State Department spokesman John Kirby said the U.S. policy shift in Cuba would assist the U.S. in efforts to address human rights concerns.
President Obama announced on Wednesday that the U.S. will re-establish diplomatic relations with Cuba. The diplomatic relations will be formally established on July 20, the same day that Cuba will open its embassy in Washington. The U.S. will re-open its embassy in Havana later this summer.
Critics of the policy shift say the U.S. hasn’t done enough to address Cuba’s violation of human rights.
The State Department believes that the change in policy will make it easier for the U.S. to address human rights concerns.
"I think we believe that this policy shift actually will assist in our efforts to address those concerns with Cuban authorities," Kirby said.
The Obama administration has a similarly hopeful approach to a potential nuclear deal with Iran, with Ben Rhodes arguing that Iranian behavior is more likely to evolve positively with a nuclear deal than without one.