A depiction of President Donald Trump in Havana, Cuba. (Photo courtesy Michal Eskayo)
Jun 16, 2017
President Donald Trump on Friday is set to put a chill on the thawed relations between the U.S. and Cuba his predecessor put in place just three years ago.
In an announcement in Miami, Trump will partially roll back Obama's measures, which the new administration sees as a failed "appeasement" effort. NPRwrites that the president
will not go so far as to sever diplomatic ties with Havana or shutter the U.S. embassy that reopened there in 2015. But he will impose new limits on commercial transactions that involve the Cuban military. And Americans will no longer be allowed to travel to the island on their own for "people-to-people" purposes, once the new rules are in place.
"While not a full reversal of the Obama opening," writes Ben Rhodes, the architect of the rapprochement under the Obama administration,
Trump's actions have put relations between the United States and Cuba back into the prison of the past--setting back the prospects for reform inside of Cuba, and ignoring the voices of the Cuban people and a majority of Americans just so that he can reward a small and dwindling political constituency.
On Thursday Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) said she was "appalled and saddened" by the reported reversal, calling it "a completely unnecessary step backwards" that "makes no sense and achieves nothing."
"Withdrawing from Cuba cannot and will not achieve our goals," Lee stated. "As President Obama recognized, progress demands open dialogue and mutual cooperation between our two nations."
Amnesty International USA similarly cautioned against a Cuba policy reversal, saying it would harm both nations.
"Increased political dialogue, travel, and trade between the U.S. and Cuba is critical to advancing human rights in both countries," said Marselha Goncalves Margerin, advocacy director for the Americas at the organization.
"If President Trump returns to the Cold War rhetoric of isolation, we will revert to a politicization of human rights on both sides, which will be detrimental to advancing independent scrutiny of Cuba's human rights situation," she continued.
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. Join with us today! |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
President Donald Trump on Friday is set to put a chill on the thawed relations between the U.S. and Cuba his predecessor put in place just three years ago.
In an announcement in Miami, Trump will partially roll back Obama's measures, which the new administration sees as a failed "appeasement" effort. NPRwrites that the president
will not go so far as to sever diplomatic ties with Havana or shutter the U.S. embassy that reopened there in 2015. But he will impose new limits on commercial transactions that involve the Cuban military. And Americans will no longer be allowed to travel to the island on their own for "people-to-people" purposes, once the new rules are in place.
"While not a full reversal of the Obama opening," writes Ben Rhodes, the architect of the rapprochement under the Obama administration,
Trump's actions have put relations between the United States and Cuba back into the prison of the past--setting back the prospects for reform inside of Cuba, and ignoring the voices of the Cuban people and a majority of Americans just so that he can reward a small and dwindling political constituency.
On Thursday Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) said she was "appalled and saddened" by the reported reversal, calling it "a completely unnecessary step backwards" that "makes no sense and achieves nothing."
"Withdrawing from Cuba cannot and will not achieve our goals," Lee stated. "As President Obama recognized, progress demands open dialogue and mutual cooperation between our two nations."
Amnesty International USA similarly cautioned against a Cuba policy reversal, saying it would harm both nations.
"Increased political dialogue, travel, and trade between the U.S. and Cuba is critical to advancing human rights in both countries," said Marselha Goncalves Margerin, advocacy director for the Americas at the organization.
"If President Trump returns to the Cold War rhetoric of isolation, we will revert to a politicization of human rights on both sides, which will be detrimental to advancing independent scrutiny of Cuba's human rights situation," she continued.
President Donald Trump on Friday is set to put a chill on the thawed relations between the U.S. and Cuba his predecessor put in place just three years ago.
In an announcement in Miami, Trump will partially roll back Obama's measures, which the new administration sees as a failed "appeasement" effort. NPRwrites that the president
will not go so far as to sever diplomatic ties with Havana or shutter the U.S. embassy that reopened there in 2015. But he will impose new limits on commercial transactions that involve the Cuban military. And Americans will no longer be allowed to travel to the island on their own for "people-to-people" purposes, once the new rules are in place.
"While not a full reversal of the Obama opening," writes Ben Rhodes, the architect of the rapprochement under the Obama administration,
Trump's actions have put relations between the United States and Cuba back into the prison of the past--setting back the prospects for reform inside of Cuba, and ignoring the voices of the Cuban people and a majority of Americans just so that he can reward a small and dwindling political constituency.
On Thursday Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) said she was "appalled and saddened" by the reported reversal, calling it "a completely unnecessary step backwards" that "makes no sense and achieves nothing."
"Withdrawing from Cuba cannot and will not achieve our goals," Lee stated. "As President Obama recognized, progress demands open dialogue and mutual cooperation between our two nations."
Amnesty International USA similarly cautioned against a Cuba policy reversal, saying it would harm both nations.
"Increased political dialogue, travel, and trade between the U.S. and Cuba is critical to advancing human rights in both countries," said Marselha Goncalves Margerin, advocacy director for the Americas at the organization.
"If President Trump returns to the Cold War rhetoric of isolation, we will revert to a politicization of human rights on both sides, which will be detrimental to advancing independent scrutiny of Cuba's human rights situation," she continued.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.