As the president moves to implement new policies toward Cuba, and as some leaders continue to block those changes, a number of personal experiences and memories come to my mind.
One of my earliest memories is standing by the side of a road, my eye stinging from the gasoline spilled as our truck rolled over in the midst of my family's move from New York to Florida. We lost everything, but the family was OK. Eventually we settled near Miami in a small city, Hialeah, defined by a racetrack, a slew of small factories and a population of Cuban-Americans that would explode in numbers after the 1959 revolution forced many of them out of their homes and into exile.
Our struggles had vastly different origins, and we arrived in Hialeah in very different ways, but I could empathize with the sense of loss and dislocation of the Cuban-American population. They too had lost everything. As I watched events unfold, from the Bay of Pigs to the Cuban Missile Crisis, I felt a powerful sense of patriotism and a unique sense of solidarity with Cuban-Americans.
I was the first in my family to go to college, leaving poverty behind and finding academic opportunities that would lead to political, professional and personal success. I see in the Cuban-American community a spirit akin to my own: fiercely loyal, hardworking and intent on overcoming difficult situations. They pulled themselves up and are one of America's great success stories.
With the hindsight of a lifetime of experience, which included eight years as governor of Maryland, I also understand why that community is now shifting in support of a new approach toward Cuba. At some point, when things do not work, you have to re-evaluate and reinvent. That does not mean your values change, it means you need to find a better way to promote them.
As the state's former governor, I still celebrate the successes of Maryland's people and worry when they confront great challenges. That was the case when Alan Gross, a Marylander, was detained and jailed in Cuba while in the service of his country. Mr. Gross became a victim of a repressive regime, but as time went on, it was clear he was also a victim of an outdated Cold War-era policy that simply did not work. I rejoiced seeing him finally reunited with his family in December after five years, but I also reflected on what could have happened if we had changed policy toward Cuba at the end of the Cold War rather than at the end of 2014.
In that same time period, we have seen Eastern Europe transformed from the darkness of the depths of communism and repression, to a region full of hope — certainly facing plenty of challenges — but ripe with opportunities and a freedom unimaginable not that long ago.
What if back then we had stopped trying to hurt the Cuban government at the expense of its people, and instead helped the Cuban people, even if it helped their government just a bit? What if we had done what we did with Germany and Japan?
If former Eastern Bloc countries as small as Estonia could give the world Skype and other innovations, what could the talent and drive of 11 million Cubans do just 90 miles from our shores? It is impossible to say what might have been, but we can certainly look toward what could be. We have to give pragmatic policy a chance, and stop letting ideology derail what we all want to see.
The Cuban government is far from where it needs to be, but refusing to engage with them would only continue to provide them with excuses to do what they have always done. That is why I support the president's policy shift.
I grew up alongside Cuban exiles. I know what they are capable of. After only modest economic reforms in recent years, half a million independent entrepreneurs on the island are already making tremendous strides and reshaping the socio-economic landscape of their country.
I am excited to see what the Cuban people can build. Who knows? They may turn out to be great partners sooner than we think. It is worth giving them the chance.
Parris N. Glendening served as the 59th Governor of Maryland from 1995 until 2003. His email is pglendening@smartgrowthamerica.org.