“One Door Closes, Another Opens,” Interview with Ambassador José Ramón Cabañas Rodríguez

Academics report that a lack of data and access to interviews with officials and executives result in a scarcity of information, thus making it difficult to present a clear picture of Cuba's foreign investment and economic development (Feinberg, R., 2016). Part One, “Government,” attempts to resolve some of that mystery by examining the various perspectives of officials from Cuba and abroad. This chapter, “One Door Closes, Another Opens,” is an interview with José Ramón Cabañas Rodríguez. He was Cuba’s First Ambassador to the United States, appointed two months after the restoration of diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba in September 2015. The title of the interview comes from an expression Dr. Cabañas often used on his Twitter account. We spoke in January 2020, several months after National security adviser John Bolton delivered his “Troika of Tyranny” speech in Miami. He explained how Cuba’s doors remain open not only to business but also to those who come to learn how the Island tackles climate change, faces natural disasters, and offers free healthcare, education, and cultural festivals in a society without violence or drug crises. Our conversation also covered the possibility for Americans to move forward in the time of the Trump presidency and the status of Memorandums of Understandings signed during the Obama Administration.