Should we repeal the sanctions on Cuba?

[RandomGuy]

Here is another crappy US policy that very arguably has propped up a dictatorship for more than half a century.

I would say that pulling the sanctions would "call the bluff" of the Cuban government about the big bad USA.

If we completely pull the sanctions, the government of Cuba will have no one else to blame, and the Cuban people will be smart enough to see that.

I think we should have confidence in the Cuban people to figure this out for themselves. The Castro brothers are not immortal.

[LnGrrrR]

Agreed. This embargo should be long since removed.

[mrsmaalox]

Yea, but that train is being driven by Cuban Americans (CANF, Cuban Liberty Council) and I don't think it's likely that they will give up their cause until anyone named Castro is GONE. Also those organizations wield enough political power here (Florida, of course) that I don't think many elected officials would back such a plan without their support.

[Winehole23]

I think we should have confidence in the Cuban people to figure this out for themselves. The Castro brothers are not immortal.In this vein, Fidel Castro is very much alive. It remains to be seen whether Cuba is currently ruled by Castro-ism or Fidel-ism. On the one hand we may have to wait until Fidel and Raul kick off.

OTOH if we dropped the embargo, we'd find out right away. We could start dictating the tempo and the agenda, instead of waiting for developments on the ground in Cuba.

[coyotes_geek]

I'll say yes, but I doubt any president has the balls to do something that would upset a large voting block of Cuban-American voters in a swing state the size of Florida.

[Marcus Bryant]

At this point there is no real purpose for it. The Cold War is long gone and at this point it would be instructive for many Americans to visit the people's island paradise....and enjoy some Cohibas rolled by Cubans.

[LnGrrrR]

I will say this, I deployed to Guantanamo in mid-2002, and I was absolutely amazed at how beautiful the water and scenery is there.

[Wild Cobra]

I've never studied the situation well enough to have an answer. I would like to see sanctions removed Problem is, there may be perfectly valid reasons to keep them in place.

[Winehole23]

Problem is, there may be perfectly valid reasons to keep them in place.And as we all know, the heavy presumption in favor of settled policy means never having to give your reasons.

For WC, it's apparently enough merely to allude to the possible existence of good reasons, to justify the embargo.

[smeagol]

The embargo is stupid.

It should've been gone a long time ago . . .

[clambake]

And as we all know, the heavy presumption in favor of settled policy means never having to give your reasons.

For WC, it's apparently enough merely to allude to the possible existence of good reasons, to justify the embargo.

sounds to me like he's a bit too reliant on his government.

damn libtard.

[Fideo Castro]

What about the travel restrictions? That will bring in billions in tourism dollars for them.

[clambake]

fly to another country and get a flight from there.

[ChumpDumper]

If we normalized relations with Vietnam, we can normalize relations with Cuba.

[clambake]

If we normalized relations with Vietnam, we can normalize relations with Cuba.

you damned dirty gook lover.

[Wild Cobra]

For WC, it's apparently enough merely to allude to the possible existence of good reasons, to justify the embargo.
Don't get me wrong, please. I would like to see travel and trade restored. I honestly believe it would have been long ago unless there is a valid reason.

What changed since the Clinton administration besides Castro? Wouldn't he have restored trade if there wasn't a good reason to maintain the sanctions?

[angrydude]

Nothing will get Cuba out of its dictatorship faster than empowering the poor with foreign trade.

[Winehole23]

What changed since the Clinton administration besides Castro? Wouldn't he have restored trade if there wasn't a good reason to maintain the sanctions?That reason is Florida.

What's strikes me as odd about your appeal to authority WC is the authority you appealed to. Was that supposed to be smilie-free sarcasm, or do you really defer to the Triangulator in Chief on this?

What's changed? Ten years have passed. The second and third generations of Cuban Americans may not see eye to eye with the first. Fidel may be on death's door. Americans are getting tired of an embargo that punishes the Cuban people and is ineffective against their rulers.

[Marcus Bryant]

It's time to drop the embargo and shrink our overseas presence. Be friendly to all and if they don't like us, fuck 'em.

[Wild Cobra]

That reason is Florida.

What's strikes me as odd about your appeal to authority WC is the authority you appealed to. Was that supposed to be smilie-free sarcasm, or do you really defer to the Triangulator in Chief on this?

What's changed? Ten years have passed. The second and third generations of Cuban Americans may not see eye to eye with the first. Fidel may be on death's door. Americans are getting tired of an embargo that punishes the Cuban people and is ineffective against their rulers.
I am not one that simply agrees with authority. I hate authoritarianism myself.

There are two sides to this. Nobody has brought up why we still sanction them, and I don't know why. I simply am one who doesn't want such changes to be made out of ignorance. Liberals make ignorant changes because it 'feels good,' or is 'politically correct,' or a number of other stupid reasons. Conservatives try not to.

[Winehole23]

Nobody has brought up why we still sanction them, and I don't know why.Neither have you.

Make the argument for it, WC. Enough lame appeals to authority.

[Wild Cobra]

Neither have you.

Make the argument for it, WC. Enough lame appeals to authority.
It isn't a concern to me to do so. I am simply pointing out that there might be a valid reason to maintain the sanctions. I am curious, but have bigger priorities.

Again, I would like to see the sanctions removed. What I would like and what is practical isn't always the same.

[Crookshanks]

But would removing the sanctions really have much of an effect? Aren't we the only ones who DON'T trade with Cuba?

I did hear something today that may shed some light on why the U.S. sanctions are still in place. There are numerous corporations and private individuals who owned property in Cuba before Castro took over and nationalized everything. He simply confiscated all private property - regardless of ownership. Many of those U.S. corporations and individuals have made claims for compensation - and some of them go back 50 years! If relations are normalized, does that put our gov't on the hook for compensating these parties? If so, that's a very good reason why the sanctions are still in place.

[LnGrrrR]

But would removing the sanctions really have much of an effect? Aren't we the only ones who DON'T trade with Cuba?

I did hear something today that may shed some light on why the U.S. sanctions are still in place. There are numerous corporations and private individuals who owned property in Cuba before Castro took over and nationalized everything. He simply confiscated all private property - regardless of ownership. Many of those U.S. corporations and individuals have made claims for compensation - and some of them go back 50 years! If relations are normalized, does that put our gov't on the hook for compensating these parties? If so, that's a very good reason why the sanctions are still in place.

I don't see why the US government should be responsible for US corporations that had holdings in Cuba, if Castro was the one who took ownership.

[The Franchise]

Agreed. This embargo should be long since removed.

[hope4dopes]

But would removing the sanctions really have much of an effect? Aren't we the only ones who DON'T trade with Cuba?

I did hear something today that may shed some light on why the U.S. sanctions are still in place. There are numerous corporations and private individuals who owned property in Cuba before Castro took over and nationalized everything. He simply confiscated all private property - regardless of ownership. Many of those U.S. corporations and individuals have made claims for compensation - and some of them go back 50 years! If relations are normalized, does that put our gov't on the hook for compensating these parties? If so, that's a very good reason why the sanctions are still in place.

The U.S. is Cuba's 5th largest trading partner the only people who do more bussiness than us with Cuba is China, Venezuela I think Russia and Canada.From what I understand Cuba doen't want trade from the U.S.it wants lines of credit, I also heard Cuba has one of the worst debt records in the world, and is one of the reasons she can't get lines of credit.The argument is that giving these lines of credit will help prop up Castro's dictatorship,freedom for the people before the credit lines are given.

[Cant_Be_Faded]

Stupid, stupid embargo. Especially now, when we could use the export demand more than ever.

IIRC, there were talks in the latter-bush43 days about possibly warming up to Cuba, and repealing the embargo. Like I've been saying....continuity.

[shelshor]

At this point there is no real purpose for it. The Cold War is long gone and at this point it would be instructive for many Americans to visit the people's island paradise....and enjoy some Cohibas rolled by Cubans.

If you want the quality Cuban cigars, go to Spain--that's where the prime ones get shipped
And now days, there is no guarantee that a "Cuban" cigar was even grown in Cuba--they have to import a great deal of tobacco from Nicaragua & Honduras

[Red Hawk #21]

I wish the embargo could be removed. Im half Cubano and have never been able to meet my family in Cuba. I hope Obama removes it, my family and many other Cuban families here and back in Cuba would greatly appreciate it.

[RandomGuy]

Our informal poll has repealing the sanctions by 23 for to 4 against.

Low priority for a lot of people, but it seems that we should probably think about revising the strategy.

This is one of the things that Obama has said he was going to work for, if memory serves.

[ChumpDumper]

(CNN) -- A new poll shows that two-thirds of Americans surveyed think the U.S. should lift its travel ban on Cuba, and three-quarters think the U.S. should end its five-decade estrangement with the country.
Fidel Castro led Cuba's communist revolution in 1959 and recently handed over power to his brother Raul.

According to the CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll conducted April 3 to 5, 64 percent of the 1,023 Americans surveyed by telephone thought the U.S. government should allow citizens to travel to Cuba.

And 71 percent of those polled said that the U.S. should reestablish diplomatic relations with Cuba, while 27 percent opposed such a move.

Both questions had a sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/04/10/poll.cuba/



One might think Cuban-Americans oppose lifting travel restrictions for all Americans, but the evidence suggests otherwise. A December poll by Florida International University showed that 67 percent of all Cuban-Americans support unrestricted travel to Cuba by all Americans. This is a substantial increase over the 55 percent who favored removing such restrictions when the same question was asked by the university in March 2007.

http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/apr/10/time-to-lift-travel-bans/

[coyotes_geek]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama on Monday will ease limits on family travel and cash gifts from the United States to Cuba and allow U.S. telecommunications firms to bid for licenses on the communist-ruled island, a U.S. official said.

The decision does not lift Washington's trade embargo with Cuba though it does open a crack in the bulwark set up more than four decades ago and maintained by successive U.S. administrations.

The move also fulfills one of Obama's campaign promises to allow Cuban Americans to travel more freely to Cuba and increase financial help to family members there, and could herald improved ties between the two longtime foes.

Supporters of easing U.S. sanctions against Cuba welcomed the move, which will affect an estimated 1.5 million Americans who have family members in Cuba, as "ground breaking".

They said they hoped it would lead to even bolder steps by Obama to dismantle the 47-year-old U.S. trade embargo against the communist-ruled island, which critics argue is an obsolete policy that has failed to foster change in Cuba.

Cubans living in the United States are currently allowed to travel to the island only once a year and are limited to send only $1,200 per person in cash to needy family members in Cuba.

Obama's gesture appeared intended to signal a new attitude toward both Cuba and other Latin American countries that have pressed Washington to end a trade embargo that has sought to isolate Havana for more than four decades.

It also comes ahead of Obama's attendance at a Summit of the Americas in Trinidad later this week.

Cuba is among the U.S. foes Obama has said he would be willing to engage diplomatically, instead of shunning them as his predecessor George W. Bush did.

Under the policy shift to be unveiled on Monday, Obama also planned to announce that U.S. telecommunications companies would be allowed to apply for licenses in Cuba. It was unclear, however, the extent to which this restriction would be eased.

Obama could face some resistance in Congress, especially from opposition Republicans.

Representatives Frank Wolf and Chris Smith last week urged Obama to insist that Cuba release all political detainees before the United States moves to relax trade and travel restrictions.

During last year's presidential campaign, Obama favored easing of some U.S. limits on family travel and remittances, but said he would not eliminate the trade embargo until Cuba shows progress toward democracy and greater human rights.

(Reporting by Matt Spetalnick, Editing by Anthony Boadle)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090413/pl_nm/us_obama_cuba_4