query: when did the usa place an embargo on cuba

pos: United States embargo against Cuba United States embargo against Cuba The United States embargo against Cuba (in Cuba called el bloqueo, "the blockade") is a commercial, economic, and financial embargo imposed by the United States on Cuba. The United States first imposed an embargo on the sale of arms to Cuba on March 14, 1958, during the Fulgencio Batista regime. Again on October 19, 1960 (almost two years after the Cuban Revolution had led to the deposition of the Batista regime) the U.S. placed an embargo on exports to Cuba except for food and medicine after Cuba nationalized American-owned Cuban oil refineries without compensation. On

pos: United States embargo against Cuba in Miami-Dade County, Florida, opposed the embargo and 48% supported it. In the United States lobbying groups such as Engage Cuba advocate for the end of the embargo. United States embargo against Cuba The United States embargo against Cuba (in Cuba called el bloqueo, "the blockade") is a commercial, economic, and financial embargo imposed by the United States on Cuba. The United States first imposed an embargo on the sale of arms to Cuba on March 14, 1958, during the Fulgencio Batista regime. Again on October 19, 1960 (almost two years after the Cuban Revolution had led to the deposition

pos: Economic sanctions System – which forbade European nations from trading with the UK. In practice the French Empire could not completely enforce the embargo, which proved as harmful (if not more so) to the continental nations involved as to the British. The United States imposed an embargo on Cuba on March 14, 1958, during the Fulgencio Batista regime. At first the embargo applied only to arms sales, however it later expanded to include other imports, extending to almost all trade on February 7, 1962. Referred to by Cuba as ""el bloqueo"" (the blockade), the U.S. embargo on Cuba remains one of the

pos: United States embargo against Cuba of the 193-nation assembly, 188 countries voted for the nonbinding resolution, the United States and Israel voted against and the Pacific Island nations Palau, Marshall Islands and Micronesia abstained. Human-rights groups including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights have also been critical of the embargo. Critics of the embargo say that the embargo laws are too harsh, citing the fact that violations can result in up to 10 years in prison. The United States imposed an arms embargo on Cuba on March 14, 1958 during the armed conflict between rebels led by Fidel Castro

neg: Cuba–Spain relations and Alberto Bayo, who had taught guerrilla warfare to the Cuban revolutionaries in Mexico. When the United States decreed an embargo against Cuba in 1960 and 1962, its Latin American and European allies followed suit, however, Francisco Franco did not place an embargo on Cuba. American pressure against the Spanish embargo breach was deflected by the renegotiation of the American military bases in Spain in 1963. After Franco's death, Cuba decreed three days of mourning. In 1974, ambassadors between Cuba and Spain were appointed. After the Spanish transition to democracy, Spanish Prime Minister Adolfo Suárez visited Cuba in 1978. In

neg: United States embargo against Cuba liberalize its economy and diversify its export base during the years of abundant Soviet aid. Cuba also amassed substantial debts owed to its Japanese, European, and Latin American trading partners during the years of abundant Soviet aid. According to critics, one of the major problems with the embargo is that the United States is the only major country that has such an embargo against Cuba in place. Cuba still receives tourists and trade from other countries making the embargo appear both illegitimate and pointless. The UN General Assembly has, from 1992, passed a resolution each year criticizing the ongoing impact

neg: United States embargo against Cuba the easing of economic restrictions against Cuba. While also opposing the embargo, the General Secretary of the National Council of Churches stated, "We did not understand the depth of the suffering of Christians under communism. And we failed to really cry out under the communist oppression." Rev. Jesse Jackson, Rev. Al Sharpton, and Minister Louis Farrakhan have also publicly opposed the embargo. On May 15, 2002 former President Jimmy Carter spoke in Havana, calling for an end to the embargo, saying "Our two nations have been trapped in a destructive state of belligerence for 42 years, and it is time

neg: United States embargo against Nicaragua and pay an unspecified amount in reparations to Nicaragua. However, the United States continued the embargo nearly 4 years after the ruling, and did not pay reparations. The embargo was extended for six months by George H. W. Bush on November 1, 1989. He later lifted the embargo after five months on March 1990. United States embargo against Nicaragua The United States embargo against Nicaragua was declared by then-U.S. President Ronald Reagan on May 1, 1985 and prohibited all trade between the U.S. and Nicaragua. In a strategy similar to the embargo against Cuba, it was intended to undermine the

neg: Healthcare in Cuba medicines, being prohibited. The legislation did not state that Cuba cannot purchase medicines from U.S. companies or their foreign subsidiaries; however, such license requests have been routinely denied. In 1995 the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights of the Organization of American States informed the U.S. Government that such activities violate international law and has requested that the U.S. take immediate steps to exempt medicine from the embargo. The Lancet and the British Medical Journal also condemned the embargo in the 90s. The embargo forced Cuba to use more of its limited resources on medical imports, both because equipment and drugs

neg: United States embargo against Cuba interview, George P. Shultz, who served as Secretary of State under Reagan, called the embargo "insane". Daniel Griswold, director of the Cato Institute's Center for Trade Policy Studies, criticized the embargo in a June 2009 article: Some American business leaders openly call for an end to the embargo. They argue, as long as the embargo continues, non-U.S. foreign businesses in Cuba that violate the embargo, do not have to compete with U.S. businesses, and thus, will have a head start when and if the embargo is lifted. José Azel, a Senior Research Associate at the Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American

neg: United States embargo against Cuba meet two Mexican business men who had signed a textile deal with Cuba on October 17, 1992. Despite the representation, the deal went ahead and was eventually worth $500 million in foreign capital. All of this happened before the signing of the Cuban Democracy Act. The Economic impacts of the U.S. embargo on Cuba are the monetary long-term and short-term outcomes that the embargo has had on both countries in relation to trade, industry, and the creation of wealth. The U.S. sanctions on Cuba and their economic impacts can be traced back to when they were first implemented in the

neg: United States embargo against Cuba enacted new rules which would re-enforce the business and travel restrictions which were loosened by the Obama Administration and would go into effect on November 9. A 2008 USA Today/Gallup Poll indicated that Americans believed that diplomatic relations "should" be re-established with Cuba. (61% in favor, 31% opposed.) In January 2012 an Angus Reid Public Opinion poll showed that 57% of Americans called for ending the travel ban that prevented most Americans from visiting Cuba, with 27% disagreeing and 16% not sure. Polls show declining support for sanctions among Cuban Americans. A June 2014 poll showed 52% of Cuban Americans

neg: Foreign relations of Cuba allies. Cuba joined the League of Nations in 1920. In 1941, Cuba declared war on Italy, Germany, and Japan. Cuba joined the United Nations in 1945. Cuba joined the Organization of American States (OAS) in 1948. During the Presidency of Fulgencio Batista, Cuba did not initially face trade restrictions. In mid-1958, the United States imposed an arms embargo on the Batista administration. As early as September 1959, Vadim Kotchergin (or Kochergin), a KGB agent, was seen in Cuba. Following the establishment of diplomatic ties to the Soviet Union, and after the Cuban Missile Crisis, Cuba became increasingly dependent on Soviet

neg: United States embargo against Cuba regulation was renewable every six months, but President Jimmy Carter did not renew it and the regulation on spending U.S. dollars in Cuba was lifted shortly afterwards. President Ronald Reagan reinstated the trade embargo on April 19, 1982, though it was now only restricted to business and tourist travel and did not apply to travel by U.S. government officials, employees of news or film making organizations, persons engaging in professional research, or persons visiting their close relatives. This has been modified subsequently with the present regulation, effective June 30, 2004, being the Cuban Assets Control Regulations, 31 C.F.R. part 515.

neg: Foreign policy of the Barack Obama administration by Obama unilaterally in April 2009, the president was initially coy about lifting the embargo against Cuba. Obama professed to view the embargo as a useful tool for leverage on pushing for reform in Cuba. This is in contrast to what Obama stated in 2004 when he said that it was time "to end the embargo with Cuba" because it had "utterly failed in the effort to overthrow Castro." Obama's stance had met criticism from both Fidel Castro and members of the U.S. government, including ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Richard Lugar. A panel with the Washington-based

neg: Controversies at the 2006 World Baseball Classic a house there and the rules allow players to compete for a nation based on permanent residency. On December 14, it was also reported that the United States Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control denied the Cuban National Team a license to play due to the continuing U.S. embargo against Cuba, the embargo being in place to prevent Cuba from making a profit at the expense of the United States. Afterward, Cuban President Fidel Castro announced publicly that any profit made by Cuba in the Classic would be donated to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Major League Baseball's commissioner's

neg: Penny Pritzker an agreement governing how companies transfer digital data from Europe to the United States. Following President Obama's announcement that the United States would move towards normalizing relations with Cuba, Pritzker traveled to Cuba. Although Obama's change in policy did not end the U.S. trade embargo, since ending the embargo required an act of Congress, Pritzker met with Cuban trade ministers and other officials to discuss the changing relationship between the two countries and to lay the groundwork for more economic involvement. Following her tenure as Secretary, Pritzker returned to PSP and the private sector. Pritzker is involved in public education.

neg: United States women's Pan American Games basketball team 23 points respectively and each recorded a double double. Jefferson led the team in assists with six. In the final preliminary game Cuba faced Canada. Although they were behind by 12 at the end of the third quarter, they mounted a furious comeback and almost pulled out the victory, losing a close game 71–68. That left Canada as the leading team in their group, and Cuba in second place facing the USA in the semifinal. USA fell behind early with Cuba scoring five points before the USA got on the board. The USA came back, but did not take the

neg: United States embargo against Cuba of the embargo.<ref name="A/71/L.3">A/71/L.3 – "Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba"</ref> The embargo has been criticized for its effects on food, clean water, medicine, and other economic needs of the Cuban population. Criticism has come from both Fidel Castro and Raúl Castro, citizens and groups from within Cuba, and international organizations and leaders. Some academic critics, outside Cuba, have also linked the embargo to shortages of medical supplies and soap which have resulted in a series of medical crises and heightened levels of infectious diseases. Academic critics have

neg: Foreign policy of Donald Trump (2015-2016) relations between the United States and Cuba achieved in July 2015. As part of the restoration of full diplomatic relations, the United States embargo against Cuba remains in place, but a series of regulations have been loosened to allow more American companies to sell their products in Cuba. Trump said that he would only restore full diplomatic relations with Cuba if the Cuban regime met his demands to restore political freedoms and free political prisoners. This is a shift from the position expressed in September 2015 when he said that the opening with Cuba was "fine. But we should have

neg: United States embargo against Cuba Studies, University of Miami and the author of the recently published book, "Mañana in Cuba" (Tomorrow in Cuba) took a different view: Some religious leaders oppose the embargo for a variety of reasons, including humanitarian and economic restrictions the embargo imposes on Cubans. Pope John Paul II called for the end to the embargo during his 1979 pastoral visit to Mexico. Patriarch Bartholomew I called the embargo a "historic mistake" while visiting the island on January 25, 2004. A joint letter in 1998 from the Disciples of Christ and the United Church of Christ to the U.S. Senate called for

neg: United States embargo against Cuba per violation. Newsweek reported in September 2016 that the future President Donald Trump's hotel company violated this embargo, spending a minimum of $68,000 for its 1998 foray into Cuba - at a time when the corporate expenditure of even a penny in the Caribbean country was prohibited without U.S. government approval. With Trump’s knowledge, executives funneled the cash for the Cuba trip through an American consulting firm called Seven Arrows Investment and Development Corp. Once the business consultants traveled to the island and incurred the expenses for the venture, Seven Arrows instructed senior officers with Trump’s company—then called Trump Hotels

neg: United States embargo against Cuba Beyond criticisms of human rights in Cuba, the United States holds $6 billion worth of financial claims against the Cuban government. The pro-embargo position is that the U.S. embargo is, in part, an appropriate response to these unaddressed claims. The Latin America Working Group argues that pro-embargo Cuban-American exiles, whose votes are crucial in the U.S. state of Florida, have swayed many politicians to adopt views similar to their own. Some business leaders, including James E. Perrella, Dwayne O. Andreas, and Peter Blyth, have opposed the Cuban-American views, arguing that trading freely would be good for Cuba and the United

neg: Jeff Flake Cuba, despite opposition to the policy change from other Republican senators. Flake joined Democrats Chris Van Hollen and Patrick Leahy on a trip to Cuba to return Alan Gross to the United States. Gross, an American aid worker, had been imprisoned in Cuba for five years but was released as part of the agreement between Obama and Cuban leader Raúl Castro. Flake believes that the United States embargo against Cuba is flawed, stating, "The policy that we've had in place for the past 50 years has done more in my view ... to keep the Castro regimes in power than

neg: United States embargo against Cuba Commerce estimates that the embargo costs the U.S. economy $1.2 billion per year in lost sales and exports, while the Cuban government estimates that the embargo has cost the island itself $753.69 billion. The self-proclaimed non-partisan Cuba Policy Foundation estimates that the embargo costs the U.S. economy $3.6 billion per year in economic output. The 1998 U.S. State Department report "Zenith and Eclipse: A Comparative Look at Socio-Economic Conditions in Pre-Castro and Present Day Cuba" attributed Cuba's economic penury not as a result of the embargo, but instead the lack of foreign currency due to the unwillingness of Cuba to

neg: United States embargo against Cuba for us to change our relationship." The US bishops called for an end to the embargo on Cuba, after Pope Benedict XVI's 2012 visit to the island. The United Nations General Assembly has condemned the embargo as a violation of international law every year since 1992. Israel is the only country that routinely joins the U.S. in voting against the resolution as has Palau every year from 2004 to 2008. On October 26, 2010, for the 19th time, the General Assembly condemned the embargo, 187 to 2 with 3 abstentions. Israel sided with the U.S., while Marshall Islands, Palau and

neg: United States embargo against Cuba 1960s. According to the United States Chamber of Commerce, the embargo is currently costing the United States economy $1.2 billion per year due to the legal structures that are preventing U.S. based exporters from entering Cuban markets. The Cuba Policy Foundation (CPF) has provided more extreme data. Their estimates put the cost that the embargo has had on the U.S. at $4.84 billion per year while costing Cuba $685 million per year.[3] As of today, Cuba is estimated to have lost over $28.6 billion in trade according to Cuba's Institute of Economic Research. Between 1954 and 1958, trade between Cuba

neg: Héctor José Cámpora 28 May Argentina restored diplomatic relations with Cuba, which then received Argentine aid – such as food and industrial products – to break the United States embargo against Cuba. During Cámpora's first months of government, approximatively 600 social conflicts, strikes and factory occupations had taken place. The revolutionary left had however suspended armed struggle, joining itself to the participatory democracy process, which created alarms in the Peronist right-wing bureaucracy. Cámpora's ideology set him against the right-wing tendencies of Peronism. When Perón returned to Argentina on June 20, 1973, his plane had to be redirected to a military airport because of

neg: Jesse Ventura part of his administration, Ventura strongly advocated for land-use reform and substantial mass transit improvements, such as light rail. He made the light rail project a priority, obtaining additional funding from the Minnesota state legislature to keep the project moving. The METRO Blue Line was completed in 2004. During another trade mission to Cuba in the summer of 2002, he denounced the United States embargo against Cuba, stating that the embargo affected the Cuban public more than it did its government. In his book "Independent Nation", political analyst John Avlon describes Ventura as a radical centrist thinker and activist. Ventura,

neg: Hurricane Paloma September with many residents still homeless at the time of Paloma's approach. All domestic flights except those around the Isle of Youth. Former President Fidel Castro urged people to remain positive in the face of yet another hurricane that year. He also issued a written statement to the United States rejecting any aid, citing anger toward the ongoing embargo of Cuba, before a formal offer was even made. The non-profit organization Operation USA provided emergency aid to Cuba. Following the classification of Tropical Depression Seventeen late on November 5, a tropical storm watch was issued for coastal areas between Puerto

neg: United States embargo against Cuba States. , the embargo, which limits American businesses from conducting trade with Cuban interests, remains in effect and is the most enduring trade-embargo in modern history. Despite the existence of the embargo, the United States is the fifth-largest exporter to Cuba. (6.6% of Cuba's imports come from the US.) Cuba must, however, pay cash for all imports, as credit is not allowed. The UN General Assembly has, since 1992, passed a resolution every year condemning the ongoing impact of the embargo and declaring it in violation of the Charter of the United Nations and of international law. In 2014, out

neg: United States embargo against Cuba Micronesia abstained. Film director Michael Moore challenged the embargo by bringing 9/11 rescue workers in need of health care to Cuba to obtain subsidized health care. In June 2011, former Democratic presidential candidate George McGovern blamed "embittered Cuban exiles in Miami" for keeping the embargo alive. Before visiting Cuba, he said: Barack Obama discussed easing the embargo during his 2008 campaign for president of the U.S., though he promised to maintain it. In December 2014, he called the embargo a failure, asking the U.S. Congress to enact legislation to lift it entirely. Alicia Barcena, Executive Secretary of the United Nations

neg: United States embargo against Cuba lift the embargo. In May 1960, the Cuban government began to openly purchase regular armaments from the Soviet Union, citing the US arms embargo. In July 1960, the United States reduced the import quota of brown sugar from Cuba to 700,000 tons, under the "Sugar Act of 1948"; and the Soviet Union responded by agreeing to purchase the sugar instead. In October 1960 a key incident occurred, Eisenhower's government refused to export oil to the island, leaving Cuba reliant on Soviet crude oil, that the American companies in Cuba refused to refine. This led the Cuban government to nationalize all

neg: United States embargo against Cuba diplomatic relations and to loosen travel and economic policies. Cuba released Alan Gross, an American prisoner, on humanitarian grounds and exchanged an unnamed American spy for the three remaining members of the Cuban Five. Obama also announced a review of Cuba's status as a terrorist state and an intention to ask Congress to remove the embargo entirely. Cuba agreed to release 53 political prisoners and to allow Red Cross and UN human-rights investigators access. On May 29, 2015, according to the U.S. State Department, "Cuba's designation as a state sponsor of terrorism was rescinded". Under the announced changes by the

neg: Religion in Cuba eleven dioceses, 56 orders of nuns and 24 orders of priests. The Cuban Bishops' Conference has severely criticized the US embargo against Cuba and has claimed that the entire population has suffered from it. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has been influenced by this and has argued for the exclusion of food and medicine from the embargo. In January 1998, although he was an anti-communist, Pope John Paul II paid a historic visit to the island, invited by the Cuban government and the Catholic Church in Cuba. The pope criticized the US embargo during his visit. Pope Benedict

neg: United States embargo against Cuba and the Fulgencio Batista regime. The armed conflict violated U.S. policy which had permitted the sale of weapons to Latin-American countries that were a part of the Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance (Rio Treaty) as long as they were not used for hostile purposes. The arms embargo had more of an impact on Batista than the rebels. After the Castro socialist government came to power on January 1, 1959, Castro made overtures to the United States, but was rebuffed by the Dwight D. Eisenhower administration, which by March began making plans to help overthrow him. Congress did not want to

neg: Cuba international law. Cuba considers the embargo itself a violation of human rights. On 17 December 2014, United States President Barack Obama announced the re-establishment of diplomatic relations with Cuba, pushing for Congress to put an end to the embargo. Cuba had the second-highest number of imprisoned journalists of any nation in 2008 (China had the highest) according to various sources, including the Committee to Protect Journalists and Human Rights Watch. Cuban dissidents face arrest and imprisonment. In the 1990s, Human Rights Watch reported that Cuba's extensive prison system, one of the largest in Latin America, consists of 40 maximum-security prisons,

neg: Gordon Wright (historian) Gordon Craig said, "Gordon and Louise were an inseparable couple; she greatly enriched the life of the History Department and of the Stanford community." Together, they had five sons: Eric, Michael, Philip, David, and Gregory. Tragedy struck the family when in 1965 Gregory died of leukemia. Wright and his wife would go on to become the grandparents of six children. Wright was a committed liberal. In 1961, he protested the United States embargo against Cuba and later became an outspoken opponent of the Vietnam War. Though he espoused challenging views in public, in his personal life he did not believe

neg: History of Cubana de Aviación for Cubana's future is the continuation of the U.S. embargo on Cuba. The embargo, imposed in February 1962 (a partial one started in October 1960), is the longest-running one in history and has been consistently and continuously condemned (annually) by the United Nations for several decades. Cuba now receives millions of visitors every year and stands to become one of the most important tourist destinations in Latin America, despite the embargo's efforts to isolate it, and to damage Cubana and all other Cuba-based airlines. The embargo and other U.S. actions have done considerable damage to Cubana over the years, involving

neg: Cuban exile the U.S. embargo against Cuba and presses the communist government for political change. Other Cuban-American groups, some of which are anti-Communist, advocate different policies, opposing the embargo and favoring more cultural and economic engagement. Most prominent of these groups are the Brigada Antonio Maceo, Alianza Martiana, Miami Coalition Against the Embargo of Cuba, Alianza de Trabajadores de la Comunidad Cubana, Cuban American Defense League and Rescate Cultural AfroCubano. The Cuban government accuses Miami-based exiles of organizing over 700 armed incursions against Cuba over the past 40 years such as machine-gun attacks on the Guitart Cayo Coco Hotel by Alpha 66

neg: Food power early 1980s, the United States posed a grain embargo upon the Soviet Union. This was an attempt by the U.S. utilize food power, however, it was not confirmed. The Soviets thus imported grain from different suppliers, leading to an increase in grain imports during that time period, only at a higher cost. Another unsuccessful embargo food power attempt was imposed by the UN Security Council in 1990 upon Iraq. Another example of an embargo is the United States embargo against Cuba. This is still an ongoing embargo, and, due to the declining situation and health of Cuba's people, the embargo

neg: Political positions of Joe Biden to the Cuban thaw, Biden strongly opposed the Fidel Castro and Raul Castro government in Cuba and supported the continuation of the trade embargo, as well as the democratization of the island in the post-Castro era. In 2006, Biden stated, "We should be putting together a plan as to how we are going to play a positive role in moving that country, after the Castros are gone, to—more toward democratization and liberalization in their society." However, Joe Biden's support for the trade embargo ended on December 17, 2014 when then President Barack Obama announced reestablishment of United States-Cuba relations. In

neg: United States embargo against Cuba Assistance Act", a Cold War Act (among many other measures) which prohibited aid to Cuba and authorized the President to impose a complete trade embargo against Cuba. On January 21, 1962, Cuba was expelled from the Organization of American States (OAS) by a vote of 14 in favor, one (Cuba) against with six abstentions. (See Cuban relations with the Organization of American States for details of the proceedings.) Mexico and Ecuador, two abstaining members, argued that the expulsion was not authorized in the OAS Charter. (Multilateral sanctions were imposed by the OAS on July 26, 1964, which were later rescinded

neg: Healthcare in Cuba to maintain quality health service free for the Cuban people, increase exchange among experts and boost research-development projects. An important link in wiring process is to guarantee access to Cuba's Data Transmission Network and Health Website (INFOMED) to all units and workers of the national health system. During the 1990s the ongoing United States embargo against Cuba caused problems due to restrictions on the export of medicines from the US to Cuba. In 1992 the US embargo was made more stringent with the passage of the Cuban Democracy Act resulting in all U.S. subsidiary trade, including trade in food and

neg: Coffee production in Cuba coffee producers began mixing coffee beans with roasted peas. Mixing coffee beans with peas remained a staple in Cuba until pure coffee returned to the Cuban ration books in 2005. Rising Robusta prices led to the return of roasted peas to Cuban coffee in 2011. In 1962 the United States placed an embargo on all goods imported from Cuba, further damaging the Cuban coffee industry. During the embargo, Cuban coffee was not prevalent in the US market. The collapse of the Soviet Union caused a major decline in Cuban coffee production, going from 440,000 60-pound bags of coffee in the

neg: United States embargo against Cuba also been linked to epidemics of specific diseases, including neurological disorders and blindness caused by poor nutrition. Travel restrictions embedded in the embargo have also been shown to limit the amount of medical information that flows into Cuba from the United States. An article written in 1997 suggests malnutrition and disease resulting from increased food and medicine prices have affected men and the elderly, in particular, due to Cuba's rationing system which gives preferential treatment to women and children. Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Pérez Roque called the embargo "an act of genocide", quoting a classified State Department memo dated April

neg: Italy national baseball team USA won the gold medal game of the 2009 IBAF World Cup in Nettuno 10–5 over Cuba. The Intercontinental Cup is another international baseball competition sponsored by the IBAF. Italy hosted the first ever Intercontinental Cup in , and finished in sixth place. Italy's best finish ever was third place, which they did in the games. In the most recent tournament, held in Taichung, Taiwan November 9–19, , Italy finished sixth. They secured an impressive 13–3 victory over Chinese Taipei in their first game of the tournament, however, they lost their next three match-ups to Netherlands, Cuba and Australia (13

neg: Cuba–United States relations State John Negroponte said that the United States would maintain its embargo. In 2003, the United States Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba was formed to "explore ways the U.S. can help hasten and ease a democratic transition in Cuba." The commission immediately announced a series of measures that included a tightening of the travel embargo to the island, a crackdown on illegal cash transfers, and a more robust information campaign aimed at Cuba. Castro insisted that, in spite of the formation of the Commission, Cuba is itself "in transition: to socialism [and] to communism" and that it was

neg: ELAM (Latin American School of Medicine) Cuba expanded offer which was reported as allowing several hundred places at ELAM for medical students from low-income communities from any part of the USA. Reports of the size of this offer varied in the US press: 250 or 500 places were suggested with perhaps half reserved for African-Americans and half for Hispanics and Native Americans. The ELAM offer to US students was classified as a "cultural exchange" program by the US State Department to avoid the restrictions of the U.S. embargo against Cuba. The first intake of US students into ELAM occurred in spring 2001, with 10 enrolling in the

neg: Foreign policy of the Bill Clinton administration Cuban refugees that made it to dry land (dry foot) were allowed to stay in the U.S. This changed the refugees' tactics from slow rafts to speed boats. Relations between the United States and Cuba deteriorated in February 1996 when Cuba shot down two American civilian planes. Cuba accused the planes of violating Cuban airspace. Clinton tightened sanctions against Cuba and suspended charter flights from the United States to Cuba, hoping this would cripple Cuba's tourism industry. In their response to the incident, the U.S. Congress passed the Helms–Burton Act in March 1996. The bill strengthened an embargo against imports

neg: Hugo Cancio Enterprise, a Cuban-American business advisory company founded by Howard Glicken. Cancio was banned from entering Cuba for a year in 2003 for his support of the Cuban dissident movement. However, he is an admirer of Fidel Castro's "tenacity", including his role in the Cuban Revolution. He has been accused of being a Communist. Cancio is a long-standing opponent of the United States embargo against Cuba. During the Presidency of George W. Bush, he founded Cambio Cubano, an anti-embargo organization. Shortly after the election of President Barack Obama, he visited Cuba and met with official of the Central Committee of the

neg: Linnae Harper 24 points, but left with an injury late in the game. After the injury the US extended the lead to 18 points and ended up with a 93–77 win, good for first place in their group. In the semifinal game, Cuba led the USA by as many as 14 points in the third quarter. The USA battled back and took a late lead. With under eight seconds to go, the USA was down by one point while Cuba had the ball. Harper stole the ball and made two free throws to give the USA the lead. Cuba missed its final

neg: Kelsey Plum 24 points, but left with an injury late in the game. After the injury the US extended the lead to 18 points and ended up with a 93–77 win, good for first place in their group. In the semifinal game, Cuba led the USA by as many as 14 points in the third quarter. The USA battled back and took a late lead. With under eight seconds to go, the USA was down by one point while Cuba had the ball. Linnae Harper stole the ball and made two free throws to give the USA the lead. Cuba missed its

neg: History of St Helens, Merseyside The company smelted iron and copper using coal from the Gerard's mines, then moved the end product downstream from a private wharf on the navigable brook. The boom did not last and by 1783 coal owners such as Mackay, Sarah Clayton and Thomas Case were dead, penniless or both. The global constriction on coal shipments during a turbulent struggle with the USA, and the reliance on shipping to the USA during the War of Independence 1775–1783 brought ruin to many and led to the permanent loss of several smaller industries. The Mining industry recovered when the embargo was lifted, and

neg: Cuba of law". In 2003, the European Union (EU) accused the Cuban government of "continuing flagrant violation of human rights and fundamental freedoms". It has continued to call regularly for social and economic reform in Cuba, along with the unconditional release of all political prisoners. The United States continues an embargo against Cuba "so long as it continues to refuse to move toward democratization and greater respect for human rights", though the UN General Assembly has, since 1992, passed a resolution every year condemning the ongoing impact of the embargo and claiming it violates the Charter of the United Nations and

neg: Cuban-American lobby political sector of the lobby are still conservative. They advocate for punitive maintenance of the embargo. It should be lifted, then, only if Cuba shifts towards a more capitalist economy and makes strides in economic privatization. The most notable organization with this viewpoint is the Cuban American National Foundation. Less influential organizations advocate for an easing or lifting of the embargo before or regardless of whether Cuba changes its government structure and policies. The academic circles within the lobby, though not monolithic in opinion, generally believe that the U.S. and Cuba should more readily exchange scientific information and advances. Some

neg: So You Think You Can Dance (Belgium and the Netherlands, season 4) they felt had already earned a place in the next phase and required the remaining dancers to perform solos to earn one of the remaining 18 spots in the foreign-locale portion of the Bootcamp (held in Havana, Cuba for season 4. On account of the location, Dan Karaty was unable to participate in the finale selection process for the Top 18 since he is American and the U.S. trade embargo on Cuba prevents him from visiting or working in the country. After several more workshop rounds, primarily centered on the Latin styles indigenous to Cuba, the remaining three judges chose

neg: José Manuel Fors Museum. Madison, Wisconsin. USA. Lens Work: Celebrating LACMA´s Experimental Photography at 50. Los Angeles. USA. 2013 Almacenes Afuera. Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes. La Habana, Cuba. A Sense of Place. Pier 24. San Francisco, CA., USA. Del otro lado del espejo. Galería Servando, La Habana, Cuba. CUBART: Contemporary Cuban Art. Pan American Art Projects. New York City,USA. 2012 Estado Actual. Muestra colectiva de las vanguardias cubanas. Galería La Acacia, La Habana, Cuba. Las Metáforas del Cambio. Factoría Habana. Collateral XI Bienal de la Habana, Cuba. HB. PABEXPO. La Habana, Cuba. 2011 50 en los 50.Galeria la Acacia, La Habana, Cuba.

neg: US-Cuba Democracy PAC effort to create bipartisan support for the embargo. The US-Cuba Democracy PAC was established in August 2003. US-Cuba Democracy PAC The US-Cuba Democracy PAC is an American special interest group that lobbies the United States Congress and White House with the stated goal of "promoting an unconditional transition in Cuba to democracy, the rule of law, and the free market." The US-Cuba Democracy PAC lobbies the Congress of the United States on issues and legislation including: The US-Cuba Democracy PAC contributes to candidates who "a) have key roles on congressional committees responsible for Cuba-related issues or b) have demonstrated their

neg: United States embargo against Cuba three American-owned oil refineries in the nation as response. The refinery owners were not compensated for the nationalization of their property. The refineries became part of the state-run company, Unión Cuba-Petróleo. This prompted the Eisenhower administration to launch the first trade embargo—a prohibition against selling all products to Cuba except food and medicine. The Cuban regime responded with nationalization of all American businesses and most American privately owned properties on the island. No compensation was given for the seizures, and a number of diplomats were expelled from Cuba. The second wave of nationalizations prompted the Eisenhower administration, in one of

neg: Pat Buchanan journalism from Columbia University in 1962, writing his thesis on the expanding trade between Canada and Cuba. Buchanan joined the "St. Louis Globe-Democrat" at age 23. During the first year of the United States embargo against Cuba in 1961, Canada–Cuba trade tripled. The "Globe-Democrat" published a rewrite of Buchanan's Columbia master's project under the eight-column banner "Canada sells to Red Cuba — And Prospers" eight weeks after Buchanan started at the paper. According to Buchanan's memoir "Right from the Beginning", this article was a career milestone. Buchanan later said the embargo strengthened the communist regime and he turned against it.

neg: United States embargo against Cuba Act further restricted United States citizens from doing business in or with Cuba, and mandated restrictions on giving public or private assistance to any successor government in Havana unless and until certain claims against the Cuban government were met. In 1999 President Bill Clinton expanded the trade embargo by also disallowing foreign subsidiaries of U.S. companies to trade with Cuba. In 2000 Clinton authorized the sale of "humanitarian" U.S. products to Cuba. Despite the Spanish-language term "bloqueo" (blockade), there has been no physical, naval blockade of the country by the United States since the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. The

neg: Disinvestment foreign companies to take the initiative in alleviating alleged discrimination against Roman Catholics by adopting policies resembling affirmative action. The effort to disinvest in Northern Ireland met with little success, but the United States Congress did pass (and then-President Bill Clinton signed) a law requiring American companies with interests there to implement most of the MacBride Principles in 1998. Though in place long before the term "disinvestment" was coined, the United States embargo against Cuba meets many of the criteria for designation as such — and a provision more closely paralleling the disinvestment strategy aimed at South Africa was added

neg: United States embargo against Cuba on travel conceded by the Obama administration should not be mistakenly interpreted as promoting tourism. On October 10, 2006, the United States announced the creation of a task force made up of officials from several U.S. agencies that will pursue more aggressively violators of the U.S. trade embargo against Cuba, with severe penalties. The regulations are still in force and are administered by the U.S. Treasury Department, Office of Foreign Assets Control. Criminal penalties for violating the embargo range up to ten years in prison, $1 million in corporate fines, and $250,000 in individual fines; civil penalties up to $55,000

neg: History of Cuba the embargo did not extend to other countries, and Cuba traded with most European, Asian and Latin American countries and especially Canada. However, the United States later pressured other nations and American companies with foreign subsidiaries to restrict trade with Cuba. Also, the Helms–Burton Act of 1996 makes it very difficult for foreign companies doing business with Cuba to also do business in the United States, forcing them to choose between the two. In April 1961, less than four months into the Kennedy administration, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) executed a plan that had been developed under the Eisenhower administration.

neg: United States embargo against Cuba ambassador, Ricardo Alarcon, in a speech to the UN General Assembly, cited 27 recent cases of trade contracts interrupted by US pressure. The British journal Cuba Business claimed that British Petroleum was seemingly dissuaded by US authorities from investing in offshore oil exploration in Cuba despite being initially keenly interested. The Petroleum economist claimed, in September 1992, that the US State Department vigorously discouraged firms like Royal Dutch Shell and Clyde Petroleum from investing in Cuba. This pressure did not work in all cases. According to the Mexican Newspaper El Financiero, the US ambassador to Mexico, John Negroponte travelled to

neg: Jesse Helms of the 1992 Torricelli Act with new legislation. Its companion sponsored through the House by Dan Burton of Indiana, it would strengthen the embargo against Cuba: further codifying the embargo, instructing United States diplomats to vote in favor of sanctions on Cuba, stripping the President of the option of ending the embargo by executive order until Fidel and Raúl Castro leave power and a prescribed course of transition is followed. The bill also, controversially explicitly overruling the Act of State Doctrine, allowed foreign companies to be sued in American courts if, in dealings with the regime of Fidel Castro, they

neg: United States embargo against Cuba and the United States was at a higher level than what it is today. 65% of Cuba's total exports were sent to the United States while imports from the U.S. totaled to 74% percent of Cuba's international purchases. After the formal implementation of the embargo and the passage of Proclamation 3355, there was a 95% decrease in Cuba's sugar quota, which canceled roughly 700,000 tons of the 3,119,655 tons previously allotted to the United States. A year later, Cuba's sugar quota was reduced to zero when President Eisenhower issued Proclamation 3383. This substantially affected Cuba's total exports as Cuba was

neg: Foreign policy of Donald Trump (2015-2016) September 2016, Trump had conducted business in Cuba in violation of the embargo seven months before his vow. "Bloomberg News" reported in July 2016 that Trump Organization executives and advisers traveled to Havana in late 2012 or early 2013 to explore golf-course developments in Cuba, possibly a violation of the embargo. Trump has emphasized U.S. border security as well as illegal immigration to the United States as a campaign issue. During his announcement speech he stated in part, "When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best. They're not sending you. They're sending people that have lots of problems,

neg: United States embargo against Cuba assistance to Cuba. On September 7, 1962 President Kennedy formally expanded the Cuban embargo to include all Cuban trade, except for non-subsidized sale of food and medicines Following the Cuban Missile Crisis (October 1962), Kennedy imposed travel restrictions on February 8, 1963, and the "Cuban Assets Control Regulations" were issued on July 8, 1963, again under the "Trading with the Enemy Act" in response to Cubans hosting Soviet nuclear weapons. Under these restrictions, Cuban assets in the U.S. were frozen and the existing restrictions were consolidated. The restrictions on U.S. citizens traveling to Cuba lapsed on March 19, 1977; the

neg: Cuban thaw the biggest shift in White House policy towards Cuba since the imposition of the embargo in 1962, and removed a key obstacle to bilateral relations. Since the exchange, Gross has become a vocal advocate of normalization of relations, even offering to visit Cuba again in support of such a result. Although the Cuban trade embargo can only be ended by the U.S. Congress, the Obama administration took executive action to ease some restrictions on travel to Cuba by U.S. citizens, as well as restrictions on the import and export of goods between each country. In his 2015 State of the

neg: Byron Dorgan Policy Committee, he was one of the most powerful Democrats in the Senate. He was considered "something of a liberal hero." In the later years of his Senate career, he had been increasingly sought by the national media for comment on political issues. He was a strong opponent of continuing the U.S. embargo toward Cuba. He was instrumental in passing legislation to remove the embargo as it applied to the sale of food and medicine to Cuba. He introduced, with varying levels of success, several amendments to end the U.S. prohibition on travel to Cuba, and to terminate funds for

neg: Health in Cuba these items are subsidized by the state. For patients on a low-income, these items are free of charge. Healthcare in Cuba Health in Cuba Health in Cuba refers to the overall health of the population of Cuba. There was an overall improvement in "Health in Cuba" in terms of disease and infant mortality rates after the revolution. Like the rest of the Cuban economy, Cuban medical care suffered following the end of Soviet subsidies in 1991; the stepping up of the US embargo against Cuba at this time also had an effect. Cuba has one of the highest life expectancy

neg: Angus King King stated, "The current alternatives, if this agreement is rejected, are either unrealistic or downright dangerous." King favors the normalization of U.S.–Cuba relations. He opposes the U.S. embargo against Cuba, calling it an "antiquated" relic of the Cold War; in 2015, King introduced legislation to lift the embargo. As a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, King is participating in its probe of Russia's interference in the 2016 U.S. elections. King said that the entire committee had "no doubt whatsoever" about the Kremlin's culpability in the meddling and described the cyberattacks as "a frontal assault on our democracy" that could

neg: Lucius Walker Lucius Walker The Reverend Lucius Walker (August 3, 1930 – September 7, 2010) was an American Baptist minister who served as executive director of the Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization in the 1960s and was a persistent advocate for ending the United States embargo against Cuba. He made multiple trips to Cuba with supplies provided in violation of the embargo. Walker was born on August 3, 1930, in Roselle, New Jersey and was recognized for his preaching skills by the time he was in his teens. He earned his undergraduate degree from Shaw University and then earned a Doctor of

neg: Lucius Walker Lucius Walker The Reverend Lucius Walker (August 3, 1930 – September 7, 2010) was an American Baptist minister who served as executive director of the Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization in the 1960s and was a persistent advocate for ending the United States embargo against Cuba. He made multiple trips to Cuba with supplies provided in violation of the embargo. Walker was born on August 3, 1930, in Roselle, New Jersey and was recognized for his preaching skills by the time he was in his teens. He earned his undergraduate degree from Shaw University and then earned a Doctor of

neg: United States embargo against Cuba February 7, 1962 the embargo was extended to include almost all exports. , the Cuban embargo is enforced mainly through six statutes: the Trading with the Enemy Act of 1917, the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, the Cuban Assets Control Regulations of 1963, the Cuban Democracy Act of 1992, the Helms–Burton Act of 1996, and the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000. The stated purpose of the "Cuban Democracy Act" of 1992 is to maintain sanctions on Cuba as long as the Cuban government refuses to move toward "democratization and greater respect for human rights". The Helms–Burton

neg: June Olkowski seven games to take the gold medal. The USA team played and beat Cuba twice, the team that had defeated them at the Pan Am games. Olkowski averaged 4.3 points per game. Olkowski was named to the team representing the USA at the 1980 William Jones Cup competition in Taipei, Taiwan. The USA team ended with a 7–2 record, which was a three way tie for first place. The tie-breaker was point differential, and the USA did not win the tie-breaker, so ended up with the bronze medal. Olkowski was named to represent the USA at the 1981 William Jones

neg: Ferrocarriles de Cuba harder for Cuba to buy new railway equipment because of the United States embargo against Cuba. Some trains were shipped from third countries like the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. For example, the British locomotive shipped from Hull using Yugoslavian ships. Cuba's purchase of new trains and parts from the Western Bloc, stopped from the late 1960s, was replaced through trade with the Eastern Bloc, but this trade link collapsed with the fall of the Soviet Union. Cuba was able to obtain used trains and new locomotives, from friendly nations not affected by the embargo: Starting in 2000, the Cuban

neg: Helms–Burton Act Trade Sanction Reform and Export Enhancement Act, which allowed the export of US agriculture and medical goods to Cuba so long as certain conditions were met. Helms–Burton Act The Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity (Libertad) Act of 1996 (Helms–Burton Act, , , ) is a United States federal law which strengthens and continues the United States embargo against Cuba. The act extended the territorial application of the initial embargo to apply to foreign companies trading with Cuba, and penalized foreign companies allegedly "trafficking" in property formerly owned by U.S. citizens but confiscated by Cuba after the Cuban revolution. The act

neg: Doha Development Round Because of the controversial nature of reforming laws on intellectual property, trade in services and subsidising crops for Food Security, the talks focused on trade facilitation, which means lowering cross-border tariffs and other regulations which impede international trade. However, there was still some controversy over this, with Cuba threatening to oppose any deal which did not affect the US embargo on Cuba. The trade facilitation measures agreed in Bali could cut the cost of shipping goods around the world by more than 10%, by one estimate, raising global output by over $400 billion a year, with benefits flowing disproportionately to

neg: United States embargo against Cuba its last actions, to sever all diplomatic relations with Cuba, in January 1961. The U.S. partial trade embargo with Cuba was continued, under the "Trading with the Enemy Act 1917". After the Bay of Pigs Invasion in April 1961, which had been largely planned under the Eisenhower administration, but which Kennedy had been informed of and approved during the months preceding his presidency and in his first few months as president, the Cuban government declared that it now considered itself Marxist and socialist, and aligned with the Soviet Union. On September 4, 1961, partly in response, Congress passed the "Foreign

neg: Political positions of Hillary Clinton known as a champion of anti-corruption efforts, although years later (in 2016), Rousseff was impeached on allegations of impropriety. Clinton supported the Helms–Burton Act of 1996. In 2000, Clinton stated that she supported increasing food and medicine exports to Cuba and allowing more travel to the Cuba, but was "not ready to vote to lift" the U.S. embargo against Cuba, insisting that "Castro should make some good faith show of moving toward ending repression, freeing political prisoners and some steps toward democratization" before the U.S. acted to lift the embargo. Clinton held the same view for the same reasons in

neg: Magna Carta Holy Grail it ended on January 31, 2014. On April 11, 2013, Jay-Z released the first song from the album titled "Open Letter". The song was a response to the critics of his fifth wedding anniversary that took place in Cuba. This was due to the current United States embargo against Cuba, which required them needing a permit to visit the country. The song was produced by Swizz Beatz, and was included on the album as a bonus track. On July 10, 2013, Third Man Records announced on their website that they had entered a deal to release "Magna Carta Holy Grail"

neg: Freedom of the press in Cuba Freedom of the press in Cuba Press freedom is an ongoing issue in Cuba. The country has ranked low on the Press Freedom Index, a list published by Reporters Without Borders which reflects the degree of freedom that journalists, news organisations, and netizens have in a country. Cuba has been ranked among theindex's “least free" countries for a decade. In 2016, Amnesty International reported that the re-establishment of diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba in December 2014 "renewed hope for an end to the US economic embargo, which has had a direct impact on the human rights of

neg: Otto Reich which tightened the Cuban embargo by extending the territorial application of the initial embargo to apply to foreign companies trading with Cuba. In 2001, President George W. Bush named Reich to be Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, the top State Department post for Latin America. The Senate, however, did not allow confirmation hearings. Bush made a recess appointment. Reich was sworn in as temporary assistant secretary of state in March 2002. A 2002 profile in the New York Times described Reich as "celebrity in Latin America," noting that editorial cartoons in Nicaragua had depicted him "as a

neg: Cuba–India relations visit. This had particular significance as it symbolised Indian solidarity with the Cuban revolution. Cuba maintains an embassy in New Delhi. There have been several high level visits between leaders of the two countries. Cuban President Fidel Castro visited India in 1973 and 1983. Indian Prime Ministers Rajiv Gandhi and Manmohan Singh visited Cuba in 1985 and 2006 respectively. India has always voted in favour of UN General Assembly resolutions calling for an end to the United States embargo against Cuba. Cuba has publicly expressed support for India's candidature for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council on numerous

neg: Mariel boatlift Florida. In the late 1970s, the administration of U.S. president Jimmy Carter sought to improve relations between the United States and Cuba. He lifted all restrictions on U.S. travel to Cuba, and in September 1977, Cuba and the U.S. each established an Interest Section in the other's capital. However, relations were still strained because Cuba contributed troops to support the Soviet Union's military interventions in Africa and the Middle East. The two countries struggled to reach agreement on a relaxation of the U.S. embargo on trade to permit the importation of a select list of medicines to Cuba without provoking

neg: Peter Agre to foster exchanges and collaborations on peaceful scientific projects and thereby reduce tensions. The governments of Cuba and the US have maintained a hostile relationship made worse by the embargo that prevented the import of essential goods, equipment and even medicines. The inauguration of Barack Obama in 2009 led to a liberalized interpretation of restrictions by the U.S. government allowing scientific and cultural exchanges between the two countries. In November 2009, Agre made the first of six trips to Cuba when he led a group of scientists from AAAS to Havana. Two years later, Agre led an extensive series of

neg: Jesse Helms spent years "wasting precious time and energy on a senseless debate over whether to lift the Cuban embargo unilaterally." Helms saw the Bush administration as "understanding of the nature" of Castro and his crimes and stated his hope that an American president would eventually be able to visit Cuba at a time when the latter country and the United States could welcome each other as friends and trading partners. In May 2001, Helms cosponsored legislation with Connecticut Democrat Joe Lieberman granting 100 million in aid to both government critics and independent workers in Cuba during the period of the following

neg: United States embargo against Cuba The current regulation does not prohibit travel by U.S. citizens to Cuba "per se", but it makes it illegal for U.S. citizens to have transactions (spend money or receive gifts) in Cuba under most circumstances without a US government Office of Foreign Assets Control issued license. Since even paying unavoidable airfare ticket taxes into a Cuban airport would violate this transaction law, it is effectively impossible for ordinary tourists to visit Cuba without breaking the monetary transaction rule. The embargo was reinforced in October 1992 by the "Cuban Democracy Act" (the "Torricelli Law") and in 1996 by the "Cuban Liberty

neg: United States embargo against Nicaragua United States embargo against Nicaragua The United States embargo against Nicaragua was declared by then-U.S. President Ronald Reagan on May 1, 1985 and prohibited all trade between the U.S. and Nicaragua. In a strategy similar to the embargo against Cuba, it was intended to undermine the Sandanista government which came to power in 1979. The embargo both forbade American products from entering Nicaragua (with exceptions for medicine and other humanitarian goods) and Nicaraguan products from entering the United States. It further banned all Nicaraguan ships from landing in any U.S. port or planes from landing on U.S. soil. Ronald Reagan,

neg: The Rolling Stones: Havana Moon to. The embargo on Cuba proved to be a technical challenge for the band and stage crews since they had to ship all of their equipment from Belgium and could not rely on local infrastructure to assist to the degree that they are used to in more developed areas. The concert took place 5 days after President Barack Obama visited Cuba, marking the first time a sitting United States president has visited the island nation since the 30th President of the United States, Calvin Coolidge, visited the nation 88 years earlier, in 1928. The show was originally scheduled to take

neg: Mauricio Claver-Carone Cuban government. He has written numerous columns in support of U.S. policy towards Cuba, particularly the United States embargo against Cuba, and in favor of a transition on the island towards democracy, free markets and the rule of law. He has also been a prominent critic of the current government of Venezuela. He has taken part in various televised debates on U.S. policy towards the Western Hemisphere and U.S.-Cuba relations. Claver-Carone was Executive Director of Cuba Democracy Advocates. In an independent capacity, he also served on the Board of Directors of the US-Cuba Democracy PAC, which purports to be the

neg: Argentina–Cuba relations pressure, on 21 January 1962, Cuba was expelled from the Organization of American States (OAS) and by September 1962, the United States imposed a full embargo on Cuba. That same year, by U.S. insistence, Argentina and all Latin American nations (with the exception of Mexico) broke diplomatic relations with Cuba in an effort to isolate the Castro government. On 28 May 1973, under President Héctor Cámpora, Argentina became the third nation (after Chile and Peru) to re-establish diplomatic relations with Cuba. Former Cuban President Osvaldo Dorticós Torrado became ambassador to Argentina. Relations between both nations greatly improved under the presidency

neg: Health in Cuba Health in Cuba Health in Cuba refers to the overall health of the population of Cuba. There was an overall improvement in "Health in Cuba" in terms of disease and infant mortality rates after the revolution. Like the rest of the Cuban economy, Cuban medical care suffered following the end of Soviet subsidies in 1991; the stepping up of the US embargo against Cuba at this time also had an effect. Cuba has one of the highest life expectancy rates in the region, with the average citizen living to 78.05 years old (in comparison to the United States' 78.62 years).

neg: Philip Bonsal of Batista loyalists forces who had launched air attacks on Cuba. Bonsal lodged a formal protest with Cuban President Osvaldo Dorticóson October 27 and blamed Castro for the deterioration of relations. In mid-1960, the Cuban government reached an agreement to sell 700,000 tons of sugar to the Soviet Union, leading to a series of escalating actions by the US and Cuba. The US suspended sugar imports, Cuba nationalized American-owned businesses, and on October 19, the US imposed an embargo on US exports to Cuba except for food and medicine. Bonsal thought the Eisenhower administration was over-reacting and forcing Castro into

neg: Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act the continuation of the embargo has not been significantly fading. In lieu of some change in perceptions, former Democratic Senator Gary Hart criticized the continuing embargo, remarking "second generation Cuban-Americans are finally beginning to change their community's attitudes and make it clear they no longer are interested in holding the mighty U.S.'s foreign policy toward a tiny nearby country hostage to their parents' anger." In June 2011, former Democratic presidential candidate George McGovern spoke out against the travel ban before visiting Cuba, remarking: McGovern blamed "embittered Cuban exiles in Miami" for keeping the embargo alive all these years, because of

neg: Tourism in Cuba creation of industries, and travel. Its proximity and close relation to the United States also helped Cuba's market economy prosper fairly quickly. As relations between Cuba and the United States deteriorated rapidly after the Cuban Revolution and the resulting expropriation and nationalization of businesses, the island became cut off from its traditional market by an embargo and a travel ban was imposed on U.S. citizens visiting Cuba. The tourist industry declined to record low levels within two years of Castro's accession to power. Unlike the US, Canada normalized relations with Cuba in the 1910s and Canadians increasingly visited Cuba for

neg: Cuba–United States relations played down the handshake (much like the Clinton handshake of 2000), an adviser to Obama said that Obama wanted to improve relations with Cuba, yet had concerns about human rights on the island. Beginning in 2013, Cuban and U.S. officials held secret talks brokered in part by Pope Francis and hosted in Canada and Vatican City to start the process of restoring diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States. On 17 December 2014, the framework of an agreement to normalize relations and eventually end the longstanding embargo was announced by Castro in Cuba and Obama in the United States.