The United States sure knows how to hold a grudge.
It’s been nearly half a century since the United States imposed an embargo on Cuba. The Cold War has long ended, and now even Fidel Castro is fading into the background, but the embargo remains.
You won’t find many people outside the United States who support it - the United Nations has condemned the embargo as a violation of international law since the 1990s - but the U.S. has remained resolute. President Bush even enacted changes to bolster the economic sanctions in 2004.
But there is reason for optimism, at last.
President-elect Obama has pledged to ease the long-failed Cuba policy. Throughout his campaign, Obama has vowed to make it easier for Cuban-Americans to visit their relatives, and increase the amount of money they’re allowed to send home to their families.
After changes by the Bush administration, Cubans living in the United States are only allowed to visit the island once every three years, and can send back a maximum of $300 per household, quarterly, to immediate family members. …read more
