The Cuban government is convinced that the new administration of Joe Biden would not agree to the new U.S sanctions suggesting that the Caribbean island nation sponsors terrorism. A senior Cuban diplomat revealed this on Tuesday after President Trump’s outgoing regime restored Cuba to a list of Terrorism sponsors.
Back on Terrorism Watch
We are convinced that president Joe Biden and his team understand the situation perfectly, and they know that Cuba is not a sponsor of terrorism,” Carlos Fernandez de Cossio said in a statement to a group of journalists. He affirmed his position that the incoming administration would assess things objectively and not be influenced by the Trump administration’s conclusions.
Donald Trump’s administration reclassified Cuba as a “state sponsor of terrorism,” thereby applying new U.S sanctions that could be a hindrance to Joe Biden’s promise to renew relations with the island.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the decision, making reference to Cuba’s harboring of U.S fugitives, refusal to cooperate, and extradite Colombian guerrilla commanders. He also cited Cuban government support for Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.
According to the Cuban government, President Trump’s latest move to restore U.S sanctions is a last-minute political move to gain goodwill from Cuban exiles in Florida.
“It is opportunistic for those who feel indebted politically due to recent elections, or who are seeking favor in future elections,” Fernandez de Cossio said.
Obama’s Foreign Policy Legacy
President Barack Obama had made it one of his main foreign policy accomplishments to ensure Cuba was taking off a terrorist list as he sought better diplomatic relations with the island. At the time, Joe Biden, who was Vice President, supported the move.
In March 2016, Obama became the first U. S president to visit Cuba for close to a hundred years. Accompanied by his wife and two daughters, he landed in Havana, seizing the opportunity to see first-hand and hear directly from the Cuban people.
The Trump administration that followed has taken a tough stance on Havana and restored many of the U.S sanctions that the Obama Administration either eased or totally removed after diplomatic ties were restored in 2015.
History of Cuba-U. S Relations
In 1950, Cuba was a vibrant and modern country. It had the fifth-highest per capita income and third highest life expectancy in the Western Hemisphere. By the year 2000, almost all those gains had disappeared. This was due in no small part due to dictatorship and the rise of communism. This led to significantly lower standards of living for many Cubans.
Cuba is a neighbor to the United States, which is a major world power just 90 miles away. The geographic distance between Cuba and the United States has been both a blessing and a curse. Cuba successfully leveraged the perception that the U.S was an omnipresent threat and was able to get military and economic aid from the Soviet Union.
Furthermore, the country continues to be a proxy for enemies of the United States. For instance, Russia in China has to extend Aid to Cuba to build an alliance further.
Cuba’s Human Rights Offenses
Today, the Cuban government ignores human rights, detains political prisoners, and fails to provide its citizens’ necessities. For instance, Eduardo Cadet was imprisoned for speaking against Fidel Castro’s government. This is not a new occurrence in Cuba. In 2014, Cuban diplomats defended the North Korean regime’s human rights record at the time.
Although president Miguel Diaz promised a change after the 2018 transition of power from the Castro Brothers to the present regime, the situation has largely remained the same.