Is It Time For The USA To Halt It's Embargo Of Cuba?
Discussion
And join the rest of the world in trading with the small Caribbean island?
Every year since 1992 UN General Assembly has passed a resolution criticizing the ongoing impact of the embargo which the US ignores completely.
The Cuban Democracy Act was signed into law in 1992 with the stated purpose of maintaining sanctions on Cuba so long as the Cuban government continues to refuse to move toward "democratization and greater respect for human rights".
...and yet they freely trade with China and any other tin pot dictatorship around the world that they feel it's in their interests to deal with.
They'd get so much positive feedback globally if they did this which would help offset the massive anti-american feeling felt in many-many parts of the world.
I just don't see what they think they are achieving, but then I guess they don't care what the rest of the globally community think
A brief history here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_embargo...
Every year since 1992 UN General Assembly has passed a resolution criticizing the ongoing impact of the embargo which the US ignores completely.
The Cuban Democracy Act was signed into law in 1992 with the stated purpose of maintaining sanctions on Cuba so long as the Cuban government continues to refuse to move toward "democratization and greater respect for human rights".
...and yet they freely trade with China and any other tin pot dictatorship around the world that they feel it's in their interests to deal with.
They'd get so much positive feedback globally if they did this which would help offset the massive anti-american feeling felt in many-many parts of the world.
I just don't see what they think they are achieving, but then I guess they don't care what the rest of the globally community think
A brief history here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_embargo...
As far as I can tell there is no real reason why there should be an embargo.
Apart form saying we were right so we are going to ignore you until change, which hasn't happened. Now more and more US citizens want to visit, the US Government are getting more pressure and as yet I haven't heard a reason why it should remain.
Apart form saying we were right so we are going to ignore you until change, which hasn't happened. Now more and more US citizens want to visit, the US Government are getting more pressure and as yet I haven't heard a reason why it should remain.
Doesn't make any sense but neither does US foreign policy in general.
There's far worse human rights abuses in other countries (Saudi Arabia being the prime example) but they're useful allies...
Also democracy does not work in all countries, and forcing it upon other countries definitely does not work.
There's far worse human rights abuses in other countries (Saudi Arabia being the prime example) but they're useful allies...
Also democracy does not work in all countries, and forcing it upon other countries definitely does not work.
I supplied parts for a small fishing fleet being constructed on the Island. The torturous route the parts had to be shipped from Miami to the Dominican Republic, through Customs, get export licences and then to Havana was bad enough. Then payment had to go to DR, then to Canada and back down to Miami. What a faff.
The sooner it's lifted the better.
The sooner it's lifted the better.
I know Cuba fairly well, and interestingly, may Cubans are ambivalent. Yes, they want a bit more freedom of course, but they recognize that proximity to the US means that is there were to be complete freedom, all of the choice historic buildings in Havana would be bought up and renovated ( good news) but would be sold to very wealth foreigners and Havana would become a sort of Monte Carlo, the province of the rich. Ordinary Cubans would make some money selling the property, but in the end, it is unclear how Cuba would not become another Nassau with huge propertied of the mage-wealthy, the Coast owned by people with multimillion dollars properties ,and much of what makes Cube unique disappearing.
Sounds good in theory, but it would be tragic to turn the place into a theme park. I like Havana the way it is.
Sounds good in theory, but it would be tragic to turn the place into a theme park. I like Havana the way it is.
The USA doesn't feel as though Cuba has honoured all the currency they'd just FXd into dollars, or made reparation for the asset seizures under Fidel.
Cuba still doesn't feel it should have to honour the FX as it views it as being stolen from the Cuban people at the end of the revolutionary take over. Cuba felt compelled to take over refineries because the US wouldn't refine oil for them due to the FX problem, and so it went.
Nothing has changed, so nothing has changed.
I'd love to see the embargo ended for the good of the Cuban people, but I'd also suggest if you have yet to visit Cuba, do so before that happens. The people are fantastic, the country amazing, but it'll change so fast within a year of the embargo ending that it'll be unrecogniseable.
Cuba still doesn't feel it should have to honour the FX as it views it as being stolen from the Cuban people at the end of the revolutionary take over. Cuba felt compelled to take over refineries because the US wouldn't refine oil for them due to the FX problem, and so it went.
Nothing has changed, so nothing has changed.
I'd love to see the embargo ended for the good of the Cuban people, but I'd also suggest if you have yet to visit Cuba, do so before that happens. The people are fantastic, the country amazing, but it'll change so fast within a year of the embargo ending that it'll be unrecogniseable.
Looks like things are about to change.
usatoday said:
Cuba has released an American prisoner it held for five years as part of an agreement to open talks about normalizing relations the United States and its long-time communist foe, Obama administration officials said Wednesday.
The biggest shift in U.S-Cuban relationship since relations were severed in 1961 includes more trade and travel between the nations, as well as a general easing of the U.S. embargo against Cuba and the prospect of a U.S. embassy in Havana, officials said.
President Obama, who has indicated a desire for improved relations, plans to address the topic shorty after noon on Wednesday, officials said.
In addition, Cuban television announced that President Raul Castro will also speak at noon and make "an important announcement on US-Cuba relations."
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2014/12/17/obama-cuba-alan-gross-prisoner/20526497/The biggest shift in U.S-Cuban relationship since relations were severed in 1961 includes more trade and travel between the nations, as well as a general easing of the U.S. embargo against Cuba and the prospect of a U.S. embassy in Havana, officials said.
President Obama, who has indicated a desire for improved relations, plans to address the topic shorty after noon on Wednesday, officials said.
In addition, Cuban television announced that President Raul Castro will also speak at noon and make "an important announcement on US-Cuba relations."
LucreLout said:
I'd love to see the embargo ended for the good of the Cuban people, but I'd also suggest if you have yet to visit Cuba, do so before that happens. The people are fantastic, the country amazing, but it'll change so fast within a year of the embargo ending that it'll be unrecogniseable.
The new 51st state Apols if already posted: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-us-canada-305...
PorkInsider said:
Interesting timing...
Wonder how Putin will respond?
Spot on, these in my view are very clear moves to isolate Russia and punish it for its recent annexing in Ukraine. The reducing oil prices are plummeting their economy into chaos. I was very dubious when the initial sanctions (against very limited people) were announced earlier in the year, this is a much more compelling response. Let's hope the oil prices can be kept low for long enough to make any further indiscretions financial suicide for Putin. It would be an interesting time to get US and other European entities buying up chunks of stock in Russian companies and see where that leaves them once the ruble recovers. Wonder how Putin will respond?
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