Unlock the Gate to Cuba
In the long and turbulent history between Cuba and the United States, it can well be argued that Cuba did not turn out quite like its other Latin American peers. Things seemed to be on the right track in the early 1900’s, when it appeared that Cuba was destined for a future of “independence”, like its neighbour Puerto Rico and it was yet another South American nation rife with the now atypical blend of affluent American investors and poor workers usually native to the land herself. However, following a coup d’état that saw the fall of the American-backed Fulgencio Batista in favour of his social antithesis in communist Fidel Castro, the situation rapidly turned sour. The American government, finding themselves backed into a corner and unable to mold Cuba in its golden image, decided that it would be pertinent to sever all trade with Cuba.
Since America’s policies towards Communism were clear, the trade embargo began to look like a more long-term intervention. To this day, the trade embargo is still in place, and it appears unlikely that this president, as well as many more from those who will succeed him, is ready to discuss any possible amendment.
However, these economic sanctions have seen its efficacy come to an abrupt end. The ban on Cuban trade should be lifted in order to reduce poverty on the island, boost the economies of both the United States and Cuba, give America access to superior healthcare and allow America to acquire some cheap labour. In this essay, I will inform you of four things; (1) Cuba’s poverty caused by the sanctions, (2) how lifting the embargo would benefit Cuba, (3) how lifting the embargo would benefit America, (4) why continue the sanctions (5) how close are we to lifting the sanctions.
Cuba’s Poverty
It is not difficult to identify Cuba as a “developing” nation: a quick glance around at the grimy, graffiti-filled streets, rampant propagandist billboards and the cars, clanking along with broken fenders in tow and a volatility and tint that suggest that their primes passed 50 years hence are enough of an indication. Indeed, those sepia-toned prosperous days under communist rule having come and gone, there has been little to no influx of money to replace and refurbish aging buildings, automobiles, schools, roads and above all, aging policies. When asked what they thought ab...
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... by simply giving passing reference to that presumed inevitability? It is intolerable to think that we are so far away from a solution.
Furthermore, they have labelled Cuba as part of a “secondary” axis of evil. Worse yet, John Bolton, the Undersecretary of State for Arms Control, has stated that “Cuba has long provided safe haven for terrorists”, and “that Cuba has been developing biological weapons of mass destruction.” Figures.
Finally,
It is clear that there is a serious issue regarding poverty in Cuba that directly results from the forty year old sanctions. It would benefit both countries to lift the sanctions in terms of trade, immigration and development. The sanctions have so far proven unsuccessful, and are just hindering the Cuban economy. Despite all of these points, it seems doubtful that the doors to Cuba shall be unlocked, and that the poverty and suffering could continue forever until we get another FDR-like president who has enough sense to change something.
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The 1966 Cuban Adjustment Act grants Cubans a unique place in U.S. Immigration Law and Policy by declaring that all those who arrive in the United States are accepted as political refugees, and are eligible to become legal permanent residents after one year (Marc R.). It was created to offer protection to Cubans escaping oppression from their Communist government. As might be expected, this law is always the debate of Cubans who think about coming to America seeking freedom and a better life. For many Cubans to reach American territory is all a dream, mostly because of the chances of attaining a better economic situation for themselves and their families. A lot of them also pursue to reunite with their families in the United States after many years of separation. Some others are opponents of the Castro regime. Because they don’t have freedom of speech and can see their lives threatened if they speak out against the government, seek for more political freedom and a democratic form of government, in a land of capitalism where there are fewer restrictions and more opportunities.
Some symptoms are anxiety about time, cleanliness, and worry about money, which causes them to work more than needed. Causes of OCPD is not entirely clear, but psychologist believe it is a combination of genetics and environment. One of the scenes that display OCPD was when Joan and her maids were cleaning her house and one of her maids neglected to move a pot when she waxed the floor, which caused a ring of dirt and Joan said, “I’m not mad at you, I’m mad at the dirt.” then her current boyfriend showed up and she disregarded the dirt ring. Another prime example was at the beginning of the movie when she was getting ready for bed or for the day, not exactly clear about it, but it showed her vigorously washing her hands, face, and body in general with scalding hot
Earley notes that, “The design of the cellhouse contributes to the misery” acting as a greenhouse almost, this is how Leavenworth earned itself the nickname of the Hot House. According to an article published in Grist Magazine in 2014, federal judge Brian A Jackson ruled that the inmates at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola had been subject to cruel and unusual punishment when nothing was done to save them from the heat, which reached 195 degrees in their cells. Kansas is also known for some exceedingly hot summers, and while Earley does not mention the exact temperature C cellblock could reach, if the entire place is known as the Hot House then it is likely just as harsh on these prisoners in the 90’s as it was for those in
Fidel Castro entered Havana, Cuba and took his place as Prime Minister in January of 1959, just after the fall of the Batista regime. Within days, many of the Cuban upper class began exiting the island, wary of losing their socioeconomic status and possibly their lives (Leonard 13). Castro’s radical new policies appealed to most of the suppressed lower class seeking change, but the middle sector “became disillusioned with their new leader” and soon comprised the majority of the Cuban refugees in Miami, Florida (Leonard 3). Beginning in December 1960 and ending with the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962, over 14,000 of those refugees wou...
The naval blockade of Cuba was retaliation from John F Kennedy finding out about the Soviet Union creating secret nuclear missiles on Cuba. The time is October 22, 1962; the State of Union is not at peace. The United States and Soviet Union are in what is known as The Cold War, which lasted from 1945-91. The war leads to international crisis with alliances, naval battles and the Soviet Union, our biggest threat.
Long before our involvement, the Cubans had been leading revolts and revolutions against Spain. The Spanish empire considered Cuba to be its jewel, not only for its beauty but also for its economics. Cuba’s main source of income was from its expansive sugar plantations that greatly contributed to its wealth (more so to the Spanish Empires wealth). Ironically, even due to the high regard to Cuba, it was neglected and oppressed, as the Spanish Empire began its decline in the middle of the nineteenth century. The Empire was falling due to it slowly loosing its control over its territories, closer to the US then to Spain, because of a lack of industrializing. The Spanish would claim ownership, but never contribute back to their land. This opened the door for what is known as the 10-year war and the struggle for Cuban Independence. The United States never got directly involved, but it sympathized greatly with the Cuban’s cause, for ...
“Cuba - A Case of Communist Take-Over.” The New York Times Magazine July 1961: 59-64 Guido, Jessica.
Is the Cuban Embargo a cruel reminder of the Cold war, or is it an important factor of American Democracy fighting the spread of Communism? The Cuban Embargo was a declaration issued by American President John Fitzgerald Kennedy. The embargo was issued because of the threat that the Communist government of Cuba, led by Fidel Castro in 1959, had on American security, assets and democracy at the height of the Cold War. Some 1.8 billion worth of industrial assets were lost with Cuban communist nationalization. (Mr. D’Angelo personal interview) In support, constant influence of the Soviet Union during the early 1960s, particularly the time between 1961 and 1962, led to the creation of the embargo. In addition, the Soviet Union had planned to build a missile base on the island, which drove the Cold War to its height and made nuclear destruction a real possibility. Consequently, The Embargo called for total economic sanctions for Cuba and the institution of a blockade around the island, as shown by the seven-day stand off that followed the embargo with the USSR. Unfortunately, this blockade completely restricted any trade to foreign countries and even restricted travel to and from the island. The shattering of The USSR, or Soviet Union, should have called for the end of the embargo, but instead the federal government, in 1992, further restricted the embargo with the 1992 Cuba Democracy Act and the 1996 Helms-Burton Act. The Cuban Democracy Act was a bill presented by U.S. Congressman Robert Torricelli and passed in 1992, which prohibited foreign-based subsidiaries of U.S. companies from trading with Cuba, travel to Cuba by U.S citizens, and family remittances to Cuba (Lee). Most importantly, the Helms-Burton Act extended the territoria...
In 1776, even as Adam Smith was championing the ideals of a free market economy, he recognized that the interests of national security far outweighed the principles of free trade. More then two centuries later, that sentiment proves to still be accurate and in use. Since the early 1900s, the United States has used this precept to defend its position on trade barriers to hostile nations, and through the majority of the century, that predominantly referred to the Soviet Union and its allies.
The name comes from an early description of the disorder as being on the “borderline” between neurosis and psychosis. Some symptoms are when you often feel “empty”, you’re constantly afraid that people you care about will leave you, most romantic relationships are intense, but unstable, or you’ve attempted to hurt yourself (Smith, 2017). One example that Joan showed was when the kids were playing outside and they made her mad because they were supposed to be quiet. Later on, in the day, Joan was still upset about that morning so it led to her taking Christina’s babies. Another example is when she finds out she was going to have to leave Metro. She was calm and quiet at first but then it led to her acting out in front of the mayor, with crying, and shouting (Mommie Dearest,
The National Geographic article by Cynthia Gorney, entitled “Here Comes a Wave of Change for Cuba”, focuses on the country’s experience with the gradual return of American connections, specifically sparked by the arrival of an American cruise ship, following an embargo placed on Cuban trade with the United States over forty years ago. The author mainly targets an educated audience with a basis of background knowledge of the topic, as she serves to capitalize on pre-known information and further extend the material, while connecting to the current developments in the relationship between the two countries. Through her informal, yet serious tone, displayed through phrases such as “mashed up” and “Americanness”, she successfully advances the reader’s
There are two different kinds of disorders, personality disorders and psychological disorders. Psychological disorders are illnesses that an individual experiences as episodes. Personality disorders are enduring traits that are major components of the individual's personality (Rathus, 2010). No matter what kind of disorder a person may possess their lives are affected everyday by them, it takes over their body and consumes them as a person. Disorders are often misunderstood. You do not have the ability to make a split second decision and then continue life without that disorder, it will take lots of counseling. While we are not trained psychologist everyone can learn or identify disorders in popular movies or television shows. In the movie, Mommie Dearest, directed by Frank Perry, Joan Crawford possesses several of these disorders, including bipolar, borderline personality disorder, obsessive compulsive personality disorder and narcissistic personality disorder.
This disorder is characterized by inflexibility and fixation on rules, procedures, and orderliness (Rathus, 2010). At the beginning of the movie you watch Joan scrub her hands, fingernails, wrists, forearms, and face. Then she moves on to cleaning her house, she even goes as far to move furniture around to clean certain areas even after she’s already cleaned them. In one of the later scenes of the movie, Joan attacks Christina after finding one lone wire hanger in her closet in the midst of all plastic hangers. She goes ballistic and throws all of Christina’s stuff around then drags her into the bathroom and orders her to wash her already clean floor. Another obvious disorder exhibited by Joan is the paranoid personality disorder. This disorder causes people to be more suspicious of others and to interpret others’ motives as harmful or evil (p.525). She constantly overworked her children and forced them to give up their toys and gifts from their birthday’s and holiday. She did this because she was concerned about them growing up spoiled and never learning to work for what they wanted. She also did this because she wanted the publicity that came along with her children giving away their toys. She was also extremely paranoid that Christina was making fun of her, even though she was just taking after her mother’s footsteps and acting. Joan found Christina’s skits as mockery. In her later years, Joan was always aware of the younger, prettier, more talented women that were trying to take her job. Lastly, Joan sports the histrionic personality disorder multiple times throughout the movie. A person with the histrionic disorder is overly emotional and dramatic and seeks constant attention (p. 526). This side of Joan comes out at one of Christina’s birthday parties. Reporters ask to get pictures of just Christina, and Joan thinks it ridiculous that they don’t want her. She begins to compete with
However, the US played a much larger role in Cuba’s past and present than the building of casinos and the introduction of the first taints of corruption. In the past, even before Batista, Americans were resented by Cubans because the Americans made a lot of Cuba’s decisions. Under Batista, 80% of Cuban imports came from the US, and the US controlled at least 50% of sugar, utilities, phones and railroads. If Cuba was a business in the stock markets, then the US would have been close to owning 50% of its shares. When combined with a long history of US-backed leaders, and US involvement, it is understandable that Cubans begrudged the Americans....
...es currently does possess an enormous trade deficit, but the importance of this problem and the best means of solving it is a sharply debated issue. Clearly, while a return to protectionist policy would have some positive effects in the short run, it ultimately would undue the enormous growth that free international trade has caused for the US economy. The more moderate approach, of increasing domestic capital, reducing reliance upon foreign money and goods, and reducing government spending, deals with the situation much more effectively. A deficit is often times natural, especially in a wealthy country with a very strong economy, such as the US. Using these techniques, the negative aspects of the deficit can be overcome, while still ensuring the efficiency and affectivity of a liberal international trade system.