How the Cuba Policy Affected trade with the U.S. Today Essay

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

In the article, “Why Do We Still Have an Embargo of Cuba?” Patrick Haney explores the history of the embargo and the different factors which have maintained and tightened its restrictions over the past fifty years. The embargo consists of a ban on trade and commercial activity, a ban on travel, a policy on how Cuban exiles can enter the U.S., and media broadcasting to the island. These once-executive orders now codified into law by the Helms-Burton Act, have become a politically charged topic which wins and loses elections, spawned influential interest groups, and powerful political action committees.

President Obama addressed the situation and policies between Cuba and the United States in his State of the Union Address. " In Cuba, we are ending a policy that was long past its expiration date. When what you're doing doesn't work for fifty years, it's time to try something new. Our shift in Cuba policy has the potential to end a legacy of mistrust in our hemisphere, removes a phony excuse for restrictions in Cuba, stands up for democratic values, and extends the hand of friendship to the Cuban people. And this year, Congress should begin the work of ending the embargo," the President said regarding Cuba and the antiquated policies.

In 1959, Cuban leader Fidel Castro seized power over Havana and overthrew the U.S. during the Cold War. Castro then began an alliance with the Soviet Union and proceeded to increase trade with them. After these events, Washington banned exports from the U.S. to Cuba. Restricted were later extended over the whole economy by placing an embargo, which limited Americans travel and the ability to do business with Cuba. These events lead towards restriction between both countries for over 50 years.

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

Anderson provides his definition of the policy, “Under the policy he introduced, those Cubans apprehended by the U.S. Coast Guard at sea would be deported back to Cuba, but the U.S. would accept those who made it to American shores.” Since the policy was introduced the relationship between Cuba and the United States has improved considerably. Anderson states this as one of the main reasons it has improved, “But after Raúl Castro assumed office and his brother Fidel stepped down, in 2008, things have eased up considerably, with the lifting of travel prohibitions for Cubans.” There has also been a large increase in travel and money between the two countries.

In the year 1959 a politician named Fidel Castro led a revolution against the Cuban government under Fulgencio Batista.

In 1960 the United States, under President Eisenhower, established a partial embargo on the tiny island nation of Cuba (Rampersand, 402). That partial embargo became a complete embargo under President Kennedy in 1962. The United States established the embargo on Cuba to alter Cuba’s political clime. Looking back through the last 55 years, that goal has not been achieved. It is time to end the embargo on the island nation of Cuba re-establishing economic, scientific and cultural exchanges.

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,

The embargo that changed it all. Long before the U.S. trade embargo on Cuba, the island realized that it really did need to count on its many tourists visit as a big process in developing their economic and social development but it wasn’t until the Cuban revolution in 1959, that really opened up the island into seeing that they need the tourism to grow in the future. The U.S. trade embargo was to stop any trading exports to go to Cuba, it was originally started by president Dwight D. Eisenhower’s State Department in October 19, 1960, where they wanted to stop all of U.S. exports to Cuba except for medicine and some food but then, in February 7, 1962 President John F. Kennedy made the embargo even worse by stop all trading with U.S. imports

U.S. wanted Cuba to meet special requirements in order for the embargo to go into effect, including rules such as: transition to a democracy, demand Havana support small businesses in exchange for sheathing restrictions on remittances, denounce presence of either Fidel or Raul Castro in Cuban government, better living conditions for all Cuban citizens, absolutely no travel to Cuba, and promote human rights. Cuba has not yet met all requirements, but is currently working on them. Obama reversed some of these polices, such as, allowing U.S. citizens to send remittances to non-family members in Cuba and travel under license of religious or educational purposes. As of today United States citizens may travel to Cuba with only special reasons like religious or

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

The United States’ and Cuba’s relationship has always been very volatile and open to change. Since the early twentieth century, the two countries have been close but separated at the same time. For a country that is as close as it is to the U.S., Cuba couldn’t be has isolated. Now this relationship wasn’t always bad, but do to the policy decisions of both countries they have a rocky relationship. In recent times, the United States has begun rethinking its harsh policy against the small island nation. In this essay, I will explain the history of the embargo, the issues with it, and what the future looks like for both countries. The Cuban Embargo has been ineffective at spreading democracy, solving human rights issues, and has harmed the economy,

The Cuban people have been under the harsh dictatorship of both Felgenico Batista and Fidel Castro. They both had very strict policies and gave the Cuban people limited or no freedom at all. Batista and Castro were similar but yet different. One major difference that they had was that Batista was friendly with the United States and he had respect for American interest. On the other hand Fidel Castro hasn’t been as friendly with the United States, so the U.S has a trade embargo that restricts and American company to do business with Cuba and also U.S citizens are prohibited from traveling to Cuba unless for special circumstances.

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