April 11 , 2015 - The culmination of years of talks resulted in this handshake between the President and Cuban President Raúl Castro during the Summit of the Americas in Panama City , Panama . ( Official White House Photo by Pete Souza ) Public Domain |
“ Trump felt that Obama ’ s agreement was very weak and did not benefit Americans or
Cubans .”
Nivetha Aravindan ’ 18
|
Cuba by Darwanek ( Sharealike via Wikimedia Commons ) |
Nivetha Aravindan ‘ 18 Copy Editor
April 11 , 2015 marked an end to the years of tension between the United States and Cuba , when President Obama and Cuban President Raúl Castro shook hands while promising to restore diplomatic relations between the two nations .
This promise is truly a surprise to many , since diplomatic and economic relations between the U . S . and Cuba have been non-existent since 1961 . America ’ s disapproval towards Cuban Prime Minister Fidel Castro ’ s communist policies and Cuba ’ s military and economic relations with the Soviet Union increased tensions between the two nations . Increased trade between Cuba and the Soviet Union led Castro to nationalize businesses owned by the U . S . and increase taxes on American imports , disadvantaging the American economy .
These problems led to the Bay of Pigs Invasion in 1961 , which was initiated by the U . S . Central Intelligence Agency ( CIA ), and attempted to overthrow Castro from government rule . Although the attempt failed , it still " fueled Cuban mistrust and nationalism ," according to the Council on Foreign Relations . This occurrence essentially led Cuba to permit the Soviet Union to build a missile base on Cuban land .
After the U . S . discovered that these Cuban missile sites were located just 90 miles away from Florida , President John F . Kennedy ordered a naval blockade around Cuba to prevent more weapons from entering the country and demanded the destruction of all missile sites . Fearing a nuclear war , Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev made a public compromise with President Kennedy to deconstruct missile sites on the island , if the U . S . promised to avoid invasion of Cuba and to deconstruct their
|
missiles in Turkey .
The Cuban Missile Crisis triggered the diplomatic and economic isolation of Cuba and the U . S . for several decades . Since then , travel and communication between the two nations have been rare . However , in 2014 , President Obama and President Raúl Castro made a compromise to restore diplomatic relations . The two nations re-opened embassies in each nation ' s capital and restored diplomatic relations . In March 2016 , Obama visited Cuba on behalf of the U . S . for the first time since 1928 . He promised to lift the trade embargo if Cuba made reforms to its political system that would guarantee Cuban people their rights .
The newly restored relations between the U . S . and Cuba could open hope for advancement in both countries . According to the Council on Foreign Relations Backgrounders , Julia Sweig , a Cuba and Brazil scholar at the Lyndon B . Johnson School of Public Affairs in Austin predicts that U . S . -Cuban relations will facilitate trade , investment , banking , telecommunications , pharmaceuticals , agriculture and travel for both countries . In fact , the U . S . is currently Cuba ' s fifth largest trading partner . In addition , the U . S . hopes for reforms to take place in Cuba ' s political system that will ensure the Cuban people their rights .
However , the recent victory of Donald Trump in the presidential election may tighten boundaries between the U . S and Cuba . Throughout his campaign , Trump was vague about his intentions for Cuba ; however , one aspect he did emphasize was the importance of both Americans and the oppressed people of Cuba benefiting from the alliance . Trump felt that Obama ’ s agreement was very weak and did not benefit Americans or Cubans . If this continues to be his position , Trump may break diplomatic
|
relations between the two nations . However , in a March interview with CNN , he stated that he would most likely continue maintaining diplomatic relations with Cuba , but he would want “ much better deals than we ’ re making .”
An article published in the New York Times predicts that under Trump ’ s presidency , travel restrictions between the U . S . and Cuba will increase and restrictions on illegal immigration from Cuba will be toughened . In terms of business with Cuba , Maurcio Claver-Carone , the founder of a political action committee that favors the U . S . trade embargo , believes that Trump will restrict American investments with companies run by the Cuban military and restrict business transactions between Americans and Cuban officials . Many people interviewed by the New York Times felt that the increase of businesses opportunities between the U . S . and Cuba had only been advantageous to the Cuban government . Therefore , they seemed to be in favor of Trump ’ s ideas .
The restoration of diplomatic and economic relations between Cuba and the U . S . appear promising . A combination of Obama ’ s policies and the modification of certain unfavorable policies during Trump ’ s presidency may help maintain a favorable alliance between the two nations that will benefit both Americans and Cubans .
Postscript – Former Cuban president , prime minister and revolutionary Fidel Castro passed away on November 25 at the age of 90 setting off a period of mourning and jubilation for his supporters and detractors respectively . Note - The Council on Foreign Relations Backgrounders , New York Times and History . com used as sources for this article .
|