USA Cuba Embargo

 By Pontus Elmrin

After more than 50 years, USA and Cuba have finally kicked their negotiations off. USA has since 1962 conducted an embargo that, among other things, prevented American citizens from travelling to Cuba. But we might just see the end of a 50-years old national conflict.

It has been 56 years since Fidel Castro seized power over the Caribbean island Cuba. It’s been 54 years since Cuba joined the Marxism-Leninism*, and 53 years since USA’s embargo against Cuba was started. Not much has changed on the Caribbean island since then. The tourists that visit Cuba are greeted by cars from the 50’s, and buildings in a Spanish fashion. But maybe this isn’t very strange, considering that only 25% of the citizens in Cuba have access to the internet. It’s a country that has been highly isolated from the rest of the world. But that is now subject for improvement.

The 16th of January, USA alleviated their 50-years old embargo. The alleviation was primarily done to solve some of the travel- and trading issues between the two countries, namely easing the process of traveling from USA to Cuba. Previously, the ridiculously large amount of prerequisites, among which was a justification for travelling, scared most tourists away. But now, the chance of getting from USA to Cuba has increased remarkably. It’s still a prolix process however, and thus many Americans choose to travel via a third-party to avoid it.

But even third-parties are concerned with the issue. USA launched the Helms-Burton Act in 1996. The act gives USA the right to punish companies and organisations from third party countries that trade with Cuba according to American law. The act immediately became controversial, and it has been heavily criticised as an intrusion on the countries’ right to conduct business with Cuba on their own terms. EU has introduced laws that directly countervail the act.

Cuban and American negotiations kicked off the 21st of January.

“When it comes to Cuba, we’re ending politics that since a long time passed it’s ‘best before’-date”. “When something you’ve done for 50-years still doesn’t work - it’s time to try something else”, Obama says.

On the 23rd of January, the negotiations ended. Officials said that they have established a good foundation to build from, but the matter will require extensive amounts of time before a truly healthy relationship can be established.

What will happen next is unsure. We have to understand that this process will take as much time as it needs. In other words: we could see a healthy relation between the two nations in the following months, or the following years. It all depends on how politics are put into play.