Is It Time For The USA To Halt It's Embargo Of Cuba?
Discussion
Cigars, Rum and Credit Cards: What Is in U.S.-Cuba Agreement?
Now, Americans will be able to bring home $100 worth of cigars and rum.
The White House announced the changes to Cuba policy as new rules to be posted by the Treasury and Commerce departments. It is the latest in Mr. Obama’s spree of executive orders since Democrats were trounced in last month’s midterm elections, following the changes to deportation policy.
The administration’s actions don’t change the 1996 Helms-Burton Act and other laws passed by Congress that restrict most travel and trade with Cuba. But it is the most significant move by the American government to ease sanctions with Cuba in 50 years.
Diplomatic relations
The U.S. will open an embassy in Havana for the first time since President John F. Kennedy severed relations in 1961. Since 1977 the American interest section has operated under in conjunction with the Swiss on a prime piece of real estate off the Malecón, on Havana’s oceanfront. The U.S. Senate, which will be controlled by Republicans in January, would have to approve any ambassador to the island.
The U.S. designated Cuba a state sponsor of terrorism in 1982. Secretary of State John Kerry will now review that designation and provide a report within six months about Cuba’s contemporary support for international terrorism.
Travel restrictions
It will still be illegal for Americans to travel to Cuba strictly for tourism, since that is banned by federal law. But U.S. law allows for 12 categories of legal travel to Cuba, which the Obama administration is expanding.
The allowed travel categories are: family visits, government business, journalism, professional research and meetings, educational activities, religious activities, “support for the Cuban people,” humanitarian projects, private foundation work and research, import/export work, art and athletic performances, clinics and workshops and other export transactions.
Credit cards
For the first time, credit and debit cards issued by U.S. banks will work in Cuba. American travelers to the island now have been forced to either carry large amounts of cash with them or acquire a credit card from a bank in another country.
Cigars and rum
Americans traveling to Cuba will be allowed to bring back a small amount of now-banned cigars and rum. The new provisions allow Americans to bring back up to $400 worth of Cuban goods, of which only $100 can be alcohol and tobacco.
Remittances
Americans will now be able to send $2,000 per quarter – up from $500 – to people in Cuba. Licenses that had been required for Americans sending cash to the island will no longer be required.
The Cuban Internet
Almost no ordinary Cubans have access to the Internet. Very slow web access is available at tourist hotels. The new rules allow U.S. companies to export telecommunications equipment to build a broader Internet infrastructure. At the same time, U.S. officials said, the Cuban government agreed to allow its citizens better access to the web.
Now, Americans will be able to bring home $100 worth of cigars and rum.
The White House announced the changes to Cuba policy as new rules to be posted by the Treasury and Commerce departments. It is the latest in Mr. Obama’s spree of executive orders since Democrats were trounced in last month’s midterm elections, following the changes to deportation policy.
The administration’s actions don’t change the 1996 Helms-Burton Act and other laws passed by Congress that restrict most travel and trade with Cuba. But it is the most significant move by the American government to ease sanctions with Cuba in 50 years.
Diplomatic relations
The U.S. will open an embassy in Havana for the first time since President John F. Kennedy severed relations in 1961. Since 1977 the American interest section has operated under in conjunction with the Swiss on a prime piece of real estate off the Malecón, on Havana’s oceanfront. The U.S. Senate, which will be controlled by Republicans in January, would have to approve any ambassador to the island.
The U.S. designated Cuba a state sponsor of terrorism in 1982. Secretary of State John Kerry will now review that designation and provide a report within six months about Cuba’s contemporary support for international terrorism.
Travel restrictions
It will still be illegal for Americans to travel to Cuba strictly for tourism, since that is banned by federal law. But U.S. law allows for 12 categories of legal travel to Cuba, which the Obama administration is expanding.
The allowed travel categories are: family visits, government business, journalism, professional research and meetings, educational activities, religious activities, “support for the Cuban people,” humanitarian projects, private foundation work and research, import/export work, art and athletic performances, clinics and workshops and other export transactions.
Credit cards
For the first time, credit and debit cards issued by U.S. banks will work in Cuba. American travelers to the island now have been forced to either carry large amounts of cash with them or acquire a credit card from a bank in another country.
Cigars and rum
Americans traveling to Cuba will be allowed to bring back a small amount of now-banned cigars and rum. The new provisions allow Americans to bring back up to $400 worth of Cuban goods, of which only $100 can be alcohol and tobacco.
Remittances
Americans will now be able to send $2,000 per quarter – up from $500 – to people in Cuba. Licenses that had been required for Americans sending cash to the island will no longer be required.
The Cuban Internet
Almost no ordinary Cubans have access to the Internet. Very slow web access is available at tourist hotels. The new rules allow U.S. companies to export telecommunications equipment to build a broader Internet infrastructure. At the same time, U.S. officials said, the Cuban government agreed to allow its citizens better access to the web.
wc98 said:
the asset seizures that caused all the trouble were the casinos and brothels owned by the mafia. the fact the embargo has lasted so long shows how engrained the american senate is/was with dirty money from the american criminal fraternity.
i hope this goes well for cuba. fantastic people ,and as far as i know the only place in the world (or was) you can be vaccinated against every type of hepatitis . they have much to offer the world,but the place could change in short order with a large influx of american "businessmen".
What left wing site did you get that from?. By value the most important US assets seized were sugar factories, mines and oil refineriesi hope this goes well for cuba. fantastic people ,and as far as i know the only place in the world (or was) you can be vaccinated against every type of hepatitis . they have much to offer the world,but the place could change in short order with a large influx of american "businessmen".
http://www.bostonglobe.com/ideas/2014/04/18/cuba-y...
If some tin pot dictator grabbed assets owned by British companies and individuals I would hope our government would impose sanctions on them.
JagLover said:
What left wing site did you get that from?. By value the most important US assets seized were sugar factories, mines and oil refineries
http://www.bostonglobe.com/ideas/2014/04/18/cuba-y...
If some tin pot dictator grabbed assets owned by British companies and individuals I would hope our government would impose sanctions on them.
That 'Tin Pot' dictator was a hero to his people and actually overthrew an American puppet in Fulgencio Batista who had seized power in a military coup and canceled the 1952 elections. In fact John F. Kennedy described the Cuban government as a "complete police state" in 1960.http://www.bostonglobe.com/ideas/2014/04/18/cuba-y...
If some tin pot dictator grabbed assets owned by British companies and individuals I would hope our government would impose sanctions on them.
Now thats a Tin Pot dictator.
It's also well documented that Batista greatly angered the Cuban people with his links to organised crime whilst letting US companies to control the economy. The poverty was chronic and education, health care and housing almost non-existent for the average cuban and Black Cubans even more so.
Indeed, at the time of the revolution 3/4 (yes 75%) of the arable land was owned by the USA and not the Cuban people or even Cuban interests. Imagine if one of the Eastern European countries owned that much of Britain. Crikey, UKIP wouldn't have enough application forms!
Things aren't great in Cuba by any stretch now but they are a damn sight better now than they were under the old order.
As for the seizure of US assets well exactly how do you expect a country as poor as Cuba to repay that debt? Perhaps with the normalizing of relations and allowing them to trade freely with the outside world the US might just get some compensation at some far off point because it's for sure that whilst they remain this poor the American land owners won't even be getting a penny in the pound.
Cuba is a funny one. It has this image of being a sort of nice, slightly eccentric left wing enclave, run by Fidel Castro for decades who was a funny bloke with a beard - could have been an art teacher or some sort of liberal journalist, and now handed over to his brother, who was also part of the revolution along with the dashing Che Guevara. This mythical land is well run with world class healthcare and is only poor because of the wicked Americans and their sanctions, but they stand their ground and stick to their principles.
It's all complete rot. Cuba is by any measure a nasty dictatorship run by a cabal of gangsters who exploit and even sell their own people, who are essentially prisoners not allowed to leave the country and living on meagre rations, paid in a worthless currency and isolated from the outside world.
It was propped up for years by the evil Soviet regime as a strategic and symbolic dig at Washington, and Castro's request for Soviet nuclear missiles brought the world to the brink of an all out nuclear war.
The US is far from blameless, and it seems likely that it's interference in Cuban affairs has only served to increase the determination of the Cuban regime to defy Washington.
I'm generally against sanctions because I don't believe governments should tell private citizens what they can buy from whom abroad, and because they are usually counter productive anyway and actually strengthen oppressive regimes hold over their population, so generally yes I think the sanctions should go, but it should be made very clear that this is not an endorsement of the Cuban government.
It's all complete rot. Cuba is by any measure a nasty dictatorship run by a cabal of gangsters who exploit and even sell their own people, who are essentially prisoners not allowed to leave the country and living on meagre rations, paid in a worthless currency and isolated from the outside world.
It was propped up for years by the evil Soviet regime as a strategic and symbolic dig at Washington, and Castro's request for Soviet nuclear missiles brought the world to the brink of an all out nuclear war.
The US is far from blameless, and it seems likely that it's interference in Cuban affairs has only served to increase the determination of the Cuban regime to defy Washington.
I'm generally against sanctions because I don't believe governments should tell private citizens what they can buy from whom abroad, and because they are usually counter productive anyway and actually strengthen oppressive regimes hold over their population, so generally yes I think the sanctions should go, but it should be made very clear that this is not an endorsement of the Cuban government.
KareemK said:
That 'Tin Pot' dictator was a hero to his people...
Was. Maybe, I don't know. I was there recently and that is certainly not true now, they hate Raul to. Be careful what you wish for. In this part of the world a power vacuum will not be filled with eager American businessmen but by drug cartels and narco terror groups.Anyone who's spent a little time in Cuba, outside the main tourist traps and the fenced-in all-inclusive enclaves will realise, pretty quickly, that it is a relatively safe place for tourists because it is a police state, where the population live in real fear of authority. yes, education and health care are, by most standards, commendably good, but the government should not be led to believe they have anything like the sort of human rights record to gain a place at the table of international politics or civilisation.
Digga said:
but the government should not be led to believe they have anything like the sort of human rights record to gain a place at the table of international politics or civilisation.
It appears to me that the worst vioations of human rights happening in Cuba are actually being perpetrated by, well, guess who?
KareemK said:
That 'Tin Pot' dictator was a hero to his people
That may be entirely the case and irrelevant. I was pointing out that US businesses had made very sizeable real and productive investments in Cuba and had those assets seized without compensation. It was therefore entirely logical and right for the US to impose sanctions on a country which had just stolen the most US property in history.I am making no judgements as to the democratic legitimacy of the Castro's and the regime they supplanted (both non-existent as far as I can see).
Digga said:
but the government should not be led to believe they have anything like the sort of human rights record to gain a place at the table of international politics or civilisation.
Yeah, because all the countries at the table of international politics have clean human rights records right? 
AJS- said:
Cuba is by any measure a nasty dictatorship run by a cabal of gangsters who exploit and even sell their own people, who are essentially prisoners not allowed to leave the country and living on meagre rations, paid in a worthless currency and isolated from the outside world.
It is so sad that you see Cuba this way.Go visit. Spend time in the real Cuba, You'll change your opinion.
AJS- said:
Cuba is a funny one. It has this image of being a sort of nice, slightly eccentric left wing enclave, run by Fidel Castro for decades who was a funny bloke with a beard - could have been an art teacher or some sort of liberal journalist, and now handed over to his brother, who was also part of the revolution along with the dashing Che Guevara. This mythical land is well run with world class healthcare and is only poor because of the wicked Americans and their sanctions, but they stand their ground and stick to their principles.
It's all complete rot. Cuba is by any measure a nasty dictatorship run by a cabal of gangsters who exploit and even sell their own people, who are essentially prisoners not allowed to leave the country and living on meagre rations, paid in a worthless currency and isolated from the outside world.
It was propped up for years by the evil Soviet regime as a strategic and symbolic dig at Washington, and Castro's request for Soviet nuclear missiles brought the world to the brink of an all out nuclear war.
The US is far from blameless, and it seems likely that it's interference in Cuban affairs has only served to increase the determination of the Cuban regime to defy Washington.
I'm generally against sanctions because I don't believe governments should tell private citizens what they can buy from whom abroad, and because they are usually counter productive anyway and actually strengthen oppressive regimes hold over their population, so generally yes I think the sanctions should go, but it should be made very clear that this is not an endorsement of the Cuban government.
What is rather amusing is that people talk about poverty in Cuba at the time of the revolution as if the whole world was prosperous then. In fact "On the eve of the revolution, we find that incomes were fifty to sixty percent of European levels. They were among the highest in Latin America at about thirty percent of the US."It's all complete rot. Cuba is by any measure a nasty dictatorship run by a cabal of gangsters who exploit and even sell their own people, who are essentially prisoners not allowed to leave the country and living on meagre rations, paid in a worthless currency and isolated from the outside world.
It was propped up for years by the evil Soviet regime as a strategic and symbolic dig at Washington, and Castro's request for Soviet nuclear missiles brought the world to the brink of an all out nuclear war.
The US is far from blameless, and it seems likely that it's interference in Cuban affairs has only served to increase the determination of the Cuban regime to defy Washington.
I'm generally against sanctions because I don't believe governments should tell private citizens what they can buy from whom abroad, and because they are usually counter productive anyway and actually strengthen oppressive regimes hold over their population, so generally yes I think the sanctions should go, but it should be made very clear that this is not an endorsement of the Cuban government.
Since then income in Cuba has stagnated while scores of countries poorer at the time have become more prosperous than them.
Still at least they have good health care and schools right, and a leader they love so much they don't even need to vote for him to remain in office.
The hypocrisy of the left knows no bounds when it comes to talking about countries like Cuba.
http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&...
Edited by JagLover on Thursday 18th December 17:18
GetCarter said:
AJS- said:
Cuba is by any measure a nasty dictatorship run by a cabal of gangsters who exploit and even sell their own people, who are essentially prisoners not allowed to leave the country and living on meagre rations, paid in a worthless currency and isolated from the outside world.
It is so sad that you see Cuba this way.Go visit. Spend time in the real Cuba, You'll change your opinion.
I must admit I've always had a soft spot and some admiration for Cuba and Castro, despite being very much anti left wing and anti Socialist in my political outlook. I do think it is ignorant and wrong for people to criticize the country simply because they happen to be on the right if the political spectrum. I'm well aware of its economic problems, but it seems to have survived, the people are looked after from cradle to grave, and whilst they may not be rich, they seem reasonably content.
One thing that has always puzzled me though, is that the anti Cuba USA administration, who imposes all these sanctions on the 'evil' Cuban administration, has the nerve to have a naval base in Cuba - Guantanamo Bay!! They lease it from the Cuban government for $4,085 a year. A figure imposed on the Cuban government, and non negotiable since 1934, despite the Cuban Government repeatedly tryin in the United Nations to have the land returned to them. The US are hypocritical ba$tards at best!
One thing that has always puzzled me though, is that the anti Cuba USA administration, who imposes all these sanctions on the 'evil' Cuban administration, has the nerve to have a naval base in Cuba - Guantanamo Bay!! They lease it from the Cuban government for $4,085 a year. A figure imposed on the Cuban government, and non negotiable since 1934, despite the Cuban Government repeatedly tryin in the United Nations to have the land returned to them. The US are hypocritical ba$tards at best!
JensenA said:
I must admit I've always had a soft spot and some admiration for Cuba and Castro, despite being very much anti left wing and anti Socialist in my political outlook. I do think it is ignorant and wrong for people to criticize the country simply because they happen to be on the right if the political spectrum. I'm well aware of its economic problems, but it seems to have survived, the people are looked after from cradle to grave, and whilst they may not be rich, they seem reasonably content.
People criticise Cuba as its people have been impoverished by a regime they did not elect. So it has a decent health care system?. Many countries poorer than Cuba in 1955 (far poorer in some cases) now have decent health care along with a far greater standard of living.
There seems to be some sort of "noble savage" myth going on here, with people talking about impoverished Cubans being content with their lot without the consumerism of the west. If their life is so enviable why don't you join them.
JagLover said:
There seems to be some sort of "noble savage" myth going on here, with people talking about impoverished Cubans being content with their lot without the consumerism of the west.
Not from me.Having spent time in Cuba and the USA, the USA could learn a LOT from these kind people (and vice versa). Doesn't mean anything else.
If you have visited and worked in both counties, feel free to comment with some original input. If not...
Edited by GetCarter on Thursday 18th December 19:12
JensenA said:
....I do think it is ignorant and wrong for people to criticize the country simply because they happen to be on the right if the political spectrum. I'm well aware of its economic problems, but it seems to have survived, the people are looked after from cradle to grave, and whilst they may not be rich, they seem reasonably content.
Spare your accusation of ignorance. Have you actually been there? No Cuban I have met is content being looked after from cradle to grave, nor American for that matter, that seems to be a peculiarly British thing. 'reasonably content' people do not cram on to rafts in the hope of paddling and drifting 100 miles across open ocean to get away.GetCarter said:
AJS- said:
Cuba is by any measure a nasty dictatorship run by a cabal of gangsters who exploit and even sell their own people, who are essentially prisoners not allowed to leave the country and living on meagre rations, paid in a worthless currency and isolated from the outside world.
It is so sad that you see Cuba this way.Go visit. Spend time in the real Cuba, You'll change your opinion.
Most have no idea because they have never been and just read the propaganda trash.
Before I went I had ghasts of astonishment from some, wtf do you want to go there for? Because the only way to learn is to find out first hand. I was even told seriously to leave my baseball cap and camo/military 'look' shorts behind, lol. Don't take this, don't take that. It was all piffle.
Really friendly people. Safe. And wonderful country.
And to AJS, it's such a s
thole of poverty that Cuban's life expectancy is ...almost identical to the UK's!Try and work that one out for yourself.
I had a friend who died of MenB some years ago. A youngster died recently here of MenB while we continue hankering with Novartis over the 'cost' of their 'new' vaccine for it. Cuba on the other hand had developed a vaccine quickly because health comes before money, even though they had little of the latter.
VA-MENGOC-BC vaccine was developed in Cuba in response to a large outbreak of meningitis B - not this year, not last year, but during the bloody 1980s, so far in front of western nations. The VA-MENGOC-BC vaccine proved safe and effective in randomised double-blind studies, but it was granted a license only for research purposes in the United States as political differences limited cooperation between the two countries. So kids died in the US, just like here.
Like I said before, lots not good there.
But lots not good here too!
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