New relations with Cuba, but what about human rights?

Everyone brace yourself for a new era in Cuban-American relations. Obama’s action, to lift the embargo, has shocked his critics and his followers, but things in Cuba will not change as drastically as we may think.

President Obama, who has been openly against this American policy since he was a Senator, had promised to eliminate the embargo. Perhaps because nothing has changed since sanctions on Cuba,  or perhaps because the Obama administration realizes that the only way to get a handle on Cuba is through business and trading.

"These 50 years have shown that isolation has not worked. It's time for a new approach." - President Obama

While people often talk about the embargo, they don't always know all the facts. Despite the embargo, the United States is currently the fifth largest exporter to Cuba (6.6% of Cuba's imports are from the US). However, unlike democratic countries, Cuba must pay cash for all imports as credit is not allowed. 

A big question we should consider right now, will lift the embargo help alleviate human rights violations in Cuba? Violations are still happening in Cuba and will not disappear in the near future - embargo or not. Steps need to be taken by the Cuban government to change its abusive policies towards its people, and the U.S. should make sure that we're not supporting oppressive policies and behavior. 

The end of the Cuban’s falling socialist system might mean the end of the infiltration and manipulation in Latin America. But there is a lot of work to do to get there.