Cuban Embargo Research Paper

The Cuba Policy came into effect to end all relations between the United States and Cuba. The U.S. policy toward Cuba is controlled by the embargo, which contains economic agreements and restrictions on travel to Cuba. The effect of this policy is to minimize commercial, political and resident relations between the United States and Cuba. The State Department indicated that the purpose of the embargo was to have a nonviolent transition to a secure, democratic form of government and respect for human rights in Cuba.

The United States embargo of Cuba has its roots planted in 1960, 53 years ago, when “the United States Congress authorized President Eisenhower to cut off the yearly quota of sugar to be imported from Cuba under the Sugar act of 1948… by 95 percent” (Hass 1998, 37). This was done in response to a growing

Is the Cuban Embargo a cruel reminder of the Cold war, or is it an important factor of American Democracy fighting the spread of Communism? The Cuban Embargo was a declaration issued by American President John Fitzgerald Kennedy. The embargo was issued because of the threat that the Communist government of Cuba, led by Fidel Castro in 1959, had on American security, assets and democracy at the height of the Cold War. Some 1.8 billion worth of industrial assets were lost with Cuban communist nationalization. (Mr. D’Angelo personal interview) In support, constant influence of the Soviet Union during the early 1960s, particularly the time between 1961 and 1962, led to the creation of the embargo. In addition, the Soviet Union had planned to

The relatively short distance between Cuba and the U.S. naturally led to a long and involved history of relations between the two nations, but relations between the two nations over the past fifty years have been unhealthy and harmful to both nations. The embargo imposed by the U.S. has only been damaging and unhelpful to the situation. “As a result of the new government’s nationalization policy, American investors suffered major losses and the U.S. retaliated in July 1960 by canceling planned purchases of Cuban sugar” (Crouch 70). This was the first act of neglect toward Cuba that would only quickly progress until all trade and relations were cut off with Cuba.

It is said that President John F. Kennedy secured nearly 1,200 Cuban cigars just hours before enacting the Cuban trade embargo in 1962. Many Americans probably wished they could have done this before all trade between the United States and Cuba ceased as the United States now marks the 55th year of an ongoing embargo against Cuba. On February 3, 1962 President Kennedy signed Proclamation 3447 to declare an embargo against all trade between the United States and Cuba. This embargo consists of trade, travel, and commerce restrictions for all people and companies under United States jurisdiction. The United States cut off all ties with this neighboring nation just ninety miles off the coast of Florida. This was Kennedy’s defense against communism,

The Cuban Embargo, also known as “el bloqueo” to Cuban citizens, was declared by the United States in 1960 to eliminate imports of Cuban

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 and the Affects of the Embargo The island nation of Cuba, located just ninety miles off the coast of Florida, is home to 11 million people and has one of the few remaining communist regimes in the world. Cuba’s leader, Fidel Castro, came to power in 1959 and immediately instituted a communist program of sweeping economic and social changes. Castro allied his government with the Soviet Union and seized and nationalized billions of dollars of American property. U.S. relations with Cuba have been strained ever since. A trade embargo against Cuba that was imposed in 1960 is still in place today. Despite severe economic suffering and increasing isolation from the world community, Castro remains committed to communism. (Close Up

This article details the history of the Cuban embargo, tracing its evolution as a tool of retaliation for the seizure of American property, as a weapon in the Cold War against the Soviet Union and its Cuban allies, and finally as an instrument of American policy for the promotion of democracy and human rights. The article then examines the actual impact of the embargo on human rights in Cuba today and highlights the contradiction between the embargo’s avowed political purpose and legal rationale-the promotion of human rights-and its actual consequences, which are harmful to human rights generally. The article suggests that, by harming Cubans ' economic, social, educational, cultural, and family rights, the embargo violates basic norms widely

On an island far, far, away, are oppressed, poor, and hopeless people who have been under the subjugate control of a regime of communist dictators for over half a century. A body of people, who for almost 55 years, have been given the cold shoulder by one of the world’s biggest superpower and the only superpower in close proximity to their own island. The U.S. implemented sanctions on Cuba in 1960 and 1961, with President John F. Kennedy making the embargo official in 1962. The embargo was placed on Cuba during the reign of Fidel Castro because Cuba nationalized American owned Cuban oil refineries without compensation as well as instigated several national security conflicts, such as the Cuban missile crisis, which was spurred by their alliance with the Soviet Union. The issue now stands today on whether America should lift the embargo on Cuba. The lift of this embargo will affect the United States’ international diplomacy, cause an economic boost in Cuba due to the new import and export of goods with the United States. Along with a possible immigration reform for Cubans wanting to move to the United States, and Americans wanting to emigrate to Cuba. There are an incredible amount of problems for the people of Cuba, a lift of the embargo would greatly improve their quality of life. The United States should lift the embargo with the communist state of Cuba,

Embargoes are restrictions on trade between countries used to achieve some kind of goal. The United States has imposed an embargo on Cuba to encourage the Cuban government to change the way they run themselves because the United States does not agree with the system of government they have in place. This embargo enacts total restrictions on trade and travel between the United States and Cuba. The United States’ embargo against Cuba should be lifted because it is doing more harm than good to both countries involved.

In 1959, Cubareceived 74 percent of its imports from the US, and the US received 65 percentof Cuba’s exports. On February 3, 1962, the United States imposed a fulltrade embargo on Cuba, completely ending any type of trade between the twocountries. This embargo remains in effect today, more than four decades later,and has grown ! to be a huge center of debate and controversy (DeVarona 8).Opponents to the embargo argue that the embargo does nothing more than hurt theCuban people, while proponents argue that the embargo places pressure on Castroto repair Cuba’s mismanaged and corrupt government. Both the supportersand the opponents of this embargo have strong arguments and evidence to supportthese

Able to weather a variety of political leaders, economic events, and historical eras, the U.S. embargo of Cuba is the longest and harshest embargo by one state against another in modern history. Following Castro’s overthrow of the Batista government in 1959 and threats to incite revolutions elsewhere in Latin America, the Unites State cancelled its trade agreement to buy Cuban sugar. Then, following a series of increasing hostile events, the United States severed diplomatic relations and initiated a full trade embargo in 1962. Trade between the United States and Cuba stopped. Spurred by the collapse of communism more than thirty years later, Congress

One of the most controversial and widely debatable issues that have been discussed extensively in international legislation for several decades is the Helms-Burton Act. The main controversy surrounding the Helms-Burton Act is the resistance from the Cuban government regarding the features of the legislation. The resistance is a clear demonstration of the legality of property claims despite of the passage of time. Throughout history, rarely has an initiative by the American government to enforce its political opinion on economies of other countries generated much anger like the 1996 Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity or Helms-Burton Act. Even though President Clinton initially opposed the legislation, it was enacted after the downing of two planes by Cuban Air Force that were flown by members of an anti-Castro organization in America. The enactment of this legislation resulted in the America's Cuban Conundrum whose main issues are addressed in this article.

After it became officially globally acknowledged that Cuba was in fact a communist state and was being led through a dictatorship run by Castro, it did not take long before powerful enemies and essential allies were formed. The act of seizing all foreign land with none or very little compensation was received with great hostility amongst those who lost in their property through this process, and probably the reaction that had the biggest impact on Cuba’s economy was that of the US. Castro’s communistic policies did not of course help calm this resentment and also took part in leading to the establishment of trade embargos with Cuba from the US. This meant that Cuba would now lose a very valuable buyer of their precious sugar, [5] but they did however gain another one, a powerful nation that shared quite similar Marxist ideals and were quick to form an alliance with the Cubans, the USSR.