why don't we trade with Cuba?

[Darwin333]

tldr: Don't be our neighbors and point nuclear missiles at us and expect to get away with it.

Yet its cool if you have 1000 times the nukes, loaded on ICBMS, pointed at us from a few thousand miles away? We get a few minutes to kiss our asses goodbye versus a few seconds or some shit???

Ironically, don't we trade with the people that quarterbacked that entire ordeal, including providing the nukes?

 

[Oric]

Soviet Union never ceased trading with us although we had the other pair of missilles pointed at them in the crisis

 

[Vic]

Actual answer? the mafia.

 

[Moonbeam]

Actual answer? the mafia.

Could be. I just figured Americans are stupid.

 

[inf1nity]

Commies act like having money or being wealthy is a bad thing. There are a lot of wealthy people who worked their a**** off, and made good decisions along the way. Wealthy people create jobs for others and Communism is the equal sharing of misery for everyone. This is probably why there is no Cuban equivalent of Elon Musk, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, etc.

Also if Mr. Castro had good intentions, he should have given power back to the people, held elections.

I agree with that man. I remember reading somebody signature here, it said "Capitalism is the unequal division of wealth, communism is the equal division of poverty"

Welfare is one thing, but snatching people's hard earned money is just evil. :\

 

[Ventanni]

Doesn't Canada have full diplomatic and economic relations with Cuba? Has that been successful for them?

 

[fskimospy]

We don't trade with Cuba because of US presidential election politics.

Our policy is insane.

 

[SandEagle]

can we at least invade them and steal their cigars? i so badly want a cuban cigar.

 

[CLite]

Relevant article.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/12/31/first-flight-from-key-west-to-havana-in-over-five-decades-made/

First plane in 50 years launched from USA to Cuba for cultural exchange purposes. Apparently the Obama administration green lighted cultural exchange licenses back in 2011.

The obvious answer for why it's still embargoed is bitter Floridians/ex-cubans who had their property nationalized and therefore will vehemently oppose any party that re-starts trade with Cuba.

We trade with plenty of countries that nationalized our industries, or fought us in wars. The difference is that no state is perceived to be so controlled by people opposed to those countries.

 

[Jaskalas]

We don't trade with Cuba because of US presidential election politics.

Our policy is insane.

Agreed, it is insane.

If the United States was a rationale player then using the "Nixon goes to China" route on Cuba would be the only obvious answer. Trade is a rather effective peace negotiator and opportunity motivator.

Opening up to them might have helped foster black markets and bring down the regime faster than snubbing our noses.

Yet Cuba stands as a clear indicator that we are not rationale.

 

[tommo123]

can we at least invade them and steal their cigars? i so badly want a cuban cigar.

got a box of them from when i was there. shame i don't smoke

 

[cubby1223]

can we at least invade them and steal their cigars? i so badly want a cuban cigar.

You can fly to Cuba without restrictions and smoke a cigar there.

Back here all you have to do is apply for permission from the feds to travel to Cuba for educational purposes. You're allotted a value of goods you can bring back with you. As long as what you bring back is not significant in value, the customs agents usually don't care (and if they do press you on the items worse case scenario you leave them behind at customs).

Friend of a friend made a couple visits to Cuba each year, always had a spare supply of Cuban cigars and rum.

 

[ipown1337]

I also believe that we do not have much to gain from trading with Cuba. I'm not sure how much Cuba would gain from it either. In Cuba the government blames the US for just about everything. The Cuban government attitude is that the US government is at fault for 99% of the economic problems. What can we offer Cuba that they can't get from China or elsewhere?

Here are some fun facts, kill a cow in Cuba go to jail for 20 years. Cubans are not allowed to eat Cow meat, that's only for tourists. If you are a farmer you have to turn over a large percentage of your produce to the government. Cuban wages are very very low, about 10 to 15 dollars a month. For this reason a lot of people make a buck here and a buck there hustling in the streets. The Cuban population are no saints, but am disgusted at the amount of visitors go to the country to exploit Cuban women, it's very sad.

 

[BoberFett]

China is not communist. They just say they are. Cuba is closer to true communism than almost any country in the world.

A trade embargo isn't exactly the right tool to use to move them towards more open markets...

 

[JMapleton]

Yet Cuba stands as a clear indicator that we are not rationale.

You guys are missing the point.

The US is suffocating Cuba until they fold. They we with Cuba, that country would flourish and they would be used an example of successful communism. The US is making an example out of them for failed communism.

When the current regime fails, trade will open up and they will be used an example of a "communism to capitalist" success story. It's all a carefully planned marketing ploy for capitalism.

In a way, I can agree with why they're doing it.

 

[JMapleton]

A trade embargo isn't exactly the right tool to use to move them towards more open markets...

Actually it is, because when they economy finally collapses, like the USSR, it will convert to a market economy.

 

[iGas]

Actually it is, because when they economy finally collapses, like the USSR, it will convert to a market economy.

It doesn't look like Cuba is going to collapse at anytime soon.

 

[Fern]

Actual answer? the mafia.

Would that "mafia" be the US sugar industry?

I don't pay much attention to Cuba, but can't think of much beyond sugar that they export (I'm reading some pharmaceuticals too now). Their other big industry is tourism.

Beyond sugar, and I suppose cigars for a niche market, I don't see a whole lot to traded for. And I don't think the US sugar industry wants Cuba import here. (I.e., direct answer to OP's question may be that Cuba really has only product for trade and protectionist policy for the sugar industry is why we don't trade with them.)

Odd, but many liberals (and others) complain about policies that allow cheaper imports that cost US workers jobs. Well, wouldn't cheaper Cuban sugar do that to our sugar industry? If so, why support it here?

Fern

 

[Fern]

You guys are missing the point.

The US is suffocating Cuba until they fold.
-snip-

I don't think we are "suffocating" them. There are approx 200 countries in the world. They can still trade with the others. If they really have valuable products to trade, they can trade. Everybody else ships products all over the world these days.

Fern

 

[Spungo]

Cold War era grudges. I live in Florida and even I think the embargo is stupid. The embargo hasn't done anything to capitulate the Castro regime. The only individuals to suffer are its citizens.

A lot of people are also shocked to find that the rest of the world does trade with Cuba. Cuban cigars are legal in Canada and Europe. Cuba is also a very popular tourist destination for Canadians and Europeans. My parents went to Cuba for vacation, but they had to fly from Washington to British Columbia first. It's ridiculous.

 

[JMapleton]

I don't think we are "suffocating" them. There are approx 200 countries in the world. They can still trade with the others. If they really have valuable products to trade, they can trade. Everybody else ships products all over the world these days.

Fern

But we are their biggest potential supplier for both products and tourism. We are indeed suffocating them.

 

[ipown1337]

But we are their biggest potential supplier for both products and tourism. We are indeed suffocating them.

What can we supply to Cuba that cannot be sourced from China? Tourists I agree but nothing else. Bottom line Cuba's problems are self inflicted, no need to blame the Yankees.

 

[JMapleton]

What can we supply to Cuba that cannot be sourced from China? Tourists I agree but nothing else. Bottom line Cuba's problems are self inflicted, no need to blame the Yankees.

I miswored my statement. Biggest potential purchaser of their products. They would be a very inexpensive supplier to the US for many many products, not just cigars. The Cuban government would find a way to capitalize on the proximity.

I'm not saying their form of government is great, but their condition would be far better if we did not have an embargo on them. That is not disputed by anyone.

 

[ipown1337]

They would probably be better off, but the economy will not do a 360. The regime would need to be eliminated for that to happen. From my eyes and experience I would not say that people are contempt in Cuba. But it looks like a lot of people just don't care about others. It's all about me me me, there is no sense of doing things for the greater good, people do not tend to think about how their actions will effect their neighbors. The problems seen in Cuba are partly due to the Cuban people itself, they say that people tend to have he type of government that they deserve. The issues that I speak about are reflected in miami, the fraud capital of the US. Obviously not everyone behaves like this, but there is a sizable amount of people that do.

 

[Gerle]

They would probably be better off, but the economy will not do a 360.

OT: a 360 puts you in the same position you came from.
I believe discussions and dialogue need to start between Cuba and the US, to figure out a way to normalize relations.