Ikarus360 Posted December 17, 2014 Report Share Posted December 17, 2014 Is this the beggining of the end of the half century embargo against Cuba? It seems so. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/18/world/americas/us-cuba-relations.html?_r=0 Obama hails 'new chapter' in US-Cuba tiesPresident Obama: "Today America chooses to cut loose the shackles of the past" Continue reading the main story US-Cuba ties Profile: Alan Gross Key to the thaw NY Times on Cuba crusade US embargo doubts US President Barack Obama has hailed a "new chapter" in US relations with Cuba, announcing moves to normalise diplomatic and economic ties. Mr Obama said the US' current approach was "outdated" and the changes were the "most significant" in US policy towards Cuba in 50 years. Cuban President Raul Castro said he welcomed the shift in a TV address. The move includes the release of US contractor Alan Gross and three Cubans held in the US. Wednesday's announcement follows more than a year of secret talks in Canada and at the Vatican, directly involving the Pope. Raul Castro: "We have agreed to re-establish diplomatic relations" Mr Gross, facing the camera in a blue shirt, flew back from Cuba on a US government plane Obama and Castro met a year ago at the Nelson Mandela funeral The US is looking to open an embassy in Havana in the coming months, Mr Obama said. The plans set out in a White House statement also include: Reviewing the designation of Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism Easing a travel ban for US citizens Easing financial restrictions Increasing telecommunications links Efforts to lift the 54-year-old trade embargo Mr Castro, said the changes were something Cuba had been pressing for for a long time. "Ever since my election... I have reiterated on many occasions our preparedness to hold a respectful dialogue with the government of the United States based on sovereign equality." Which might also mean Cuba has realized they can't depend on Venezuela's oil anymore due to the incoming crisis in the country because of the fall of the oil prices. Obama full speech regarding the issue https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRODAa0NAYU Raul Castro answer to the announcements https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUnIfuZmVuE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StefanMUC Posted December 17, 2014 Report Share Posted December 17, 2014 About time really... Both countries will be better off not pretending to have their biggest enemy in the neighbourhood. I guess certain parts of America's political landscape will try to portray Obama as a loser again now though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baron-pierreIV Posted December 17, 2014 Report Share Posted December 17, 2014 No more defections!! Not good for Nicaraguan ball players. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ikarus360 Posted December 17, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 17, 2014 About time really... Both countries will be better off not pretending to have their biggest enemy in the neighbourhood. I guess certain parts of America's political landscape will try to portray Obama as a loser again now though. Nicolas Maduro is being very pissy now though since this was all done behind his back and he had no idea of this coming. But they will still try to make it look as if it was America which has given up, when its actually the opossite. I doubt America decided to lift up the sanctions if Cuba didn't agreed to their terms. I think Cuba is starting to experiment their own version of Perestroika very soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LatinXTC Posted December 17, 2014 Report Share Posted December 17, 2014 About time really... Both countries will be better off not pretending to have their biggest enemy in the neighbourhood. I guess certain parts of America's political landscape will try to portray Obama as a loser again now though. Oh they will! You can believe Cuban American politicians Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio will have things to say about it, if they haven't already made a press conference in response to this. Also, many people mentioned that this is also a decision made to weaken the allies of Russia, which could very well be true. But, there have been a good number of situations in history where the right thing was done for the wrong reasons, and I don't have any problem with that. I kind of see this as a 2 birds one stone situation. This benefits the US, Cuba and Cuban Americans, whereas this is bad news for Russia and Venezuela. It's time too. Nothing has really been going on between our two countries to prevent us from talking again and perhaps getting into a friendlier relationship. It's ridiculous too that we go spend our time fighting wars in countries thousands of miles away when there's a country that's less than a couple of hundred miles away from our coasts we could be bettering our relationship with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TorchbearerSydney Posted December 17, 2014 Report Share Posted December 17, 2014 About time... congrats to Obama and everyone behind this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baron-pierreIV Posted December 17, 2014 Report Share Posted December 17, 2014 Oh boy, maybe there can be a joint Miami-Havana bid in the works!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexjc Posted December 17, 2014 Report Share Posted December 17, 2014 Fox News was it's usually negative self on it...still not going to solve the end of the Castro dynasty, everyday poverty etc... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ikarus360 Posted December 18, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 18, 2014 ^^ What do you expect. Its no secret Fox News has always been pro-republican and conservative. It wont end problems inmediatly, but its a very big step. They will probably end up opening the economy on the next years. I think its going to be somewhat similar to how Libya prospered in the 00's after they helped America during some time and accepted responsability for Lockerbie. Even if we all know how all of that ended in 2011. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baron-pierreIV Posted December 18, 2014 Report Share Posted December 18, 2014 Yeah, it'll open up Cuba and with the internet and social media, I think the Castro gov't has realized that this is the best deal they are going to get -- and what with their main backer's currency, the ruble, all but collapsing. This is a better move for Cuba than it is for the US. But it will benefit both countries. Wonder what it does to Guantanamo -- a lease in perpetuity??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ikarus360 Posted December 18, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 18, 2014 ^^ No. Their main backers are Venezuela. You're right in one thing, though. Both our currency and oil is collapsing and we wont be able to sustain them anymore. This is probably one of the reasons which led them to finally accept the deal from America. Hopefuly Guantanamo will be closed too. Not inmediatly, but I can see it happening in the near future. If they want the relationships to improve more Cuba will probably demand both the embargo and Guantanamo to come to an end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tatsh Posted December 18, 2014 Report Share Posted December 18, 2014 It's a good new for cuban people and all America. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexjc Posted December 18, 2014 Report Share Posted December 18, 2014 You'll be able to get some of those Cuban Cigars! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zekekelso Posted December 18, 2014 Report Share Posted December 18, 2014 The US Navel base at Guantanamo will never go away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ikarus360 Posted December 18, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 18, 2014 The big problem is going to be Republicans now, though *sigh* we all know they want an eternal conflict which will favor them electoral-wise, as always, I fear they might not be happy at all with lifting the embargo to Cuba. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LatinXTC Posted December 18, 2014 Report Share Posted December 18, 2014 The big problem is going to be Republicans now, though *sigh* we all know they want an eternal conflict which will favor them electoral-wise, as always, I fear they might not be happy at all with lifting the embargo to Cuba. It won't favor them. If anything, continuing to attack Obama on this will make them look worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr.bernham Posted December 18, 2014 Report Share Posted December 18, 2014 I think it is great for US business and will decrease Russia's power in the Americas (if there was any left), but at the same time I think it will not help the Cuban people but only the government. The big problem is going to be Republicans now, though *sigh* we all know they want an eternal conflict which will favor them electoral-wise, as always, I fear they might not be happy at all with lifting the embargo to Cuba. No they are not going to be happy with it. All they will do is use it to paint Obama as a weak President that is bringing an end to the 'American Empire'. Next year they have a congressional majority and I honestly do not see **** happening with this unless he (Obama) can make a deal in one month. Republicans will block the **** out of it. It won't favor them. If anything, continuing to attack Obama on this will make them look worse. Yeah because trashing Obama totally hurt them in November. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ofan Posted December 18, 2014 Report Share Posted December 18, 2014 It won't favor them. If anything, continuing to attack Obama on this will make them look worse. There will always be idiots in America who will buy into the bullshit that the Republican Party spreads. No matter how much they attack Obama, there will always be support from somewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ikarus360 Posted December 18, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 18, 2014 ^^ Yeah. Most of the south. No offense meant though. Also Obama has just signed sanctions against venezuelan officials due to having violated a lot of human rights earlier this year during the student protests (hundreds were tortured and jailed without trial). While Cuba is starting to open up, Venezuela is isolating and getting ready to take over Cuba's spot as the agitators (if they haven't done that already). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexjc Posted December 19, 2014 Report Share Posted December 19, 2014 There is going to be no major radical change overnight. What will happen is a long transitional period will occur...allowing the sending of $2000US a month instead of $500US by relatives. Some more travel restrictions lifted to US citizens for now. Doubt if we'll see ferry services from Key West just yet.I would say there will be very high level negotiations in the State Department as well as the DOD as to what to do with the remaining sizable weapons cache still on the island. SCUD missiles are still there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr.bernham Posted December 19, 2014 Report Share Posted December 19, 2014 ^^ Yeah. Most of the south. No offense meant though. Funny thing is that the economy's of Louisiana and Florida will boom as a result of the embargo lift, and those are two 'solid south' states. Louisiana is completely red, but Florida still has a blue southern tip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LatinXTC Posted December 19, 2014 Report Share Posted December 19, 2014 Yeah because trashing Obama totally hurt them in November. It was the mid-term elections. Trashing or not, Republicans would have won the house and senate regardless because liberals/democrats/progressives usually do not vote in large numbers compared to a presidential election year. The US is more liberal than people think, but our strength is not in our voting record since there's a good number of people who side more on the Democrat side who are just too lazy to do their due diligence and vote, or make this ridiculous notion that "voting doesn't work." Oh of course voting doesn't work, because PEOPLE DON'T VOTE! Oh and then you have those idiots who avoid voting because our government is so corrupt or that your choice candidates are one in the same and makes no difference which one you vote for they're there to screw you. Seriously, just vote people. It takes but a few minutes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr.bernham Posted December 19, 2014 Report Share Posted December 19, 2014 It was the mid-term elections. Trashing or not, Republicans would have won the house and senate regardless because liberals/democrats/progressives usually do not vote in large numbers compared to a presidential election year. The US is more liberal than people think, but our strength is not in our voting record since there's a good number of people who side more on the Democrat side who are just too lazy to do their due diligence and vote, or make this ridiculous notion that "voting doesn't work." Oh of course voting doesn't work, because PEOPLE DON'T VOTE! Oh and then you have those idiots who avoid voting because our government is so corrupt or that your choice candidates are one in the same and makes no difference which one you vote for they're there to screw you. Seriously, just vote people. It takes but a few minutes. It still doesn't change the fact that Republicans will rule capitol hill for the next two years, the Obama coalition is all but done, and 2016 is really anyone's game. Personally I think most Americans are moderate and that if the Republican party continues to push towards a moderate stance then they will win. And if everyone here thinks that the Republicans are becoming extremist, wake up and smell the roses. The Tea Party is dying, very quickly, and the establishment is pushing moderates. Just look at Louisiana, sure Republicans won but they won with a moderate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faster Posted December 19, 2014 Report Share Posted December 19, 2014 And the moderates will see these reforms go ahead. There seems to be a huge disconnect between what a politician like Macro Rubio is saying and what the average Cuban-American thinks about this policy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr.bernham Posted December 19, 2014 Report Share Posted December 19, 2014 And the moderates will see these reforms go ahead. There seems to be a huge disconnect between what a politician like Macro Rubio is saying and what the average Cuban-American thinks about this policy. Rubio is just trying to make himself look good a more aggressive for the 2016 race. He just needs to shut up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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