U.S. Foreign Policy (April 6-10)

Captains vs. Pirates
The world is becoming crazier and crazier by the minute! Just when we’d thought we had seen it all, another unbelievable event takes place and we are brought to a harsh reality that safety is at a premium. According to a U.S. official on Friday, Richard Phillips, the captain of a U.S.-flagged cargo ship, tried to escape from his captors Thursday night by jumping out of the lifeboat where he's being held. Richard Phillips was on the ship that was hijacked Wednesday while en route to Mombasa, Kenya. Phillips and others have been held since Wednesday, when the hijackers obtained control of his ship, the Maersk Alabama. In what is believed to be a more reoccurring theme, these attacks have “picked up drastically in recent months that the Navy has to reposition some of its fleet to deal with the threats, claimed Chris Lawrence, CNN's Pentagon correspondent.

It is believed that Captain Phillips was attempting to swim to the USS Bainbridge, a naval warship that is in communication with the gunmen holding Phillips off Somalia's coast, the official said. Although his plan was strategic and crafty, he did not get far. The official said that the kidnappers jumped into the water, recaptured him, and returned him to the lifeboat before he could get too far. They believe that he is being held by four gunmen, but two U.S. warships were on their way to assist the USS Bainbridge in completing Phillip’s rescue. The ship was headed to Kenya with a cargo of food aid upon its attack Wednesday. The attack marks the first time in very recent history that an American ship has been the target of a pirate attack. The pirates show no signs of giving in so the Navy is requesting help from the FBI in this hostage situation.

U.S. and Cuba moving toward mending differences
Relations between Cuba and the United States have been rather limited lately, but for the first time in fifty years the two seem to have somewhat eased the tension between them . A delegation from the Congressional Black Caucus was in the communist country this week to find answers to some of America’s questions. Some say they were on a “fact-finding mission”. House of Representatives member Barbara Lee expressed that, "Our purpose was to see if there were preconditions on the Cuban side. We heard that there were no preconditions," Lee said Wednesday. "And, in fact, we wanted to find out if they were interested. We have to remember that every country in Latin America, 15 countries, have normal relations with Cuba. ... We're the country which is isolated." The meetings that seem to be even more significant are the ones held between the U.S. and current President Raul Castro alongside his brother, former President Fidel.

President Obama has made it clear that he wants to change the relationship between the U.S. and Cuba and is taking steps such as signing bills that loosen restrictions implemented by Bush. Analysts see the lawmakers' trip and Obama's campaign rhetoric as a way for the new administration to start thawing relations with Cuba before the Fifth Summit of the Americas. The summit will bring together the U.S. president and 33 other leaders from the Western Hemisphere in mid-April in Trinidad and Tobago. It is important to remember that not everyone is eager for change with regards to the U.S.-Cuba relationship. Some Cuban-American Congressman have spoken out against easing the tensions. Florida Republican Senator Mel Martinez is one of them. "Having tourists on Cuban beaches is not going to achieve democratic change in Cuba," Martinez has said.