Ahh Cuba 🇨🇺 One of my dream travel destination that I would love to visit when it is over (lockdown & the Covid pandemic).
What I think about Cuba, it’s music, beaches, baseball, dance, classic American cars and yes, Cuban cigars, cocktails and rum. All positive vibes.
However when it comes to politics concerning Cuba and relations with the United States, it’s so messy and complicated.
Here’s a breakdown. 🇺🇸🇨🇺
Since late 1950s, the relationship between the United States and Cuba are not positive as they are foes & that they are not friends & allies. Because of the events in the Cold War era including the fact the United States had backed Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista being overthrown during the Cuban revolution, Fidel Castro rose to power & the severance and the end of US - Cuba relations (that is when the US imposed an economic sanction = embargo on Cuba or the blockade & it has remained in place to this day) & two events (Bay of Pigs Invasion and the Cuban Missile Crisis) when JFK was then the US President. youtu.be youtu.be
In the recent years notably in 2014, then US President Barack Obama made a speech about normalising & restoring the diplomatic relations with Cuba. The Cuban thaw. By then Raul Castro (Fidel’s brother) was the Cuban President. youtu.be
That was the beginning that would had mean eventually the end of the US embargo on Cuba that have existed for over 60 years. With two years before the end of the Obama presidency, the US embassy in Havana was reopened (restoration of diplomatic relations), Cuba out of the US state sponsor of terrorism, normalising bilateral relations & expanding travel and trade as US travel restrictions on Cuba (that restricts American travelling to Cuba) was lifted. US airlines & cruise ships were going to destinations in Cuba and then Barack Obama visited Cuba in 2016. youtu.be youtu.be youtu.be youtu.be
Then suddenly in June 2017, Donald Trump (then US President) rollbacked Obama Cuba policy, saying he was “cancelling the last administration’s one sided deal with Cuba”. youtu.be youtu.be
So Trump dismantled Obama Cuba policy, Tightened the embargo on Cuba, restoring travel restrictions (not travelling freely), no Western Union offices, the implementation of the 1996 Helms Burton goes into effect in 2019, blamed Havana for “mysterious sonic attacks” that happened US diplomats in US embassy in Havana, Cuba & added Cuba back in the list of US state sponsor of terrorism.
During the Trump presidency, Trump didn’t even bothered to make a deal with the Cuban government in order to be way different than the Obama Cuba policy, other than confronting & bullying Cuba with rounds of sanctions, making the US relations with Havana to go back to square one (back to when Cuba was not having a good relations with the US before Obama).
Now Joe Biden is the US President & during the election campaign last year, Biden said that he’ll restore Obama era policy regarding Cuba & not continue with Trump failed policy on Cuba. youtu.be youtu.be
Now I think it is really time for the United States to finally get back & finish what Barack Obama started. The step to ease tensions with the Cuban govt & the roadmap to the gradual end of the embargo. Why? Because it’s time that the United States to let go of the past & move on.
Yes, Cuba is an authoritarian country & doesn’t have a democracy, human rights and press freedom which are factually true. Something both countries (USA and Cuba) do have disagreements on that (which is normal) but to continue & support the embargo that hasn’t worked well both for Washington and Havana, it really serves no purpose.
The world has moved on from the days of Cold War plus I think countries in UN are tired of having endless UN resolutions year after year, condemning blockade on Cuba. Both US allies (Like Canada, the UK, Spain, France, Germany & the European Union) and non US allies (like China and Russia who are allies to Cuba) have all in common. They wanted USA to stop the sanctions & the US blockade (embargo) & Cuba. America still refers Cuba as “the Castro Regime”. Well the Castros are not in power anymore. Fidel Castro is long gone. Raul Castro has been out of power since 2018 given the president of Cuba nowadays is the president that does not have a surname (last name) Castro. Miguel Díaz Canel (Current Cuban President).
My point is that It’s time the US move on from Cold War days & just lift the embargo. No more of imposing round of sanctions & tightening the embargo that affects the Cubans (ordinary Cubans) as well Cuban Americans (including those who resides in Miami, Florida as there are Predominantly Cuban Americans live in US state of Florida with the fact that Cuban exiles had left the country during the Cuban revolution).
Barack Obama could had gone even further (like closing Gitmo Bay = Guantanamo Bay) & that he could be the one who had successfully ended the American embargo. With Trump won the 2016 presidential election, I knew there’s no way that Trump would carry on with Obama policy on Cuba. Now I hope Joe Biden can try to lift measures by restoring Obama administration policy on Cuba (given he was the Vice President) & not imposing any round of sanctions on Cuba & having a dialogue with the government of Cuba to resolve any differences including, press freedom, democracy, human rights and Cuba’s role of supporting the Venezuelan government under Nicolas Maduro.
That cannot be any hinderance for the American government to start talking with the Cuban government in ways to have differences & robust dialogue. No dialogue between both nations (even if they aren’t friends) means continued isolation & the strain on the US - Cuba Relations & that can lasts for years.
That’s where the diaspora of Cuban Americans are pro embargo & strongly against the Cuban govt. & there are many polls shows in the last couple of years, American people are overwhelmingly against the US embargo & so does the Cuban people so what is America waiting for? It’s simple. End the US embargo and move on. engagecuba.org
On final note it’s interesting why Trump & GOP politicians including the likes of Marco Rubio & Ted Cruz strongly disapprove Obama’s Cuba policy cos they want the embargo to remain which benefits nobody both in the US and Cuba. The embargo (Cubans calls it “blockade”) has in effect for 60 years. The same Donald Trump who violated the US embargo rules in of wanting to have golf resort & hotel there & Paul Manafort visited Cuba in January 2017.Yet rollbacked Obama’s Cuba policy. It was nothing but hypocrisy.
So yeah, It’s time US stops playing Cold War politics on Cuba, end the embargo and reset the relations between the United States of America and Cuba. If that goes well then hopefully some day, Cuba could become an US ally & friend & gradually having a democracy & press freedom & the end of authoritarianism.
The embargo will not do that. Change has to come within Cuba for the Cuban people & it will only their own decision not the US decision. Until then, it’s time for move on from the Cold War era for both countries (USA and Cuba).
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