Obama Hopes Cuba Visit Will Help Protect Policy

President Barack Obama’s plans for a history-making trip to Cuba is intended to try to demonstrate progress in his embattled strategy of engaging America’s adversaries at a time of turmoil in the Middle East and rising tensions with Russia and China.

Mr. Obama plans to spend two days in Havana next month, the first official trip to Cuba by a U.S. president since 1928. The trip, formally announced Thursday, is designed around the hope that Mr. Obama can use it to coax the Castro government toward certain changes, particularly in expanding business ties with the U.S. The White House also hopes the visit will help ensure the move to develop closer ties with Cuba is irreversible….

Since taking office in December, Mr. Macri has aimed to boost investments by lifting currency controls and removing most taxes on agricultural exports. Last month, he attended the World Economic Forum in Davos, which had been shunned by his predecessor, Cristina Kirchner, where he met with Vice President Joe Biden.

Mr. Macri’s government is negotiating with U.S. hedge funds, seeking to end a protracted legal dispute over defaulted debt that has prevented the country from accessing global financial markets during the last decade.

“Both governments are carving out a number of areas where they can work collaboratively,” said Susan Segal of the New York-based Council of the Americas. “It absolutely reflects is President Macri’s determination to re-engage the international community….”

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