What is behind the US-Cuba thaw?

US President Barack Obama and his Cuban counterpart Raul Castro have announced moves to normalise diplomatic relations between the two countries. In televised statements delivered simultaneously, the two leaders said they would chart a new course following the release by the Cuban authorities of US contractor Alan Gross.The Obama Administration had been trying to bring about the release of Alan Gross for years. In early 2013, President Obama authorised secret talks to go ahead in Canada and the Vatican. A major factor driving the talks was Alan Gross's deteriorating health. If his continued detention was a major sticking point in relations between the two countries, his death in a Cuban jail would have been an almost insurmountable obstacle.  continue