FYI.

[image: Latin America Working Group]
<http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=HHmd1l9ih49Dtu1BRPyMUe6DJhC6%2FAqN>
*Trump's Cuba Rollback in Action*
<http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=TVPc4W8v6tE0ZAIw%2FazjLRSbN089LNKj>

Following 54 years of aggression, marked by a ceaseless embargo, a
monumental decision was made on December 17, 2014 between the United States
and Cuba to announce the establishment of diplomatic ties. Now, three years
after this milestone was reached and the embassies were reopened, Americans
and Cubans watch as this newfound relationship is tested and tried by the
current administration.

Since Trump’s June 16 National Security Presidential Memorandum (NSPM) on
Strengthening the Policy of the United States Toward Cuba, which he
announced
<http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=Y0%2F%2BQOsEmfYyHujMiq9WbRSbN089LNKj>
would “cancel” the deals made by the Obama Administration, a great deal has
changed for U.S.-Cuban relations. In addition to continuing to implement
the embargo, promises made by NSPM include ending individual
people-to-people travel and, in an attempt to keep money from the Cuban
government, banning U.S. corporations and citizens from doing business with
the Armed Forces Business Enterprises Group (GAESA). Although Trump
announced the rollback would be “effective immediately,” the arrangements
did not go into effect until November 9 when regulatory amendments were
finally issued by the U.S. Department of Treasury Office of Foreign Assets
(OFAC), Department of Commerce, and Department of State. In the months
leading up to this recent implementation, however, a great deal more has
changed for U.S.-Cuban relations.

What We Weren’t Expecting

On October 3 the State Department expelled 15 Cuban diplomats from their
embassy in Washington, D.C., just days after withdrawing 60 percent of
American staff from the U.S. Embassy in Havana. In addition, the U.S.
Embassy has stopped issuing visas to Cubans, refusing to refund deposits
from previously submitted applications, and issued a travel warning for
Americans planning to go to Cuba.

These recent events come in response to the supposed ‘sonic attacks’
experienced by 24 U.S. diplomats living in Cuba. While Trump chose to place
the blame
<http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=jJwWEpQWvNa3NIUhixEZLhSbN089LNKj>
on Cuba, his accusation directly contradicts the State Department’s
repeated statements that it does not yet know who or what caused the
mysterious incidents. Both President Raúl Castro and Cuban Foreign Minister
Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla have strongly denied any involvement of their
government and have made clear their willingness to work closely with the
United States in the investigation. Could this dramatization of recent
events work to simplify Trump’s efforts to achieve his campaign promise to
rollback Obama-era efforts normalizing relations with Cuba? His eagerness
to place the blame on Cuba’s government without the support of the State
Department, and without an ounce of evidence, makes this jump seem
plausible.

In addition to making maintaining diplomatic relations more difficult, the
downsizing of both embassies slows tasks dramatically and leaves their
effectiveness extremely hardhit. The decision to stop issuing visas to
Cubans is unacceptable and works to keep families separated by national
lines. The option presented by the U.S. government in wake of this decision
is for Cubans to travel to Colombia
<http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=OZYKVRS13QvyUWKUodTB6BSbN089LNKj>
in order to apply for a visa; this is implausible for most Cubans.

Furthermore, the issuing of a travel warning jeopardizes the Cuban economy
and livelihood of many. It should be noted, however, that the travel
warning is merely that, a warning. Some Canadian officials
<http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=DbHnbW4%2BZRxC9S%2FBbmY29hSbN089LNKj>
have suffered from the same incidents as American diplomats, but their
government has refrained from withdrawing personnel and retaliating against
Cuban diplomats in Canada, and has not issued a travel warning, as they
believe there is no threat to tourists. No tourists are known to have been
harmed in any way by the supposed incidents; nevertheless, the warning
discourages many from visiting. For some educational organizations, a
travel advisory causes a regulatory cancellation of travel plans,
regardless of the situation on the ground. As a result, student travel
programs and others, such as the Smithsonian’s, have not been permitted to
carry out their programs in Cuba. The travel advisory is misguided and
harmful, as there is no perceivable threat to tourists in the country.
American tourism is a driving factor for Cuban economic growth and a
limitation on travel, although unofficial, has the potential to be
detrimental to the Cuban people.
The Rollback in Action

Trump’s new restrictions towards Cuba are a hard step backward from the
progress made; nevertheless, some exceptions remain and highlight the
ineffectiveness of these changes to take on a full rollback. Although they
are now in effect, those who made prior payments for part or all of their
travel or business plans will be permitted to pursue them, regardless of
whether or not they comply with the new regulations. In practice, U.S.
businesses already working with GAESA will not be affected by the strict
new regulations and U.S. citizens who have paid for any part of their trip
will be allowed to carry out their plans. There was an initial lack of
clarity, however, on which date these payments had to have been made in
order to be grandfathered in. At this time it seems that individual
people-to-people travel reservations were cut off on June 16, but
reservations with any entity from the prohibited list could have been made
until November 9.

There are twelve categories
<http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=FfcEnGOPXHsP5fk4N%2Bx7RhSbN089LNKj>
under which Americans can travel to Cuba. Aside from eliminating individual
people-to-people travel, these permissions go largely unchanged for the
other categories that dictate family travel, official government business,
journalistic activities, etc. Group people-to-people travel is still
permitted and involves educational trips through U.S. organizations
<http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=GVLyV%2FOGmAELM7PJlfRScxSbN089LNKj>
“that promote people-to-people contact” and require the presence of a
representative from the sponsoring organization. The license authorized as
Support for the Cuban People is being amended
<http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=WuUXmmzWRgxbPceDdhAMBhSbN089LNKj>
under the new regulations to require individuals to “engage in a full-time
schedule of activities that enhance contact with the Cuban people, support
civil society in Cuba, or promote the Cuban people’s independence from
Cuban authorities and that result in meaningful interactions with
individuals in Cuba.” All American travelers are expected to keep a log of
their activities and full itinerary with little downtime.

U.S. travelers and businesses alike are now prohibited from engaging in
direct financial transactions with 180 Cuban enterprises
<http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=JIm5zmuDwA%2BExs9MQIOcNxSbN089LNKj>;
this list includes numerous hotels, marinas, stores, and various other
industries, and will be updated periodically. In terms of economic
opportunity, this restriction also prohibits U.S. corporations from
investing in a booming new development zone
<http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=vYj6U4S2XK8QRyxFPA2hCBSbN089LNKj>
in Mariel, Cuba, where numerous international groups are quickly settling
in. For travelers the restrictions are quite inconvenient and force them to
be in constant check with the list. Already, questions have arisen over
whether they must be aware of and avoid something as trivial as the type of
rum
<http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=qzfNDjsSvE50jpfF9%2FafXRSbN089LNKj>
that ends up in their cocktails from authorized vendors, as two rum
companies are on the prohibited list.

These changes are by no means a full overturn of the progress that has been
made over the last three years, but are an unfortunate detour from the path
towards normalization. The new regulations further complicate U.S. dealings
with Cuba and discourage citizens from traveling merely for the fact that
they make the process less clear. The potential decline of U.S. travel to
Cuba is detrimental for the Cuban people as their economic mobility relies
on the presence of foreigners. While the president stated
<http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=NrSOhV7RRqfMtPQAvfc50xSbN089LNKj>
in June that the “easing of restrictions on travel and trade does not help
the Cuban people,” Cuba’s private sector boomed when restrictions were
lifted and Americans were encouraged to visit, promoting immense economic
growth.

It is clear that the embargo and travel restrictions that have dictated the
United States’ policies towards Cuba for the last 57 years have been
nothing but harmful to the people of Cuba. While the changes made under the
Obama Administration were a step in the right direction, they failed to
tackle the root of the issue: the embargo. Trump’s new regulations, both
under NSPM and in response to the ‘sonic attacks,’ take the U.S. further
from accomplishing this goal; nevertheless, it remains the most decisive
factor hindering any attempt to normalize relations between the nations and
promote the wellbeing of the Cuban people. After nearly six decades of
enacting a destructive policy, it is time to end the embargo.
------------------------------

*By Megan Pynes, LAWG intern, and Mavis Anderson, Senior Associate*

Latin America Working Group
2029 P Street NW, Suite 301, Washington, DC 20036
<https://maps.google.com/?q=2029+P+Street+NW,+Suite+301,+Washington,+DC+20036&entry=gmail&source=g>
|  Phone: (202) 546-7010  |  Email: [log in to unmask]
Not interested anymore? Unsubscribe instantly
<http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=tl4zZuOIM%2FrjaqGbKZTsjuA9cGV3sdac>.


[image: Find Us]
[image: Twitter]
<http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=agrB75P45f9gcS4Wv3HVK%2BA9cGV3sdac>
[image:
Facebook]
<http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=2Ud3Tegk4%2B2W6zBEaIMEDhSbN089LNKj>
[image: empowered by Salsa] <http://www.salsalabs.com/?email>



-- 
Kamran Nayeri