with the communist nation.

Broad economic sanctions against Cuba have been in place since 1962, with the original goal being to bring down Fidel Castro's Marxist regime. Instead, over the years, the sanctions have served mainly to punish the impoverished population.

U.S. policy toward Cuba is a Cold War relic that doesn't come close to achieving its purpose. Castro, now 82, was the longest-serving ruler in the Western Hemisphere until he ceded power last year to his brother, Raul. After 47 years of failure, it's time to start engaging with Cuba.

Allowing Cubans to buy our goods and engage in other commerce with the United States is the most effective way to encourage democratic reforms on the island. Obama has not talked of lifting the trade embargo, but it is hoped that his initial steps will lead to that result.

Some lawmakers in Congress and members of the Cuban American community object strongly to easing restrictions. A group of lawmakers including Rep. Rob Andrews (D., N.J.) told the president in a letter that his decisions would have "devastating consequences" by giving more money to the Castro regime.

Castro's record on human rights is abysmal; he holds hundreds of political prisoners in jail. The United States should never stop pressing the Cuban government to give its people more freedoms. But such a dialogue can take place while nations are engaged on other fronts.

The United States has relationships with China and Saudi Arabia despite their horrendous records on human rights. Why should Cuba alone be embargoed?

The new thawing in relations with Cuba is possible because of a political shift among Cuban Americans. Until recently, U.S. policy toward Cuba was driven by the anti-Castro fervor among South Florida's Cuban exiles. Any presidential candidate who wanted to win Florida had to bow to that sentiment.

But younger Cuban Americans hold more moderate views, and some Cuban American families with relatives still on the island have been reconsidering the sanctions since President George W. Bush tightened restrictions in 2004.

Obama's decision is only the start of a long process. Fidel Castro called the changes "positive, although minimal." Now it will be up to the Castro regime to show whether it wants to engage in a meaningful way, with meaningful reforms.