Cuba and the United States: A New Chapter

By Elaine Pascoe

For more than 50 years, the United States and Cuba have been neighbors in name only. For decades, these two nations were on opposite sides of the decades-long Cold War. And even after that conflict had passed, the two countries remained bitter rivals. Now, however, that all appears likely to change.

In a step that surprised the world, U.S. president Barack Obama announced December 18 that the United States would restore ties with Cuba. The announcement ended the 54-year-long freeze in relations between the two countries. It was a historic shift in U.S. policy.

Uneasy Neighbors

Cuba lies only about 90 miles (145 kilometers) off the southern tip of Florida. Its history has been closely linked to that of the United States since the 1800s, when Cuba was a Spanish colony.

After the United States defeated Spain in the Spanish-American War in 1898, U.S. troops occupied Cuba for four years. Cuba became independent in 1902, but the United States claimed the right to intervene in its affairs. The United States established a naval base at Guantánamo Bay, which it maintains to this day.

In newly independent Cuba, plantation and business owners grew rich. U.S. companies profited from Cuban investments. But most Cubans were desperately poor. Unrest grew in the 1950s. An armed rebellion broke out, led by Fidel Castro. In 1959, Castro overthrew Cuba's U.S.-backed dictator, Fulgencio Batista.

Castro set about establishing a Communist state. His government seized private land and businesses, including foreign-owned property. He also forged ties with the Soviet Union, which began to provide aid. Poor Cubans benefited in many ways. The government provided education, health care, land for farm workers, and housing. But middle-class Cubans lost out. Many fled to the United States. Castro didn't allow dissent, and those who opposed the government were jailed or exiled.

These changes caused friction with the United States. They came at the height of the Cold War, the political struggle that pitted the United States and its Western allies against the Soviet Union and other Communist countries. In 1961 the United States ended diplomatic relations with Cuba, barred travel from the United States to Cuba, and imposed a trade embargo. The United States also secretly backed efforts to overthrow Castro.

In 1962 the Soviet Union began to place nuclear missiles on Cuba, threatening the United States. The event, referred to as the Cuban Missile Crisis, almost provoked a war between the two countries. Negotiations ended the standoff, and the missiles were removed.

Signs of Change

Soviet aid helped Cuba weather the U.S. trade embargo. But after the Soviet Union broke apart in 1991, Cuba faced serious hardships. Many people expected Castro's government to collapse. But he remained in power until 2008, when illness forced him to step down. His brother, Raúl, took over the presidency.

Raúl Castro took some steps toward reform. He allowed more private enterprise and eased some restrictions on travel. He also seemed willing to improve relations with the United States. Many Cubans hoped for more opportunity and less poverty. But the reforms were not enough to improve life for most people.

Over the years many Cubans had fled the country. Many of them risked their lives, heading for Florida in makeshift boats. Waves of migrants arrived in 1980 and 1994. By 2014 the number of migrants was growing again.

Meanwhile, people in the United States were questioning the trade embargo and other restrictions. A half-century of isolation had not brought down Cuba's Communist regime. But the policy still had support, especially among conservatives and Cubans who had fled the island in the 1960s.

A New Era?

The December 2014 agreement came after 18 months of behind-the-scenes negotiations between top U.S. and Cuban officials. As part of it, the United States released three convicted Cuban spies in exchange for a U.S. intelligence agent held by Cuba. Cuba also released a U.S. government contractor, Alan Gross, who had been imprisoned for five years. Pope Francis, head of the Roman Catholic Church, helped in the negotiations.

The prisoner swap set the stage for sweeping changes in U.S.-Cuban relations:

• The United States will normalize diplomatic relations with Cuba and will open an embassy there.
• Restrictions on travel and banking are being reduced.
• Restrictions on agricultural and certain other exports will also be eased.
• Cuba's place on a list of countries that sponsor terrorism is under review. Getting off that list would give Cuba greater access to international trade and banking.

These steps are being taken under the president's executive authority. But the trade embargo will remain unless Congress votes to end it. In early January, the U.S. State Department announced that a U.S. delegation would visit Havana to discuss migration and other issues. At press time, the talks were set for Jan. 21–22.

Polls show that most Americans support the change in policy. But opponents have been sharply critical. They say that easing restrictions is giving in to a dictatorship. Strong opposition, especially among Republican politicians, makes it unlikely that Congress will lift the trade embargo soon.

Many Cubans have also welcomed the agreement. They hope the change will bring economic and political benefits. The Cuban government has released 53 political prisoners and agreed to permit greater Internet access.

However, President Castro has made it clear that the country's one-party system would not change. His government continues to suppress dissent. Because of these and other factors, it remains to be seen what impact the new agreement will have and how quickly change will come to Cuba.

Posted in Cuba and USA, Obama