A Cold War Relic

The U.S should definitely seek to tighten the economic grip on Cuba. The tyrannical leadership in Cuba gives the U.S grounds of tightening its economic grip. This embargo has been a rather elastic foreign policy that has involved several political leaders, some changing economic events as well as historical eras. Shortly before Castro overthrew the Batista government in 1959, more than two-thirds of their trade was with the U.S.

Due to their democratic nature, the United States showed their disregard of Cuban new leadership by canceling its earlier trade agreement of purchasing their sugar. The U.S oil companies ceased supplying Cuba with crude oil forcing her to turn to the Soviet Union to fill in America’s foreign trade gap. The apparent rise of the cold war brought up further separation of the two nations. The U.S imposed a full trade embargo on Cuba in 1962. In the same year 1962, Cuba downed two U.S planes from a Miami-based anti-Castrol group.  All unlicensed financial transactions with Cuba were prohibited by the U.S Treasury Department, all imports were forbid and all Cuban government assets held in the U.S were totally frozen and thus trade between the two nations stopped completely in 1963.  There were claims by the Cuban government of the America’s CIA attempts of airlifting an individual to assassinate Castro, Cuban exiles were organized in a paramilitary force to attack the island and more so U.S attempts of manufacturing a powder capable of making his beard fall.

­­­­­­­­­The collapse of communism did not make the U.S loosen its economic grip on Cuba but rather in 1992, its Congress passed the Cuban democracy Act that banned travels to Cuba of Americans and an extension of the embargo to U.S foreign subsidiaries. This Act also prohibited trade between Cuba and any U.S company regardless of whether it is situated in America or abroad and it also stated that if at all the embargo was to be repealed by the U.S executive arm of the government; Cuba was to hold a democratic election.

The U.S Secretary of Sates in 2000, Colin Powell blew away Cuban’s hope of complete lifting of the embargo by precisely stating that it would only be done after Castrol’s departure from office. However in that same year, agricultural food, and medicinal product from U.S were allowed to be exported to Cuba by the congressional legislation. Since this Act was passed, the U.S apparently became among the five largest exporting nations to Cuba after Venezuela, China, Spain and Canada.

It is appropriate that the U.S normalize business relations with Cuba. One of the main reason as to the need of normalizing trade relations with Cuba is the rising division of It is appropriate that the U.S normalize business relations with Cuba. One of the main reason as to the need of normalizing trade relations with Cuba is the rising division of the U.S public concerning the usefulness of the Cuban embargo. Individuals supporting the establishment of diplomatic relations with Cuba argue of the failure of the hard-liner policies to remove Castrol from power for over 50 years. They observe that tight restrictions on Cuba do not weaken Castro’s political power but instead they make him administer harsh governance on Cuban citizens and subsequent elimination of the U.S dollar as the national currency of Cuba.

In addition they visualize the aggravation of the U.S immigration tension with Cuba as a result of the latter’s economic hardships. In this case therefore, a good number of American leaders such as, Democratic and Republican members of Congress, labor leaders as well as heads of major firms have publicly favored normalization of U.S-Cuban trade.

In the act of normalizing business relations with Cuba, the U.S should not stipulate any conditions. This is mainly due to the sovereignty of a nation. Lack of stipulation of conditions would favor both nations mutually. The U.S industries and companies would enjoy Cuba’s nearly qualified workforce, their high literacy rate, and adequate demand for foreign products and services. Cuba would find a market to export it produce and thus would be able to pay the imports.

The most appropriate step to be taken thus is the maintenance of a good foreign trade and political relation with Cuba. This is due to the fact that this action leads to economic benefits to both nations. There are many bright economic spots in Cuba and the only way they can be tapped to lift both the U.S and Cuba economically is the normalizing of the business