--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Even today, when the Obama administration…" description: "\"Even today, when the Obama administration has liberalized travel to Cuba - and failed to reverse that liberalization when Alan Gross was imprisoned - t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce0/elliott-abrams-1577_administration_even-today-when-the-obama-administration_2392764.jpg" --- # Even today, when the Obama administration has liberalized… ![“Even today, when the Obama administration has liberalized travel to Cuba - and failed to reverse that liberalization when Alan Gross was imprisoned - there are limits.” quote by Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce0/elliott-abrams-1577_administration_even-today-when-the-obama-administration_2392764.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce0/elliott-abrams-1577_administration_even-today-when-the-obama-administration_2392764.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce0/elliott-abrams-1577_administration_even-today-when-the-obama-administration_2392764.jpg) > “Even today, when the Obama administration has liberalized travel to Cuba - and failed to reverse that liberalization when Alan Gross was imprisoned - there are limits.” [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Policy changes can be reversed, but political realities and individual cases may limit action. **In simple terms:** Limits exist despite policy shifts. Key Takeaway Recognize constraints and act strategically. Themes politics policy human rights Mood cautious reflective Type analytical political When to use this quote - foreign policy planning - advocacy - legal defense - humanitarian response Key Concepts liberalization political risk individual case Questions to Reflect On - How can policymakers balance broad reforms with individual injustices? - What mechanisms ensure accountability in foreign policy? A Different Perspective Political pressure can hinder policy reversal. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Administration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/administration/) [Administration Liberalized](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/administration-liberalized-5965413/) [Alan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alan/) [Cuba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cuba/) [Even](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/even/) [Failed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failed/) [Gross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gross/) [Imprisoned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imprisoned/) [Imprisoned Limits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imprisoned-limits-5965412/) [Liberalized](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberalized-3460654/) [Liberalized Travel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberalized-travel-5965410/) [Limits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/limits/) [Management](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/management/) [Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obama/) [Obama administration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obama-administration/) [Reverse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reverse/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) [Travel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/travel/) ## Related quotes > [“It was only after the Second World War that the US – with its industrial supremacy now unchallenged – liberalized its trade and started…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ha-joon-chang/it-was-only-after-the-second-world-war-that-the-us-with-its/) [Ha-Joon Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-joon-chang/) > [Airlines are one of the last things to be liberalized.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-fernandes/airlines-are-one-of-the-last-things-to-be-liberalized/) [Tony Fernandes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-fernandes/) > [We don't want apartheid liberalized. We want it dismantled. You can't improve something that is intrinsically evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/we-don-t-want-apartheid-liberalized-we-want-it-dismantled-you-can-t/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [Alan White and I spent the next two or three years working together on this. We developed what is known a stochastic volatility model.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hull/alan-white-and-i-spent-the-next-two-or-three-years-working-together/) [John Hull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hull/) > [“As he left Chinatown behind, Alan thought of the woman he’d seen on the wharf the other day, the golden splendor of her gown,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-dee/as-he-left-chinatown-behind-alan-thought-of-the-woman-he-d-seen-on/) [Bonnie Dee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-dee/) > [“Alan shook his head. Jeremy was hopeless. Either he’d find an equally soft-headed girl and they’d live happily ever after like two cooing doves,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-dee/alan-shook-his-head-jeremy-was-hopeless-either-he-d-find-an-equally/) [Bonnie Dee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-dee/) > [I fell in love with Alan Ayckbourn the day I met him and, starting with 'The Norman Conquests,' went on to do eight plays…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gambon/i-fell-in-love-with-alan-ayckbourn-the-day-i-met-him-and-starting/) [Michael Gambon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gambon/) > [I love 'Love Actually' and particularly the story with Alan Rickman and Emma Thompson. I think it's possibly the best exploration of infidelity that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-requa/i-love-love-actually-and-particularly-the-story-with-alan-rickman-and/) [John Requa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-requa/) > [“It's going to come to fists eventually.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-jones/it-s-going-to-come-to-fists-eventually/) [Carrie Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-jones/) > [I've played under Alan Pardew, Gianfranco Zola, Avram Grant, Sam Allardyce, Alan Curbishley and Slaven's made me captain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-noble/i-ve-played-under-alan-pardew-gianfranco-zola-avram-grant-sam/) [Mark Noble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-noble/) > [“Alan:I used rabbit-skin glue to size the panels. I got it from the art shop. I don’t know if they use real rabbits in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-l-merrow/alan-i-used-rabbit-skin-glue-to-size-the-panels-i-got-it-from-the-art/) [J.L. Merrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-l-merrow/) > [I had written a tune called 'Shake, Rattle and Roll,' but the white stations refused to play it - they thought it was low-class…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-stone/i-had-written-a-tune-called-shake-rattle-and-roll-but-the-white/) [Jesse Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-stone/) > [“Alan prayed she wasn’t complying from some sense of obligation. He didn’t want that, but neither could he bear for her to leave him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-dee/alan-prayed-she-wasn-t-complying-from-some-sense-of-obligation-he/) [Bonnie Dee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-dee/) > [My friendship with the great actor and director Alan Rickman did not have a particularly auspicious start.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-viner/my-friendship-with-the-great-actor-and-director-alan-rickman-did-not/) [Katharine Viner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-viner/) > [You can't have Alan Partridge as Eddie the Eagle!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-the-eagle/you-can-t-have-alan-partridge-as-eddie-the-eagle/) [Eddie the Eagle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-the-eagle/) ## More by Elliott Abrams > [President Obama has never summarized the Obama Doctrine with such clarity, but here is what it would look like: 'I will undertake any military…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/president-obama-has-never-summarized-the-obama-doctrine-with-such/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) > [The story of the Jews in the Bible is replete with incidents of their ingratitude to God for His gifts to them: incidents that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/the-story-of-the-jews-in-the-bible-is-replete-with-incidents-of-their/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) > [History may someday record that the Arab awakening that began with the Arab revolt of 1916 against the Ottomans ended about a century later…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/history-may-someday-record-that-the-arab-awakening-that-began-with/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) > [From its earliest days in the nineteenth century, and until the Holocaust, the Orthodox rabbinate in eastern Europe was not enthusiastic about the Zionist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/from-its-earliest-days-in-the-nineteenth-century-and-until-the/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) > [The Pope is not a political figure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/the-pope-is-not-a-political-figure/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) > [Israel and the Palestinians had been at the table together for decades until the Obama/Mitchell/Rahm Emanuel decision to demand a total end to Israeli…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/israel-and-the-palestinians-had-been-at-the-table-together-for/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) > [Pundits are used to analyzing the gap between what our ideals suggest and what our security interests require.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/pundits-are-used-to-analyzing-the-gap-between-what-our-ideals-suggest/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) > [The Egyptian military and the government of Israel have long had a common interest in maintaining order and fighting terrorism in Sinai.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/the-egyptian-military-and-the-government-of-israel-have-long-had-a/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) > [In 2007, early in the improbable presidential candidacy of Barack Obama, the young first-term senator began a series of foreign-policy speeches that seemed too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/in-2007-early-in-the-improbable-presidential-candidacy-of-barack/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) > [Terrorists that kill Americans don't get released.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/terrorists-that-kill-americans-don-t-get-released/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) > [Refusing to lift sanctions and adopting tougher rhetoric toward Iran would not be partisan issues. Plenty of Democrats think that those actions are both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/refusing-to-lift-sanctions-and-adopting-tougher-rhetoric-toward-iran/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) > [At the height of the Cold War, when Ronald Reagan was president, the Soviets and their allies and satellites did not shirk human rights…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/at-the-height-of-the-cold-war-when-ronald-reagan-was-president-the/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) > [I personally would not talk to a Jew for Jesus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/i-personally-would-not-talk-to-a-jew-for-jesus/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) > [When freedom of the press is threatened, the United States should be leading efforts to protect it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/when-freedom-of-the-press-is-threatened-the-united-states-should-be/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) > [Israel bombed the Syrian nuclear reactor in 2007. What the Syrians did in response, nothing. Israel has killed a number of terrorist leaders in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/israel-bombed-the-syrian-nuclear-reactor-in-2007-what-the-syrians-did/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) [Explore all 226 Elliott Abrams quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) ## More Administration quotes > [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. Remember, under a Trump administration it's called America first. Remember that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-need-a-system-that-serves-our-needs-not-the-needs-of-others/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [While the people retain their virtue and vigilance, no administration, by any extreme of wickedness or folly, can very seriously injure the government in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/while-the-people-retain-their-virtue-and-vigilance-no-administration/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [If you want to serve in a Trump administration, you're going to serve this country, not yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-spicer/if-you-want-to-serve-in-a-trump-administration-you-re-going-to-serve/) [Sean Spicer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-spicer/) > [Listen, I have a great affection and respect for Joe Biden. I think he's been a great vice president. He's taken on a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-axelrod/listen-i-have-a-great-affection-and-respect-for-joe-biden-i-think-he/) [David Axelrod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-axelrod/) > [I don't believe anyone that I know in the administration ever said that Iraq had nuclear weapons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-rumsfeld/i-don-t-believe-anyone-that-i-know-in-the-administration-ever-said/) [Donald Rumsfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-rumsfeld/) > [What was unique about me being in City Hall during the Giuliani Administration, I was the only one who wasn't an attorney. I may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-lhota/what-was-unique-about-me-being-in-city-hall-during-the-giuliani/) [Joe Lhota](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-lhota/) > [The Trump administration launched the cruise missile strikes in Syria, an act of war, without a U.N. resolution or Congressional authorization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/the-trump-administration-launched-the-cruise-missile-strikes-in-syria/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [The only way I'll ever run a marathon is if I'm involved in the administration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-phillips/the-only-way-i-ll-ever-run-a-marathon-is-if-i-m-involved-in-the/) [Sally Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-phillips/) > [Obama spent the first two years of his administration practicing political unilateral disarmament.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cenk-uygur/obama-spent-the-first-two-years-of-his-administration-practicing/) [Cenk Uygur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cenk-uygur/) > [The actions of the University in my case make it abundantly clear that the Administration's rhetoric about Harvard's desire to attract and retain the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-geller/the-actions-of-the-university-in-my-case-make-it-abundantly-clear/) [Margaret Geller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-geller/) > [In mid-May, the House of Representatives approved the full amount of money that the Veterans Administration said was needed for next year - plus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doc-hastings/in-mid-may-the-house-of-representatives-approved-the-full-amount-of/) [Doc Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doc-hastings/) > [In 1953, the United States played a significant role in orchestrating the overthrow of Iran's popular prime minister, Mohammed Mossadegh. The Eisenhower administration believed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-albright/in-1953-the-united-states-played-a-significant-role-in-orchestrating/) [Madeleine Albright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-albright/) > [The administration of George W. Bush, emboldened by the Sept. 11 attacks and the backing of a Republican Congress, has sought to further extend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-feldman/the-administration-of-george-w-bush-emboldened-by-the-sept-11-attacks/) [Noah Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-feldman/) > [When we criticize in Iran the actions of the government, the fundamentalists say that we and the Bush Administration are in the same camp.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirin-ebadi/when-we-criticize-in-iran-the-actions-of-the-government-the/) [Shirin Ebadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirin-ebadi/) > [We will finally complete the biometric entry-exit visa tracking system, which we need desperately. For years Congress has required biometric entry-exit visa tracking systems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-will-finally-complete-the-biometric-entry-exit-visa-tracking/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) [Browse all 1,855 Administration quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/administration/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Even today, when the Obama administration has liberalized travel to Cuba - and failed to reverse that liberalization when Alan Gross was imprisoned - there are limits.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Elliott Abrams" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/even-today-when-the-obama-administration-has-liberalized-travel-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Administration" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/even-today-when-the-obama-administration-has-liberalized-travel-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce0/elliott-abrams-1577_administration_even-today-when-the-obama-administration_2392764.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce0/elliott-abrams-1577_administration_even-today-when-the-obama-administration_2392764.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce0/elliott-abrams-1577_administration_even-today-when-the-obama-administration_2392764.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Even today, when the Obama administration has liberalized travel to Cuba - and failed to reverse that…” — Elliott Abrams", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Elliott Abrams", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Even today, when the Obama administration...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/even-today-when-the-obama-administration-has-liberalized-travel-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/even-today-when-the-obama-administration-has-liberalized-travel-to/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```