ES / EN
- July 10, 2025 -
No Result
View All Result
OnCubaNews
  • World
  • Cuba
  • Cuba-USA
  • Opinion
    • Columns
    • Infographic
  • Culture
    • Billboard
  • Sports
  • Styles / Trends
  • Media
  • Special
  • Cuban Flavors
  • World
  • Cuba
  • Cuba-USA
  • Opinion
    • Columns
    • Infographic
  • Culture
    • Billboard
  • Sports
  • Styles / Trends
  • Media
  • Special
  • Cuban Flavors
OnCubaNews
ES / EN
Home Cuba-USA

Obama in Chicago: Yes we could, also with Cuba

by
  • OnCuba Staff
    OnCuba Staff,
  • OnCuba editorial staff
January 12, 2017
in Cuba-USA
0
Barack Obama during his speech in Chicago. Photo: Charles Rex Arbogast / AP.

Barack Obama during his speech in Chicago. Photo: Charles Rex Arbogast / AP.

For Barack Obama the reestablishment of relations with Cuba is one of the principal points of his eight years of administration. He confirmed this on the night of this Tuesday in his farewell speech before some 20,000 persons gathered in Chicago’s McCormick Place Convention Center.

Precisely in the city where he began his political career, the still president of the United States commented to his followers what, in his opinion, were the most relevant achievements of his administration. And on international policy matters the reestablishment of relations with Cuba shared a leading role with the nuclear agreement with Iran and the fight against terrorism.

“If eight years ago I had told you that we would open up a new chapter with the Cuban people… you might have said our sights were set a little too high. But that’s what we did,” he said.

However, Donald Trump is calling into question the agreements with the island of the outgoing president and has said he will condition what has already been advanced when he assumes the presidency. Following his critical position with his predecessor, the New York magnate has also promised to reverse other measures taken by the Democratic administration.

Obama precisely referred to several of them in his last speech. In the so-called “Windy City,” the first Afro American president praised several of his government policies, questioned by Trump. Among them he referred to those directed at economic recovery, his health reform, known as Obamacare, as well as marriage equality and the challenge of climate change.

His words have been understood by some as a reply to his successor and a last attempt to legitimize his legacy. However, Obama avoided controversy and affirmed he will open the doors to the White House for Donald Trump, just like George W. Bush did for him in 2008.

Related Posts

Flags of Cuba and the United States, seen in perspective in Havana. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.

Trump reinstates hard-line Cuba embargo as Havana condemns US measure as “criminal”

July 3, 2025
The U.S. Department of State Photo: US Department of State / Archive.

Trump Administration Includes Cuba on List of Countries Not Cooperating Against Terrorism

May 13, 2025
Heidy Sánchez speaks to OnCuba where she is staying in Havana. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.

Deported and without her baby daughter: Heidy Sánchez’s desperation

May 7, 2025
Photo: EFE/Ernesto Mastrascusa.

Joe García: “Justice implies the future. Revenge doesn’t”

April 27, 2025

With his usual power of communication, the president gave a great deal of the credit for bringing about what had been done during his mandate to the U.S. people. “You were the change,” he told his followers in Chicago, whom he called upon to have faith in the collective capacity for social transformation.

“I am asking you to believe. Not in my ability to bring about change – but in yours,” Obama said, to later close with the phrase that became his presidency’s slogan: “Yes We Can. Yes We Did.”

During a moment of his speech Obama was moved. Photo: Foto: Charles Rex Arbogast / AP.
During a moment of his speech Obama was moved. Photo: Foto: Charles Rex Arbogast / AP.

The outgoing president also referred to the issue of racial discrimination and the minorities in the United States. “But we’re not where we need to be. All of us have more work to do,” he commented before thousands of persons who asked him for four more years.

He affirmed that the United States needs to recover its fundamental values to overcome the differences, and pointed to the danger entailed in others’ rejection of democratic practices.

“Democracy does require a basic sense of solidarity – the idea that for all our outward differences, we are all in this together; that we rise or fall as one,” he affirmed.

He also thanked his family for their backing, especially his wife Michelle, as well as Vice President Joseph Biden.

Obama is ending his second mandate this January 20, when Donald Trump will assume the presidency. His eight years in the White House have been marked by a complex domestic socioeconomic scenario, the continuity of the so-called war against terrorism worldwide and the opposition to many of his policies by a Republican majority Congress. The 44th president of the United States still hasn’t left the White House, but there are many who are already missing him.

  • OnCuba Staff
    OnCuba Staff,
  • OnCuba editorial staff
Previous Post

Cuban and U.S. scientists to plant corals in the Caribbean

Next Post

U.S. ends “wet foot, dry foot” policy for Cuban immigrants

OnCuba Staff

OnCuba Staff

OnCuba Staff

OnCuba Staff

Next Post

U.S. ends “wet foot, dry foot” policy for Cuban immigrants

Photo by Gala Belén

Pedro Ramos: “I’ve never stopped having baseball for breakfast, lunch and dinner”

Cuba-U.S.: Insurance companies hold talks in Havana

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

The conversation here is moderated according to OnCuba News discussion guidelines. Please read the Comment Policy before joining the discussion.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Most Read

  • Flags of Cuba and the United States, seen in perspective in Havana. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez.

    Trump reinstates hard-line Cuba embargo as Havana condemns US measure as “criminal”

    29 shares
    Share 12 Tweet 7
  • Lester Lescay: “I left Cuba because I didn’t want to spend my youth there.”

    16 shares
    Share 6 Tweet 4
  • San Juan Hill: heritage in the attic?

    12 shares
    Share 5 Tweet 3
  • Los Palacios, land of Cuban rice harvested by Vietnamese

    11 shares
    Share 4 Tweet 3
  • A visit to what we were

    15 shares
    Share 6 Tweet 4

Most Commented

  • Photo: Kaloian.

    Private sector and tourism in Cuba. Why not?

    12 shares
    Share 5 Tweet 3
  • About us
  • Work with OnCuba
  • Terms of use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Moderation policy for comments
  • Contact us
  • Advertisement offers

OnCuba and the OnCuba logo are registered® trademarks of Fuego Enterprises, Inc., its subsidiaries or divisions.
OnCuba © by Fuego Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • World
  • Cuba
  • Cuba-USA
  • Opinion
    • Columns
    • Infographic
  • Culture
    • Billboard
  • Sports
  • Styles / Trends
  • Media
  • Special
  • Cuban Flavors

OnCuba and the OnCuba logo are registered® trademarks of Fuego Enterprises, Inc., its subsidiaries or divisions.
OnCuba © by Fuego Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Manage Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}