US-Cuba diplomatic breakthrough: Obama and Castro agree to thaw relations after prisoner exchange

by fulltimestudent 8 Replies latest social current

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  fulltimestudent

  Who'd have thought it possible? But that's a headline this morning in The Canberra Times.

  US-Cuba diplomatic breakthrough: Obama and Castro agree to thaw relations after prisoner exchange

  Date: December 18, 2014 - 5:37AM

  Nick O'Malley

  President Barack Obama has opened the door to restoring full diplomatic relations with Cuba after 50 years of sanctions and embargo, announcing that the US would seek to open an embassy in the coming months and to relax economic and travel restrictions.

  The announcement was made after an exchange of jailed spies was negotiated struck and, separately, an American imprisoned in Cuba named Alan Gross, was released.

  Three Cuban agents jailed for espionage against Cuban exile groups in Florida in 1998 were exchanged for an unnamed American agent in Cuba who had passed on information about their network.

  Link: http://www.canberratimes.com.au/world/uscuba-diplomatic-breakthrough-obama-and-castro-agree-to-thaw-relations-after-prisoner-exchange-20141217-129fcs.html

  You can hear or read Obama's reasons for the change of policy in a video embedded in the article in the above link.

  Its a good change - sanctions hurt LITTLE people more than they hurt BIG people.
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  GrreatTeacher

  Yes, just watching this on the news. Apparently Obama still needs some type of approval from Congress, though not too sure about those details.
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  JeffT

  I don't think that shutting off diplomatic relations is a good idea, unless you've made a decision to go to war. Not talking to another country that's only 90 miles away is not a good thing. However, I think he may have just lost Florida for the Democrats. The Cuban-American community there is VERY powerful, and VERY emotional about this.
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  Honesty

  It's 50 years overdue.
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  mikeypants

  Its a sign of the last days!
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  AndDontCallMeShirley

  "Directly addressing the Cuban people he said, "Today, I'm being honest with you. We can never erase the history between us, but we believe that you should be empowered to live with dignity and self-determination."

  LOL.
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  designs

  The US track record on coups and wars in the past 60 years has been pretty bad. Usually a dictator is put in power or worse. Bush tried a coup in 2002 in Venezuela.

  Why not try something new and maybe a better result will happen.
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  SoJo16

  I'm thinking about going for a hot holiday in February before the travel ban is lifted. Canadians who've been always say the best thing about Cuba is no Americans. Doesn't seem like there are any legal consequences nowadays for americans who do defy the travel ban.
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  Hecce

  The lifting of the travel ban was not the bonanza that the Cuban Government was expecting, the majority of American Airlines are cutting or ending service and the visitors are not coming in the numbers that were anticipated.

  The land costs are so high that the best option for tourists while at port is to take a cruise and sleep at night in their cabin.