From human rights to freedom of the press to political prisoners, Cuba may slowly develop into a democratic nation that finds acceptance in the community of nations. To the surprise of U.S. officials, Cuban president Raul Castro said about the Castro dictatorship of the last 50 years, “We could be wrong, we admit it. We’re human.”

With Cuba’s now willingness to change its old ways, President Obama called for a “new beginning” with the rogue island nation. As a good-faith measure, Obama lifted travel restrictions, allowing unlimited travel to Cuba by relatives.

In this terrible economy, lifting the Cuba embargo could prove fruitful for U.S. businesses. Millions of Cuban-Americans would purchase and send goods back to their families in Cuba, from cell phones to computers to clothes. The airline and travel industry could benefit, too.

But should the U.S. lift its embargo if Cuba does not undergo a regime change? Should the U.S. budge, when millions of Cubans are not afforded basic human rights and liberties? The Castro family has dominated over Cuba for half a century, suppressing such basic liberties and extorting millions of dollars under their dictatorship.

After 50 years of staying committed to the embargo, the U.S. should continue to take careful steps to hold on to democratic ideals and stay on its moral high ground. While Raul Castro shows a willingness for drastic change, it would be an embarrassment to the U.S. if it is too quick and too lenient with a regime that has not honored basic human rights. This was one of the major reasons the embargo was enacted in the first place.

I would expect the President to take a wait-and-see approach with Cuba. After all, the U.S. has already showed some good faith when it lifted travel restrictions.