Yearender: 2015 witnesses no lift of U.S. embargo on Cuba despite normalization of ties

Cuba and the United States realized historic normalization of relations in 2015, which was decided by leaders of both countries a year ago, but much is needed to be done to improve bilateral ties, in particular, the lift of the U.S. embargo on Cuba.

U.S. URGED TO LIFT EMBARGO

Washington has reaped the benefits of a smart and long overdue policy decision that was virtually risk-free for second-term President Barack Obama and offered a big payout in terms of scoring points in international relations.

A year on, however, Cuba is still waiting for the benefits of the lift of the embargo, which has been lasted for more than half a century and afflicted hundreds of billions of dollars to the island country.

Unless one believes that allowing a few more American travelers to Havana to bring back a handful of cigars will have a decisive impact on the island's economy, the outcome of the rapprochement with the United States for Cuba has been close to nil.

The U.S.-led trade embargo -- called a "blockade" by Cuba because it effectively blocks financial, commercial and economic transactions between Cuba and countries around the world -- has crippled the island's economy and productivity for more than five decades.

"The damage of this blockade, denounced more than 20 times by the United Nations General Assembly, amounts to more than 833.7 billion U.S. dollars," Roberto Garcia Hernandez, editor-in-chief for North America of Cuba's Prensa Latina news agency, wrote in an article published Tuesday.

The lift of sanctions will show that the United States is sincere about changing tack in Cuba, and give the two countries an opportunity to take advantage of restored ties.

MOTIVATING FACTORS

In agreeing to extend a hand toward Cuba, Washington was largely motivated by a desire to make the United States relevant again in Latin America, experts here say.

Disappointed at U.S. policies on Latin America, many countries in the region began looking less to the North and relying more on each other, forming trade and integration blocs such as UNASUR (Union of South American Nations), ALBA (Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America) and CELAC (Community of Latin American and Caribbean States).

The United States is, of course, also motivated by the potential business opportunities provided by a market of 11 million people.

In November, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Thomas Vilsack traveled to Cuba and he became the third high-ranking U.S. official to visit Cuba in just three months, after Secretary of State John Kerry in August and Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker in October.

"We very much hope to establish a positive working relationship with Cuba," Cuba's Granma daily quoted Vilsack as saying.

"The potential exists for us to work together cooperatively across a whole series of issues" ranging from organic farming to biotechnology, plague prevention and climate change, Vilsack said.

REMAINING BLOCKS

The trade blockade, however, prevents cooperation. The Cuban government gave 13 recommendations in an article under the title of "What Obama can do" published on Granma in mid-November.

The article acknowledged that only the U.S. Congress can overturn the blockade, while pointing out that Obama "has broad executive powers to substantially modify its implementation much more than he has thus far." A few of the steps Obama could take include: allowing Cuba to use the U.S. dollar in international transactions and to export its star products such as cigars, rum and biotech medicines to the United States, and letting U.S. companies invest in Cuba and allowing Americans to travel there for medical treatment.

Although rapprochement has, of course, had some positive impacts on both countries, important stumbling blocks remain.

Each side wants the other to pay reparations for economic losses, and a bilateral meeting was held in early December to discuss the issue of compensation for the first time.

While Washington wants compensation for the companies that were nationalized following the victory of the 1959 Cuban revolution, Cuba demands damages for the losses caused by the U.S. embargo, Garcia said.

Cuba also wants Washington to change its so-called "wet foot, dry foot" immigration policy, which was specially crafted to entice Cubans to hazard dangerous crossings of Florida Straits to reach U.S. soil.

"U.S. authorities, however, have reiterated in recent months that they are not in a position to take action on this matter," Garcia said.

Merely restoring diplomatic ties is not the lifeline for Cuba that many Americans may think it is. To make a meaningful difference in the lives of average Cubans, purportedly the guiding objective of Obama's revolutionary about-face on Cuba, he needs to do more. Enditem

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