U.S. embargo "will be lifted if Cuba allows more freedoms"

The Tribune
By Alison Lowe
July 27, 2010

One of the Obama administration’s top foreign policy experts says the economic embargo the United States imposes on Cuba will be lifted if the country’s government allows more freedoms – but this should not worry the Bahamas.

Dr. Arturo Valenzuela, Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs in the US Department of State, also emphasised that the lifting of the long-standing embargo will not happen “overnight” as it is codified in US law and would require the consent of Congress.

Freedom To Travel

U.S. Travel Ban on Cuba

For more than four decades, the United States has tried to isolate Cuba, economically and diplomatically.

When we look at Cuba news, we see an increasingly public and vigorous debate about the economy. We see the nations of the region conducting ordinary and even extraordinary relations with Cuba. What we don't see is a story line involving the United States, the effectiveness of U.S. policy, or even much of a presence or a role as the possibilities of change unfold.

Top 10 List

"This top ten list is a powerful reminder to Congress and all Americans that sanctions against Cuba do nothing but violate American values, cost American jobs, stain our image overseas, and breach our basic rights," said Sarah Stephens of the Center for Democracy in the Americas. "As Cuba enters a new era, so should America, and replace our policy of isolating Cuba with one favoring engagement, travel and trade."