Road to Ending the Cuban Embargo
In light of a recent event, little is being reported about the island nation of Cuba. Last week, on May 15th, 2024, the Biden Administration moved to take Cuba off the short list of countries not cooperating fully with United States anti-terrorism efforts. [1] [2] [3] Other countries include Iran, Venezuela, and North Korea. “In a statement, the State Department said Blinken had found that Cuban and U.S. law enforcement were again working together on counterterrorism and other efforts”. (Associated Press). The State Department mentioned how cooperation with Cuban law enforcement has continued, deciding to remove Cuba from said list. Cuba remains on a United States list from the State Department of State sponsors of Terrorism. Can this lead to a Road to Ending the Cuba Embargo?
Many believed President Biden’s election would return to normal relations between the two nations, undoing many decisions by the Trump administration and returning to efforts made by the Obama administration, where Biden served as vice president. This is a more recent development since “The non-binding resolution was approved by 187 countries and opposed only by the United States and Israel, with Ukraine abstaining” (Reuters) in November of 2023. The following United States election could see a continued or reversal of this decision.
John F. Kennedy, in February of 1962, placed an embargo on the Communist nation of the Republic of Cuba. The embargo was a result of the Cold War, which was linked to fears of the rise and spread of Communism globally and its influence in Latin America. The Bay of Pigs Invasion in 1961 and the Cuban missile crisis in October of 1962 further escalated tensions as the two superpowers of the world, the United States and the Soviet Union, teetered on the edge of a knife toward a global nuclear war.
What does this mean? Well, not much, as Cuba remains on United States lists and is in a current state of embargo. Many people around the world wish to see this Cold War Era policy end, and those in the United States are divided on the fight against Communism on our backdoor and the reality of the embargo hurting the Cuban people with little to show after failing to topple the regime after sixty-two years. In the cigar industry, many worry about how the impact of Cuban tobacco would play in the United States. As cigar smokers, people are getting their hands on both counterfeit and authentic Cuban cigars and continue to crave the forbidden leaf that was once a staple in our history and industry.