We had a literal wall around cuba to prevent them from doing anything or going anywhere

Shows the USA was just as guilty in the spying game and offensive aspect

If this were to happen again there is a good chance one person would overstep a boundary and it would initiarte a war

Increased tourism for Cuba from Americans which could possibly be a huge catalyst for economic growth

Two countries working more together to combat terrorism and internet security, cooperation comes at an embassy level. (Vick)

Any kind of change will be very slow and will require the full support of Cuban Offiscial

-68% of American support ending the trade embargo with Cuba – 74% support lifting the travel ban

New constitution in 1976 setting forth the Cuban communist party

oppressing people so economy hasn't had the chance to blossom

Since the early 1960’s the United states policy in regards to Cuba have basically isolating the island through comprehensive economic sanctions, including an embargo on trade and financial transactions

Relations with Cuba deteriorated sharply when Fidel Castro began to build a communist dictatorship and moved his country to have a relationship with the Soviet union

The CDA prohibits U.S. subsidiaries from engaging in trade wiih Cuba and prohibits entry into the United States for any sea-borne vessel to load or unload freight if it has been involved in trade with Cuba within the previous 180 days. The Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity Act, enacted in the aftermath of Cuba's shooting down of two U.S. civilian planes in February 1996, combines a variety of measures to increase pressure on Cuba and provides for a plan to assist Cuba once it begins the transition to democracy. Most significantly, the law codified the Cuban embargo, including all restrictions under the CACR.”

“Cuba's economy is largely state-controlled, with the government owning most means of production and employing over 80 percent of the workforce”

“Food product exports, already the biggest American export category to Cuba, have grown by almost 120 percent since 2001,”

we won't have mass exodus of Cuban refugees anymore

“the 1980 exodus of around 125,000 Cubans to the United States in the so-called Mariel boatlift; the 1994 exodus of more than 30,000 Cubans who were interdicted and housed at U.S. facilities in Guantánamo and Panama; and the February 1996 shoot-down by Cuban fighter jets of two U.S. civilian planes operated by the Cuban American group Brothers to the Rescue, which resulted in the death of four U.S. crew members”

USA has the fourth largest source of imports to Cuba based solely on authorized shipments of agriculture and medical supplies. We are also on of Cuba’s top food suppliers

Need to free political prisoners

stop arresting people for free speech

Needs to liberalize its state-centric economic system if it only hopes to allow its people to prosper

In the first two months of 2016 alone, the Cuban Commission for Human Rights has documented a staggering 2,588 political arrests

11 million people imprisoned by Castro’s communist regime

“The current embargo has been in place for 50 years, and it has greatly constrained opportunities for American businesses by restricting commerce by restricting our exports — things that are made in America — from going to a place that is only 90 miles off our shores and has 11 million people.”

Cuban human rights activist Yoani Sanchez wrote:
It is impossible for Cubans to buy staples like eggs or cooking oil without turning to the underground market. Rationing forces people to stand in line for hours for poultry and fish. On the Cuban government’s fiftieth anniversary in 2009, it provided families with an extra half pound of ground beef, but that beef was not from the U.S. It was sponsored by the Venezuelan government ... a meager gift nicknamed “Hugo Chavez’s Hamburger” by everyday Cubans.

“This island nation, which lies just 90 miles from our shores . . . should be a partner in our hemisphere, not an estranged country or enemy.

The Cuban Commission for Human Rights documented over 900 political arrests by the Castro regime in the month of December 2015 and 1,400 in January 2016 alone.

U.S. President John F. Kennedy thought the chance of escalation to war was “between 1 in 3 and even” and what we have learned in later decades has done nothing to lengthen those odds. Also, the addition of nuclear armed ballistic missiles today adds an extra threat.

Prior to the enactment of the CAA, the United States face not only military threats, but also the probability of a nuclear war, political chaos, and a massive migration of refugees.

The Soviet Union had deployed 100 tactical nuclear weapons to Cuba, and they could have been launched very easily.
If it weren’t for good decisions of John F. Kennedy we could have faced nuclear annihilation.

“In October 1962, a U.S. spy plane caught the Soviet Union attempting to' sneak nuclear-tipped missiles into Cuba, 9o miles off the United States' coast. Kennedy determined at the outset that this could not stand. After a week of secret deliberations with his most trusted advisers, he announced the discovery to the world and imposed a naval blockade on further shipments of armaments to Cuba. “

Cuba was the only communist country able to deploy their armed forces thousands of miles from its border to participate in wars that were partly related to the defense of the homeland.

Soviet Union Provided massive economic, military and political support for Cuba

1994 We created a naval quarantine around Cuba which enabled us to receive support of the Organization of American States

“Without Soviet subsidies, many observers reasoned, Cuba was ripe for change”

97% of Cubans want better relations with American “normalization”

• “Our travel and remittance policies are helping Cubans by providing alternative sources of information and opportunities for self-employment and private property ownership, and by strengthening independent civil society. “

• “Cuba has an internet penetration of about five percent—one of the lowest rates in the world. The cost of telecommunications in Cuba is exorbitantly high, while the services offered are extremely limited”

Cubans would be happier to live in Cuba if they had better condition

Sugar production, which remains the backbone of the national economy, tumbled to about 3.3 million tons last year, the lowest in many decades, leaving Cuba unable to meet its international trade obligations. Cuba has borrowed heavily in Europe at high interest rates to support a much-increased harvest this year.

At the other extreme, some argue that Castro is the only person who benefits from the embargo, which he uses as a scapegoat for his repression and mismanagement of the economy. According to this line, the U.S. move toward rapprochement was making enough headway that it had to be stopped, and shooting down the small planes was the way to do it.

The Cuban economy, which has declined up to 50 percent since the collapse of Castro's Soviet patron in 1989, may have stabilized; Cuban leaders claim that it grew about 2.5 percent in 1995. In any event, such stabilization or growth as there was flowed mainly from expanded tourism, reforms Castro didn't really want to make, and a relatively vibrant underground economy.

“Food product exports, already the biggest American export category to Cuba, have grown by almost 120 percent since 2001,”

Cuban economy collapse at end of 1960 was relieved due to help of soviet Union, maybe we could do the same thing today?

Increased tourism in southern cities such as Miami and possibly other northern places