Summary: The Effect Of US-Cuba Relations

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.

This economic stimulus that the USSR gave the Cubans did not come without a steep price. For the second time in a few years Castro felt the pressure of a super power trying to control the future of his county. Soviet Premier

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.

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.

For more than 50 years following its independence, Cuba was governed by a succession of elected and authoritarian leaders, culminating with rule of Fulgencio Batista, who seized power in a bloodless coup in 1952. Batista ruled as a brutal dictator and was overthrown by resistance groups led by Fidel Castro on January 1, 1959. Castro began his more than 45 years as Cuba’s leader by promising democratic rule, but he quickly began to stifle dissent often by imprisoning or executing opponents. Relations between Castro and the U.S. deteriorated quickly in 1959 and 1960 as he courted the Soviet Union, the U.S.’s adversary in the Cold War, and began confiscating Cuban property owned by U.S. corporations and citizens.

The U.S. and Cuban controversies have been around since 1962. The president has decided that isolating Cuba has not worked and recently loosened travel restrictions and exports restrictions. Although this is a huge step to right directions economically, cultural effects so far have been minimal for both the U.S. and Cuba. Politically, Cuba is a socialist country, however, has been taking steps to democracy. For example, reforms breaking up government owned lands and authorizing self employment in many occupations. With the embargo lifted, it is expected that Cuba takes more steps in the right direction. On the economic side of things, Cuba still has strict control on foreign investment, but it is expected with time that investors will be

Freedom of speech is limited for Cubans in a variety of ways which includes books, internet, newspapers, music, and movies. All of these examples are numerous censored ways that Castro had the society enclosed. Committing acts “aimed at subverting the internal order of the nation and destroying its political, economic, and social system” will imprison an individual up to twenty years (Durane). Cuba has the most restrictive laws against freedom of speech and press. The government conveys what all you hear on the radio, what materials an individual may purchase at the store and so forth.

Patrick Symmes is a journalist whose work focuses on Latin America, particularly Cuba. He has published several books, is a regular contributor to Newsweek, and has also published articles in many occasions. Thirty Days as a Cuban was written in October 2010 as Symmes experienced life in Havana. Symmes explains how during his time living in Cuba, the degree of socio/economic inequality was relatively low. While some people were making more than others, the vast majority of Cubans were significantly poor and suffered from starvation in a daily basis. He informs the readers about the way citizens live under a dictatorship government that is literally killing them due to its arbitrary laws and unorganized economic system. The tone of this reading is informative, concise and clear. Furthermore, the author writing style helps to better understand how the dictatorship imposed in Cuba is affecting every citizen and not just a certain group. The way it’s just destroying people’s dreams and hopes of having a better future to offer to those future generations.

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

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

n October 19th 1960, the United States of America implemented an embargo on American exports to Cuba. This undertaking was in response to the Cuban state nationalizing American owned property without any compensation. The embargo, which included just about all imports, is one example of US-Cuban relations that have been poor ever since the overthrow of the Batista regime (Haufbauer et al). In recent years, trade sanctions have finally began to open up and in 2000 the United States passed the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act which allows for food and agricultural products to be exported to Cuba (Engage Cuba Coalition). However, despite this act opening up the market for food and agricultural products the Trade Sanctions Reform

The American perspective of Cuba is one that varies from person to person, generation to generation. Commonly, Millennials view Cuba as a country of opportunity and intrigue while the Baby Boomers approach Cuba with an air of caution. This disconnect exists because the generations before ours experienced the alienation that came into play in the media when the Eisenhower administration placed the embargo on exports in 1960. Considering this disconnect is one of the many issues that have to be taken into consideration when discussing how Americans view Cuba, and looking into how our relationship with their country will develop in the future. It is highly likely that this view is also affected by individuals’ opinions of socialist governments.

A lot has gone on between the United States and Cuba between 1959 and 2015. In 1959, Cuba and the United States cut off diplomatic ties. On December 17, 2014, the United States and Cuba announced that they would restore diplomatic ties. Diplomatic ties is defined as “The art or practice of conducting international relations, as in negotiating alliances, treaties, and agreements” by The Free Dictionary. This means that two countries work together and with other countries to talk about alliances and make treaties and agreements. When they cut off diplomatic ties, the United States and Cuba basically had nothing to do with each other on the international scene.

The U.S. embargo against Cuba that has been going on since the 1950s is coming to an end. It clearly never achieved its aims as one of the Castro brothers is still in charge on this island and Fidel was in charge until ill health, not our embargo, forced him out. The Obama Administration has already lifted certain travel restrictions to the island nation, and CNN is reporting that it will be announced on Wednesday July 1 that embassies will be reopened in our respective countries for the first time in over 50 years.