President Obama Visits Cuba

[cow451]

While most Americans seems preoccupied with the Presidential primaries, President Obama is visiting Cuba. No American President has been to the island in 80 years. The US and Cuba had a falling out after Castro overthrew the dictator Fulgencio Batista in 1959.

After over fifty years, the Cuban embargo has run its course and President Obama announced the beginning of normalization of relations between the two countries.

 

[dysert]

While most Americans seems preoccupied with the Presidential primaries, President Obama is visiting Cuba. No American President has been to the island in 80 years. The US and Cuba had a falling out after Castro overthrew the dictator Fulgencio Batista in 1959.

After over fifty years, the Cuban embargo has run its course and President Obama announced the beginning of normalization of relations between the two countries.

Any pointers to what the two heads of state said in their speeches?

 

[Caitlin.ann]

Good for him. I'm glad we're finally re-opening relations with Cuba.

 

[cow451]

Any pointers to what the two heads of state said in their speeches?

Opening remarks:

• Cuban President Raúl Castro called Monday for the United States to abandon the territory it occupies at Guantánamo Bay and to lift the U.S. embargo against Cuba.
• “We continue, as President Castro indicated, to have some very serious differences,” including on human rights, Obama said before outlining progress that two have made with new travel, agricultural and business agreements, as well as partnerships on health, education and the environment.

 

[LittleLambofJesus]

Opening remarks:

• Cuban President Raúl Castro called Monday for the United States to abandon the territory it occupies at Guantánamo Bay and to lift the U.S. embargo against Cuba.
• “We continue, as President Castro indicated, to have some very serious differences,” including on human rights, Obama said before outlining progress that two have made with new travel, agricultural and business agreements, as well as partnerships on health, education and the environment.

Now this should be interesting.......will it be brother like brother?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...-Castro-made-fun-of-Fidels-long-speeches.html

Barack Obama and Raúl Castro broke the ice during their historic phone call this week with a gentle joke at the expense of the Cuban leader's elder brother Fidel and his habit of making marathon speeches.

Speaking during a White House conference, a relaxed-looking Mr Obama said he began the first phone call between a US and Cuban leader in five decades by reading a lengthy statement of US policy.

"At the end of my remarks, I apologised for taking, you know, such a long time," Mr Obama said.

The Cuban leader replied: "Don't worry about it, Mr President. You're still a young man, and you have still the chance to break Fidel's record. He once spoke for seven hours straight."

Mr Castro, who succeeded his brother as Cuba's leader in 2008, then went on to deliver a statement twice as long as the American president's.



...............

........

Below:
Barack Obama and Raúl Castro, left, joked at the expense of the Cuban leader's brother Fidel and his marathon speeches Photo: AP

................................................................................

 

[seashale76]

In the mean time, Cuba arrested around 50 demonstrators just before Obama came. And, we've had a new flood of Cubans escaping to the US recently, as well. Yeah, it's historic, but I have problems with how this has been done. It's yet another slap in the face to Cubans that have had their families killed and jailed by Castro.

http://miami.cbslocal.com/2016/03/20/rally-held-in-little-havana-demands-cuban-libertad/

 

[HannahT]

Opening remarks:

• Cuban President Raúl Castro called Monday for the United States to abandon the territory it occupies at Guantánamo Bay and to lift the U.S. embargo against Cuba.
• “We continue, as President Castro indicated, to have some very serious differences,” including on human rights, Obama said before outlining progress that two have made with new travel, agricultural and business agreements, as well as partnerships on health, education and the environment.

I wonder if Cuba is going to decide to return all the property, bank accounts, and other assets they stole during the embargo.

I'm not sure I would do business with them, because they have the power to take whatever..and your left with nothing. I think they have something like 6,000 claims against Cuba at this point already.

Personally, I think that is gone forever. Yet, would they do that again? They don't need an embargo to do it.

 

[ThatRobGuy]

In the mean time, Cuba arrested around 50 demonstrators just before Obama came. And, we've had a new flood of Cubans escaping to the US recently, as well. Yeah, it's historic, but I have problems with how this has been done. It's yet another slap in the face to Cubans that have had their families killed and jailed by Castro.

http://miami.cbslocal.com/2016/03/20/rally-held-in-little-havana-demands-cuban-libertad/

That's part of the reason I'm torn on the issue...on one hand, Cuban leadership is largely corrupt and a violator of human rights...on the other hand, the embargo isn't really punishing them all that much, it's punishing the people (who are not at fault for what their leaders do)...Cuban leadership is still living in fancy houses with all of their personal needs met.

I do think the concept of the embargo lasting this long is a bit ridiculous simply for the fact that we're essentially treating Cuba as the whipping boy for our historical hostility against communism (for which there were countries that were in the same boat as Cuba, in terms of being Russian puppets, that we're now on decent terms with).

 

[wing2000]

President Nixon established diplomatic relations with Communist China in 1972.

What were we afraid of for so long?

 

[wing2000]

That's part of the reason I'm torn on the issue...on one hand, Cuban leadership is largely corrupt and a violator of human rights...on the other hand, the embargo isn't really punishing them all that much, it's punishing the people (who are not at fault for what their leaders do)...Cuban leadership is still living in fancy houses with all of their personal needs met.

I give the regime 10 years....and the Castro brothers and their revolution will be but a distant memory. There is no way the Cuban government can withstand the onslaught of American ideas, commerce and tourism. Ironically, many of the President's Cuba policy opponents seem to lack faith in the power of such ideas....

[

 

[redleghunter]

While most Americans seems preoccupied with the Presidential primaries, President Obama is visiting Cuba. No American President has been to the island in 80 years. The US and Cuba had a falling out after Castro overthrew the dictator Fulgencio Batista in 1959.

After over fifty years, the Cuban embargo has run its course and President Obama announced the beginning of normalization of relations between the two countries.

As long as Obama comes back with crates of cigars and that southpaw the Texas Rangers want, I say it was successful.

 

[redleghunter]

President Nixon established diplomatic relations with Communist China in 1972.

What were we afraid of for so long?

Only Nixon could go to China.

 

[USincognito]

Rapprochement and dialogue is always better than open or simmering hostility.

 

[JustOneWay]

In the mean time, Cuba arrested around 50 demonstrators just before Obama came.

This is happening with Trump here in America. Is there a point you are making?

 

[JustOneWay]

I wonder if Cuba is going to decide to return all the property, bank accounts, and other assets they stole during the embargo.

America seized Iran's money, then finally returned it after decades....

and Obama haters say Obama is giving money to Iran.....

Why would Cuba want to do business with America when America has the power to take whatever..and people are left with nothing...

 

[SummerMadness]

Cubans are worse than Russians and the Chinese, remember that!

 

[cow451]

In the mean time, Cuba arrested around 50 demonstrators just before Obama came. And, we've had a new flood of Cubans escaping to the US recently, as well. Yeah, it's historic, but I have problems with how this has been done. It's yet another slap in the face to Cubans that have had their families killed and jailed by Castro.

http://miami.cbslocal.com/2016/03/20/rally-held-in-little-havana-demands-cuban-libertad/

Are you sure that wasn't a Trump rally?

Let's get real, here. We do business happily with China, Viet Nam and all manner of countries that are a brick shy on human rights. Cuba is in our back yard. If we piddle around long enough China will be taking the business from us. The embargo is an abysmal failure. It is time to admit it and move forward.

BTW, Cuba was run by a brutal dictator that was super cozy with the mafia before Castro took power. There hasn't been democracy in Cuba in a century, if ever.

 

[cow451]

I wonder if Cuba is going to decide to return all the property, bank accounts, and other assets they stole during the embargo.

Most of the American mafioso are dead or in prison.

 

[cow451]

Only Nixon could go to China.

In hindsight he should've stayed.

 

[Thunder Peel]

As usual, the Narcissist in Chief parades around a communist country while being mocked.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opin...d8d2c0-ef6b-11e5-a61f-e9c95c06edca_story.html