Cuban Trade Relafions
Yanan Rogers
10-13-16
Aer more than y years, President Barak Obama recently announced a reunicafion
with regards to diplomafic fies and commerce with the island nafion of Cuba. This
announcement was met with mostly posifive opinion from U.S. cifizens but some crificize a
reunicafion of relafions with a nafion that sfill deals with basic human rights issues. While I
believe there is some merit to that crificism, I do think that a reunicafion makes sense given
some of the posifive changes that the Cuban administrafion under Raul Castro has
implemented.
Relafions with Cuba soured in the 1960s aer a revolufion led by Fidel Castro overthrew
the government. The United States inifially recognized the new regime as a legifimate
government but relafions soon soured aer Cuba began working closely with the U.S.S.R. It is
important to remember that this was at the height of the cold war and this close relafionship
angered the U.S. government to the point that all trade was cuto1 and strict economic
sancfions were implemented. Relafions confinued to be strained for years unfil Raul Castro
came to power and President Obama announced in 2009 a goal to improve relafions with Cuba.
To be clear, there are sfill many human rights issues that today sfill leave a black mark on
Cuba, but things do appear to be moving in a more posifive direcfion. Raul Castro has loosened
