Interview: Cuba to welcome Obama wary of "carrot-and-stick" trick

Five days before arriving in Havana, U.S. President Barack Obama lifted some of the travel, trade and financial restrictions on Cuba.

Now, U.S. tourists can travel independently to the island country; Cubans can carry out international financial transactions with the U.S. dollar and American boats can harbor in Cuban ports, among other measures.

All these steps are aimed to allow the United States to become "directly involved" with the Cuban people, Obama told CNN this week.

However, according to Cuban political analyst Iroel Sanchez, these are all measures the White House has taken to try to dominate the Caribbean country.

He said that this might mark a return of Washington's "carrot-and-stick" approach, which was started by former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt in the early 20th century.

"I would say that the U.S. policy is to drown Cuba and to get the middle class active, which is in their own interests, instead of trying to resolve the problems faced by the Cuban people," Sanchez told Xinhua.

"However, Cubans hope that the U.S. relaxation of embargo will facilitate their daily lives. They want to see the restrictions, which have destroyed the Cuban economy, being lifted," explained the analyst.

"Obama will gain respect during this trip since he has the will to end U.S. enmity toward Cuba, which has lasted more than five decades. I am sure that this move will guarantee Obama's legacy as the president who restored ties with Cuba," said Sanchez.

For Cuba, it will have the opportunity to show Obama and the rest of the world its reality, with "the truth being revealed step by step to the eyes of the world," said Sanchez.

Sanchez believes that Havana will now use the political capital accumulated over more than half a century to further pressure the United States to lift the embargo.

According to the analyst, the key to success is to improve the efficiency of the Cuban socialist system so that it can better meet the needs of the people. Furthermore, although Cuba cannot compete with the United States in many areas, there are still certain sectors where Havana could set a good example, he said.

Sanchez named health care, education, pharmaceuticals, sports and culture as some of the areas where Cuba's success could benefit the United States as exchanges continue. Endi