Home
Obama announces Normalization of Relations with Cuba
Posted by Amy Miller Wednesday, July 1, 2015 at 1:12pm
Presidential candidates speak out
Back in December, the Administration announced that they were engaged in secret talks with Cuban officials about shifting away from the “diplomatic mission” model and toward full diplomatic relations between our two countries; and today, President Obama announced that on July 20, the United States will open an embassy in Havana, Cuba, and take what he says are the first public steps toward normalizing relations that have been hostile since the 1960s.
Via Fox News :
Although the President does have the authority to open embassies and establish relations, it is the Senate that will eventually have to screen and confirm Obama’s pick for the Ambassadorship.“This is a historic step forward in our efforts to normalize relations with the Cuban government and people and begin a new chapter with our neighbors in the Americas,” Obama said.
“As part of that effort, President Raul Castro and I directed our teams to negotiate the reestablishment of embassies,” Obama said. “Since then our State Department has worked hard with our Cuban counterparts to achieve that goal and later this summer Secretary (John) Kerry will travel to Havana formally to proudly raise the American flag over our embassy once more.”
You can count on this being a divisive issue from now until the day a hypothetical ambassador is confirmed—a move that some Republicans say won’t be made absent the resolution of major issues regarding diplomatic and overall human rights in Cuba. Florida Senator and presidential hopeful Marco Rubio has been an outspoken critic of Obama’s soft handed policy, and lashed out against when he calls “unilateral concessions” to the Castro regime:
Fellow Senator and candidate Ted Cruz also took a stand against the new policy:“Throughout this entire negotiation, as the Castro regime has stepped up its repression of the Cuban people, the Obama Administration has continued to look the other way and offer concession after concession. The administration’s reported plan to restore diplomatic relations is one such prized concession to the Castro regime. It remains unclear what, if anything, has been achieved since the President’s December 17th announcement in terms of securing the return of U.S. fugitives being harbored in Cuba, settling outstanding legal claims to U.S. citizens for properties confiscated by the regime, and in obtaining the unequivocal right of our diplomats to travel freely throughout Cuba and meet with any dissidents, and most importantly, securing greater political freedoms for the Cuban people. I intend to oppose the confirmation of an Ambassador to Cuba until these issues are addressed. It is time for our unilateral concessions to this odious regime to end.”
Back in December, Lindsey Graham took a similar tack against the very establishment of an embassy in Cuba:
Jeb Bush has also opposed Obama’s kinder, gentler approach to relations with Cuba, saying , “We’re not a step closer to freedom in Cuba because of the steps the president is taking.”
Rand Paul, however, has bucked conservative trends and opened up to the idea of a tactical shift in our relationship with Cuba:
I think we were right when we predicted that this election cycle would be heavy on foreign policy.Paul told Tom Roten of News Talk 800 in West Virginia that the 50-year embargo “just hasn’t worked” and normalizing relations with the island nation is “probably a good idea.”
“If the goal is regime change, it sure doesn’t seem to be working and probably it punishes the people more than the regime because the regime can blame the embargo for hardship,” he said.
http://legalinsurrection.com/2015/07/obama-announces-normalization-of-relations-with-cuba/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+LegalInsurrection+%28Le%C2%B7gal+In%C2%B7sur%C2%B7rec%C2%B7tion%29
» Walkingstick and KTFA Members "It's The Final Countdown" 10-21-2021
» Former US ambassador: Those who wanted to boycott us lost in Iraq
» Al-Sadr reassures America: We will deal with it at all levels
» Coordination framework: We will go out to demand the annulment of the election results..and the fact
» Britain controls Iraq's airspace with astronomical sums: 100 million dinars per employee per month
» The Minister of Foreign Affairs stresses the importance of holding the Iraqi-Emirati Committee in Ba
» Khatib from the current: The Sadrists are close to forming a national government
» The Presidency of the Republic discloses the categories covered by the general amnesty
» Al-Kazemi's government takes 4 new decisions
» The "coordinating framework" meeting at Al-Maliki's house comes out with a single decision
» Al-Maliki is taking a "surprising" path with the aim of achieving a "third term"
» The commission counts the number of complaints about the election results: 10 of them are red
» The "Coordination Framework" is "surprised" by the loss of four candidates in the elections and conf
» For the second day.. Central bank sales of the dollar increased
» Egypt is considering exporting food to Iraq: "They produce only 1% of their needs"
» Iraq concludes a contract to drill dozens of oil wells and increase its production by 800,000 barrel
» The "Coordination Framework" is "surprised" by the loss of four candidates in the elections and con
» Al-Kazemi is the closest option to the Sadrist movement to rein in the armed groups
» Velayati: We hope that the election results will advance the process of prosperity in Iraq
» Compatibility and bargaining spoil al-Maliki's movement to win a third term
» Former MPs emigrate for fear of prosecution after lifting immunity
» AFTER FIVE EXPERIMENTS, THE CENSUS RUNS THE SIXTH ELECTRONICALLY FOR THE GENERAL CENSUS
» CABINET SECRETARIAT BRINGS GOOD NEWS TO EMPLOYEES
» THE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE HOLDS A NUMBER OF MINISTRIES RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DELAY IN IMPLEMENTING T
» IRAQ.. DOLLAR EXCHANGE RATES IN LOCAL MARKETS
» FINANCE ADDRESSES THE COUNCIL OF MINISTERS REGARDING EMPLOYEE PROMOTIONS
» COMMERCE IS COMPLETING THE PRINTING OF THE ELECTRONIC RATION CARD FOR THIS CATEGORY
» Washington is changing its view of Al-Sadr. His government may undermine the influence of the factio
» Iraq workers are victims of the lack of safety requirements
» Al-Rafidain announces the payment of the salaries of employees of the Ministry of Defense
» Iraqi elections at the table of Khamenei's advisor and Abdul Mahdi
» With the document.. the Cabinet Secretariat responds to the finance and announces the employees
» A slight decline in dollar prices in Baghdad
» Brent crude is heading for its first loss in weeks
» The Saudi-Iraqi Coordination Council discusses ways to develop banking and financial relations
» Culture approves a draft program for tourism cooperation between Iraq and Kuwait
» The economy of the Gulf states... Expectations of rapid growth in Saudi Arabia and fears of the "gre
» THE CABINET SECRETARIAT ISSUES AN IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING THE POLITICAL DISMISSALSTHURSDAY, OCTOB
» DEMANDS TO GRANT IRAQI WOMEN A SOVEREIGN MINISTRY IN THE NEW GOVERNMENT
» The supreme religious authority denies what was published by the London-based Al-Arab newspaper rega
» Oil is close to $90 a barrel
» Agriculture explains through NRT how dangerous eating Iraqi fish is after the latest virus
» In an official statement, the Iraqi judiciary decides to bring in a senior official
» The Commission reveals the date for announcing the approval of the names of the winning candidates i
» Will Al-Maliki be Prime Minister? .. An Iraqi politician reveals new information
» Deployment of law enforcement forces in the central Baghdad square: strict procedures and searches
» The Sadrists and possible alliances... Two paths, one of which leads to the formation of the governm
» After the elections.. Iraq between rise or chaos
» The Service Council reveals the number of those who are directly involved in their jobs who are cove
» The Central Bank confirms its continued provision of financing to the real estate bank to complete l
» The Governor of the Central Bank discusses in Riyadh with his Saudi counterpart cooperation in the b
» Using the 'horizontal drilling' technology..Oil launches a project to drill 96 oil wells in Basra
» The industry is starting to rehabilitate the suspended factories in the Samarra Pharmaceutical Compa
» Trade sets the date for distributing the third meal of the food basket
» There is no pressure anymore.. the Sadrist movement intends to open all corruption files in Iraq
» Al-Hakim is “dissatisfied” with Al-Sadr and three scenarios are on the “Tuesday meeting” table
» The coordination framework continues to escalate and proposes to repeat the elections in June
» Simultaneous clan conflicts in Maysan... and heavy fire near a Chinese oil company
» The ration card.. endless challenges and experts offer alternative solutions
» Controversial laws will be resolved by the new parliament?
» The victory coalition reveals how the Iraqi elections were rigged
» A resistance faction demands the removal of Al-Kazemi, the re-election, and addresses the reference
» Launching the job grades for the State Council and the House of Wisdom
» The Service Council decides to complete the procedures for appointing the Ministry of Construction a
» A leader in the state of law determines the direction of the sit-ins and talks about negotiations to
» The opening of the Basra International Book Fair in the midst of a distinguished official, cultural
» With the participation of 200 Arab and foreign publishing houses .. The launch of the activities of
» In the ports of Iraq.. 14 ships and fuel tankers docked
» The Governor of the Banque du Liban intends to stop financing the import of gasoline
» Real estate bank completes lending transactions
» The continued decline in the price of the dollar in the local market
» Iraq is the third largest oil exporter to China during the past month
» Customs addresses government departments to collect deferred customs duties
» The Minister of Transport to his Egyptian counterpart: Your airport services are poor, and our stude
» Labor issues a directive regarding rent allowances for retirement and social security properties
» Health: Iraq is behind the vaccination rates in the world and is on the verge of a fourth wave
» Al-Muthanna farmers appeal to Al-Kazemi to reconsider the winter plan and pay the farmers' dues
» In the names.. Oil announces the third batch of engineers accepted to work as a daily wage
» The Service Council decides to appoint graduates of the Gulf Academy
» Minister of Commerce: Distribution of the third meal of the food basket next month
» Customs addresses government departments to collect deferred customs duties
» Oil is going down
» Real estate bank completes lending transactions
» For the second day, the dollar exchange rate fell
» Al-Rafidain Bank announces the distribution of salaries for employees of a number of state departmen
» KTFA Members "News and Views" Wednesday 10-20-2021
» "Some Tuesday News" Posted by Samson at KTFA 10-19-2021
» Five-year plan to improve living conditions
» Trading in the shares of the Credit Bank of Iraq Company will be launched on Thursday 21/10/2021 10/
» Frank26: "Eddie's Report From Iraq" 10-19-2021
» Kurdistan wants to attract Qatari investments: We are ready to provide all facilities
» The Central Bank clarifies the sunken funds in its branch in Mosul
» Most of them are new faces.. Can Iraq's parliament turn the equation?
» Newspaper: Al-Sadr and Al-Maliki are in the crosshairs of Al-Sistani's son's plan.. What does the la
» IRAN AND IRAQ SIGN A JOINT STATEMENT ON EXPANDING JUDICIAL RELATIONS twitter share facebook share
» Al-Atrushi expresses from Baghdad Kurdistan's readiness to cooperate with the Ministry of Oil
» Its minister told Shafak News: Electricity needs 20 trillion dinars annually
» The commitment of “OPEC +” to cut production fell to 115% last month