Cuba has been at odds with the United States since Fidel Castro assumed power in 1959. Successive U.S. administrations have tried tough measures including prolonged economic sanctions and designation of Cuba as a State Sponsor of Terrorism, but none substantially weakened Castro's rule. In February 2008, Fidel formally resigned from office, sixteen months after transferring many powers to his brother Raul due to illness. Despite stirrings of U.S. economic interest in Cuba and some policy softening under President Barack Obama, experts say that normalization of U.S.-Cuba relations is unlikely in the near to medium term. Tensions increased in early 2010 when the United States included Cuba on a list of fourteen countries whose citizens will receive additional screening in the wake of the attempted Christmas Day bombing of a Detroit-bound flight. The Cuban government denounced the measures (Reuters), saying they were "politically motivated" and a "hostile action" by the United States.
What is the status of U.S.-Cuba relations?
They are virtually nonexistent. There is a U.S. mission in Havana, Cuba's capital, but it has minimal communication with the Cuban government. Since 1961, the official U.S. policy toward Cuba has been two-pronged: economic embargo and diplomatic isolation. The George W. Bush administration strongly enforced the embargo and strengthened travel restrictions. Americans with immediate family could visit once every three years for a maximum of two weeks, while the total amount of family remittances an authorized traveler could carry to Cuba was $300, reduced from $3,000 in 2004. Obama signaled an intention to remove travel and remittance restrictions, which he implemented on April 13, 2009.
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