What Cuba absolutely needs is a buddy. First they had the Soviet Union, but they collapsed. Then their new buddy is Venezuela, but they are collapsing too. They can't go back to Russia, and so they need to make up with us so we can be their buddy. I am all for it, since I would rather they be our buddy than China.
Cuba is going to have to swallow a lot of pride if they are to do that. Basically Castro will have to admit he’s been wrong all these years, and I don’t see that happening.
If they want to be our “Buddy”, we should demand the Communist Party immediately lift bans on opposition parties.
Besides, the Cubans very well know that with better relations with the USA, it could mean a dramatically improved standard of living for them. The island of Cuba has huge swaths of land that can grow a huge variety of tropical agricultural products plus tobacco--and that includes sugar cane and possibly even cacao trees, where the seeds are the base ingredient for chocolate. And there are many miles of beaches for tourist development, too.
In short, the embargo against Cuba has become obsolete, especially with Russia no longer supporting them and Venezuela on the verge of complete collapse. Besides, with better relations with the USA, it may even have the strategic advantage of denying the Russians a base for ships and aircraft, too.
Sorry, but you left out an even better option.
Keep the embargo in place.
Shine the international light on the cockroaches that tyrannize Cuba (you know, like Obammie the Commie has done in other countries for his own political reasons).
And assist the people in throwing off the yoke of tyranny and finding their true freedom.
This is nothing more than the Communist in Chief propping up a failed communist regime that is about to collapse...which he does not want to happen because he wants communism to drag on in that country.