Congressional leaders continue to express outrage at President Obama’s announced plans to normalize Cuba relations, and are promising to block the effort. Can they?
Not likely, according to experts, who say that President Obama has considerable leeway to curb the embargo against Cuba unilaterally, and Congress has limited options as far as stopping him.
That’s because even though a number of Congressional leaders are lining up against the rapprochement, the polls show broad support among Americans, and they probably won’t be able to muster a veto-proof resolution.
Public animosity toward Cuba has faded over the last half century, business interests are lining up to cash in as the US normalizes its relations with Cuba, and indeed brings its policy in line with the rest of the world.
When it comes to Cuba the US and likely it´s ME offshoot in occupied Palestine too, couldn´t stand the isolation when even their €uropean vassals refuse to follow suit. The lucrative business opportunities are immense and BRICS, Russia and China most notably are already in the forefront, not to mention Russian military installations at a time when the anglo-zionist empire on decline has declared war against it.
By being the enemy of the empire Cuba is preserved as a true sovereign nation, being a "friend" with USA and host it´s embassy is, will, as the the "stans" in Asia and eastern Europe has experienced, most likely have catastrophic consequences.
The honeymoon will be over before it even begun and from a newly established US embassy, professional regime change NGO´s agent provocateurs, sexual shame parades and color revolutions will follow.
"He who has once invited the devil into his house will never be rid of him". Fidel Castro managed to rescue the nation from being a poor whore house for the 1% and not without a fight, let´s hope the lesson is learned.
CUBA, Americas" new tax haven.
Problems will emerge:
1) Direct flights from Cuba to the US means for a few hundred dollars any Cuban can come and demand asylum.
2) The travel ban appears to be enforced by fines collectable from the IRS. Maybe Obama can stop criminal prosecution, but probably not the fines.
3) What about extradition of political criminals like Assata Shakur?
4) What about the property rights of Cubans who claim their property was stolen by the Cuban government?
5) This is not like amnesty as US elites all back amnesty, so Obama will not be challenged.
I doubt that the opinions of the US public matter that much one way or the other to Congress. What does matter is that "businesses are lining up" to take advantage of Cuba's low wage, long unexploited population. Big-ag, big-pharma, big-telecomm and others all stand to make big profits in Cuba, and they are willing to share some of those profits with Congress in the form of big campaign contributions. There will be some grumbling, of course, but when US corporations speak with money, Congress listens.
Esentially, the Castro brothers have chosen Obama over Putin and it must be perfectly clear that normalisation of US-Cuban relations could not take place if there were any plans to establish Russian military bases in Cuba. Frankly, I don't think Russia's rickety cold war-era military is in any position to establish foreign bases or that such bases would be of any military value, to say nothing of the astronomical cost of bases so far from Russian territory. Moreover, the Castros have never forgiven the Soviet Union for ditching them during the missile crisis. People who have managed to cling to power for 55 years are not going to make the same mistake twice! Thus, I would rate talk of such bases on the American internet as a neocon propaganda scam designed to frighten Americans into letting Putin do what he likes in Ukraine. Interesting aside: the Jesuit Pope brokers a deal between the Jesuit-educated Castros and Jesuit-educated John Kerry!
If you think Russia has a rickety old military, you are in for a surprise. They have some really neat toys. They just don't have that many of them.
This SHOULD be a good thing but normalized relations with us is a step backward.
Not doubt Cubans need to be wary of US intentions. On the other hand, I enjoyed every second of watching Lindsay Graham, Bob Menendez, and Marco Rubio go all apoplectic. Their hysteria made my day.
Lindsay Graham, Bob Menendez and Marco Rubio are mentally constipated, narrow minded, evil little mongrels who only damage the formerly glorious image of our country in the international community. I can NOTunderstand how these misinformed trolls keep getting reelected!
They spew nothing but ancient hatred and misguided political opinions, which make our elected politicians look like a bunch of out of control drunken sailors.
Let's STOP IT! Barak Obama finally did the right thing !!
Come into my web…
We need an Angie's list for invaded and/or subsumed nations.
If the Castro's or the Cuban people could read reviews and ratings from Afghans, Iranians, Iraqis and others then they would not be so eager.