Cuba

      For many years I have been of the opinion that Cuba should have been a U.S. state or at least a U.S. territory.  Cuba is the largest island in the Caribbean with a population of over 11 million inhabitants, and is located only 93 miles from the United States.  

There are very few things President Obama has done that I agree with, but his recent action to re-establish diplomatic relations with Cuba is one that I like.  I think this action is past due, but many people and politicians are opposed primarily due to Cuba’s history of human rights violations.  Normalizing trade and political interaction with Cuba can be more effective for change in Cuba than the embargo.  

Christopher Columbus claimed Cuba for Spain in 1492.  Over several decades, Presidents Polk, Buchanan, Grant, and McKinley all tried to buy the island of Cuba from Spain.  Think of how that could have changed history.

After the Spanish-American war, Cuba gained independence as a republic and a protectorate of the United States.  From this time on, the U.S. seems to have screwed everything up with Cuba.  Cuba had social issues and radical politics, and became a dictatorship under Fungencio Batista in 1952.  Batista was a brutal dictator who limited personal and political freedoms, but he still received the support of the United States.  

      Fidel Castro emerged as the leader of a communist Cuba after the 1959 revolutionary war.  In 1961 the United States backed an attempt to overthrow Castro with an invasion at the Bay of Pigs, which was a total disaster.  There were even rumors that the U.S. tried to assassinate Castro.

Since Cuba is only 93 miles from Florida, it became a critical asset for Russia in the cold war.  Russia’s attempt to place nuclear missiles in Cuba led to a standoff with the U.S. in October of 1962.  For a 13-day period, we teetered on the brink of a nuclear war. 

The United States imposed an embargo on imports to Cuba, except for food and medicine, in 1960.  In 1962 this was expanded to all imports.  There are six U.S. statutes defining the Cuban embargo.  The embargo has been relaxed over the years, and we now ship medicine, food, grain, livestock, and more to Cuba, but Americans cannot legally buy Cuban made cigars or rum.  After 55 years, I think it is time we normalize political and trade relations with Cuba. 

Reestablishing political and trade relations is the right thing to do at this time. Cuba may never become a U.S. state, but they should be one of our strongest allies and partners.