U.S.-Cuba Relations

Introduction

Cuba has been at odds with the United States since Fidel Castro assumed power in 1959. Successive U.S. administrations have tried a range of tough measures, including prolonged economic sanctions and designation of Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism, none of which substantially weakened Castro's rule. In February 2008, Fidel formally resigned his office, sixteen months after transferring many powers to his brother Raul due to illness. Despite some stirrings of U.S. economic interest in Cuba, experts don't expect a move toward normalization of U.S.-Cuba relations anytime soon.

What is the status of U.S.-Cuba relations?

U.S.-Cuban relations are virtually nonexistent. There is a U.S. mission in Havana, Cuba's capital, but it has minimal communication with the Cuban government. Since 1961, the official U.S. policy towards Cuba has been two-pronged: economic embargo and diplomatic isolation. The Bush administration has strongly enforced the embargo and strengthened travel restrictions. Americans with immediate family may visit once every three years for a maximum of two weeks, while the total amount of family remittances an authorized traveler may carry to Cuba is $300, reduced from $3,000 in 2004.

But the U.S. Congress has softened administration policy in some areas. Congress amended the trade embargo in 2000 to allow agricultural exports from the United States to Cuba. In 2006, U.S. companies exported roughly $336 million (PDF) worth of food and agricultural products to Cuba, according to the U.S. International Trade Commission; in 2001 that figure was virtually zero. Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas have all brokered agricultural deals with Cuba in recent years. Several initiatives are pending in Congress that would ease restrictions (PDF) on Cuban payments for U.S. agricultural exports, according to a Congressional Research Service report.

What is U.S. public opinion on the isolation of Cuba?

Some U.S. constituencies would like to resume relations. U.S. agricultural groups already deal with Cuba, and other economic sectors would like access to the Cuban market. Many Cuban-Americans are angry about the stricter limits on travel and remittances. However, a small but vocal contingent of hard-line Cuban exiles, many of them based in Florida, do not want to resume relations with Cuba until Castro and his sympathizers are gone, says Julia E. Sweig, CFR senior fellow for Latin American Studies.

Opinions in Congress are mixed: A group of influential Republican lawmakers from Florida -- Lincoln Diaz-Balart, his brother Mario Diaz-Balart, and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen -- is strongly anti-Castro. At the same time, there is growing sentiment in favor of improving relations with Cuba. In 2002, a bipartisan group of senators, the Congressional Cuban Working Group, proposed a set of measures that included lifting the travel ban and allowing private financing of food and agriculture sales. In 2003, both the House and Senate voted to lift the travel ban but the measure was removed after President Bush threatened to veto.

What is the likelihood that the United States and Cuba will resume diplomatic relations?

Given the range of issues dividing the two countries, experts say the possibility of normalization remains distant. "We don't use that language [normalization] anymore because the relationship is so toxic," Sweig says. Wayne Smith, director of the Cuba program at the Center for International Policy, says Cuba has the "same effect on U.S. administrations that the full moon has on a werewolf."

Fidel's resignation in February 2008 could spur a change in U.S.-Cuba relations, but experts don't expect any movement until a new U.S. president takes office in 2009. As this CFR.org Issue Tracker indicates, the presidential candidates are divided on what tack the United States should adopt toward Cuba.

What is the main irritant in U.S.-Cuban relations?