I agree that the Cuban blockade doesn't help and would ideally be ended; the problem is that Cuban-Americans are a powerful voting bloc and highly concentrated in a single swing state. Plus the policy has been around for a long time. The ideal would be to have some kind of fig leaf event in Cuba (change in leadership didn't seem to do it?) which everyone can use as a face-saving excuse to end the sanctions and normalize relations. Cuba remaining Communist in the way Vietnam is communist would be a great outcome for everyone. Cuba transitioning to some form of socialist-capitalist hybrid would be even better.
Arguably the fall of the USSR would have been an ideal time to end this, even with Cuba remaining communist. Certainly a healthy Castro stepping down would have been a major favor in the 1989-1992 period toward this. I wonder if there was any effort at the time.
Arguably the fall of the USSR would have been an ideal time to end this, even with Cuba remaining communist. Certainly a healthy Castro stepping down would have been a major favor in the 1989-1992 period toward this. I wonder if there was any effort at the time.