Cuba has been the source of controversy for decades. Between events such as the Bay of Pigs invasion and the Cuban Missile Crisis in the 1960s and the country’s ongoing Communist dictatorship, this island nation has not always been thought of as an appealing place to visit. However, Cuba’s physical and human geography, especially when coupled with the lifting of the US embargo, give it the potential to be a prime tourism destination.
Cuba is representative of a different type of society which has in many ways, not embraced modern technology due to the embargo and the lack of imports into the country; therefore, it falls behind in many areas due to strict government control and limits the ability of its people to experience meaningful economic growth (The Heritage Foundation, 2017). In this context, the people of Cuba face significant challenges because they cannot seek opportunities for growth and development which have a significant impact on their incomes and families (The Heritage Foundation, 2017). From this perspective, there are important considerations to make regarding the Cuban economy and its lasting impact on limiting economic prosperity for its people (The Heritage Foundation, 2017).
The biggest differences between Cuba and the United States are the government and economic status. The United States has a democracy where as Cuba has a dictatorship. Cuba is one of the poorest countries in the world and yet the U.S. is one of the most powerful countries in the world. The U.S. sets the standards for other industrial nations, however Cuba does all that it can with their national resources and aid from other countries.
Cash is not abundant in Cuba, especially for the poor to middle class families. An example of this would help move “product” from point a to b and in return, the employers can provide your family with food for a month.Government officials will often times take kickbacks for awarding large contracts to foreign companies . In return get money back from the investment in the company.
Goods or services of Cuban origin may not be imported into the United States either directly or through third countries” (2001) . According to the Cuba Policy Foundation, the United States loses up to $4.84 billion annually in trade and exports alone (Pepper 2009) . The amount of money being disregarded because of now defunct reasons is radically lacking in logic. A simple repealing of the embargo would bring both the United States and Cuba great economic success.
“Raw sugar accounts for one quarter of Cuba’s export less than half a billion dollars” (The Economic Impact of Better US-Cuba Relations, 2015). Ending the embargo “Cuban exports can go from $0 to 5.8 billion” (US Cuba Embargo Pros and Cons: Renewed Relations Sets Caps and Limited Success for Businesses). Both economics can benefit massively from lifting the trade embargo this is because one of the most imperative exports of the Cuban economy is nickel. Nickel a mineral used in many industrial processes such as the creation of stainless steel, it can be a major use to the United States economy because it imports around 43% of nickel from the rest of the world therefore Cuba could benefit by entering the United States market. Cuba’s major import is refined petroleum which the United States is one of the largest producers of, the Cuban economy also imports wheat corn, meat, milk and soybeans which the United States also produces. Additionally, Cuba also exports rum and tobacco(cigars) which are said to be legendary in the United States. With the lifting of the embargo these products can be exported to the United States because Americans loves these clichés also, these exports can lead to a major enhancement in the Cuban economy because trade increases sales and profits, strengthen local competitiveness and diversification. Together the countries will be able to trade mutually and exchange
International trade is really important to any continent that needs food and there things that they can't grow. Cuba trades with Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Russia, Spain, and Venezuela (Miric).Cuba trades with different 9 countries
Cuba and the United States of America have completely opposite economies. Cuba’s economy is based on the few natural resources that the country owns while the economic system in The United States is capitalist and can be recognized for its noticeable development in agriculture, energy, and other resources that keep the country expanding and provides jobs as well as a good quality of life for its residents. On the other hand, Cuba’s economy, is predominantly poor, to the point where a very huge percent of its population suffers from
From their end, Cuba has surprised many around the world for striving against such barriers. “ The main driver of the Cuban economy is agriculture. The country is a major producer of several crops but sugar and tobacco are the big money products. Despite not being able to export their products to the United States Cuba has become a major exporter of agricultural products. There has been an attempt on the part of the Cuban government to diversify their economy and it looks like natural resources will be one way that they can do this. The country has become a major nickel producer and this has quickly become one of their largest exports. There is also the potential for Cuba to become a major oil producer. There are large reserves of oil in the Caribbean that are in Cuba's territorial water. It is very likely that in the near future they will take advantage of these reserves in order to help diversify the economy.”
It also says that shops will have a large range of products, however there are still large shortages of food. Rations are sometimes not even guaranteed to be delivered and if they are they will be very late. In 1991 the grain supply to Cuba from the Soviet Union since it collapsed which also caused the cattle to not be able to be fed. Since they could not feed the cattle all of the products and bi-products were very rare like the milk, beef, and eggs and chicken. Since a lot of the fuel was in a shortage the crops had to be harvested by people which made the production of food slow to crawl. They have improved the production but the shortage is still very common and no they are starting to resort to non-rationed stores and even the black market. The actual food/cuisines of Cuba come from many cultures like the Spanish, Africans and Caribbean, One very small part but slight influence is from the Chinese also. Some of the most popular foods include varieties of meat and rice with black beans. The traditional type of Cuban food can also be called criollo. Some of the most common spices and seasonings used are things like garlic and onion and common ingredients are things like lettuce, pork, eggs and tomatoes and more. One product of Cuba is also Coffee which is normally sold to other places and the coffee that Cubans normally drink are from places like
Secondly, Cubaneeds to repair its corrupt, failing state-run economy. The reality of thisstruggling economy is that Cuba’s resources are plenty, and its
It may seem that they don't make much money. Their prices in Cuba for things are far less than what we have here in the U.S. Like a bottle of coke is a dollar and twenty-two cents in Cuba and in the United States it is a dollar and seventy-five cents. Womens life expectancy in Cuba is 80 years old. Men's life expectancy in Cuba is 70 years old. Kids are required to go to school at least till high school. Uniforms are required at every school and they were different colors for each grade. The literacy rate in Cuba was 99% .Education is free to anyone all the way through the university level. They want everyone to have a chance to learn because most of them would not be able to afford to go to school or college.
Adjustments have been since then so that independent businesses in Cuba may trade with the United States, resulting in, “the United States [becoming] Cuba’s fifth largest trading partner since 2007,” (Lee and Renwick 5). Even though Obama came into office in 2008, and a year later reversed more of the restrictions set forth in the Helms-Burton Act, the actual lift of the embargo and Helms-Burton seems to not be as close as the media makes it seem. Since Raul Castro has come into office, also in 2008, he has claimed he would work towards normalizing relations with the United States, and further stated that he would leave office in 2018. Castro leaving office marks the end of the period the Castros have been in power, and leaves question to how the state of Cuba could potentially thrive. In my opinion, after reading many articles that bought forward the many problems Cuba is to overcome, I feel that Cuba has a long way to go in terms of achieving economic prosperity. However, I also deeply believe that the leaders of both Cuba and the United States are paving the roads needed to reach that level of prosperity. Journalists who have visited Cuba have come back claiming, “private businesses have blossomed due to the relaxation of limits of remittances from Cuban Americans to the island,” (O’Neil 2). This statement, and others like it, leaves me to feel
Cuba is located in Central America and the Caribbean. The type of government Cuba has is a communist government, so the government plans and controls the economy. The top three exports for Cuba are NESOI items, pharmaceuticals, and tobacco. The top three imports are machinery, fuel, and tobacco. Cuba's GDP goes up about 3% annually and overall, Cuba's government is steadily increasing each year. The population in Cuba is 11,027,000. Cuba’s health per capita is roughly $1,828. Cuba is a multi-ethnic nation, home to people of different ethnic and national backgrounds. The majority of Cubans descend from spaniards.
Cuba has a national health-care program and free education. It also has subsidized housing and food programs. However, the state control of the economy has left it inefficient. This has prohibited any progress with creating jobs in the private sector. The government is the largest source of employment although 476,000 citizens are registered as self-employed. In an effort to become more efficient, the government has eased the rules on private employment. Cuba rejected relationships with the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. Cuba had a dual economy system. The Cuban Peso (CUP) is what the majority of people in Cuba were paid in. Most goods were valued in the Convertible Cuban Peso (CUC). Neither form of currencies are compatible with the foreign exchange markets. The GDP (purchasing power parity) is $128.5 billion, the GDP (official exchange rate) is $77.15