foreign policy

Quote: AZDuffman

There is what they call a "doughnut hole" between the USA and Cuba. Both places claim x far out and the contours overlap so they have to negotiate mineral rights. These holes happen but when there are no relations then that hole just kind of sits.

I will repeat, Cuba is not a threat but it is strategic and as such nothing is going to change.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-12-17/president-obama-normalizes-relations-cuba-opens-diplomatic-channels-usaid-chief-resi#comments

"The White House admits, “It is clear that decades of U.S. isolation of Cuba have failed to accomplish our enduring objective of promoting the emergence of a democratic, prosperous, and stable Cuba."

Or as Bob Dylan said, "times they are a changin".

Dylan also said, "You don't need a Weatherman to know which way the wind blows"

Quote: AZDuffman

I will repeat, Cuba is not a threat but it is strategic and as such nothing is going to change.

As usual, a spot-on prediction.

Regarding Obama's move to soften relations with Cuba: good? bad? irrelevant? Or taken from a different perspective, will improving relations with Cuba ultimately hurt the U.S. economy or improve the U.S. economy?

I would hope that U.S. conservatives would be opposed to the old Cuba policy because Washington bureacrats should not be telling Americans which beaches they're allowed to vacation on and which cigars they're allowed to smoke. But I get the sense that a lot of conservatives are outraged with commie Obama's move to reward the Castro brothers.

Quote: reno

As usual, a spot-on prediction.

Regarding Obama's move to soften relations with Cuba: good? bad? irrelevant? Or taken from a different perspective, will improving relations with Cuba ultimately hurt the U.S. economy or improve the U.S. economy?

I would hope that U.S. conservatives would be opposed to the old Cuba policy because Washington bureacrats should not be telling Americans which beaches they're allowed to vacation on and which cigars they're allowed to smoke. But I get the sense that a lot of conservatives are outraged with commie Obama's move to reward the Castro brothers.

I do not think that Cuba is big enough to make a difference in the USA economy. It would be nice if we could get sugar cheap so as to end this corn syrup nonsense, but that has zero to do with Cuba and all to do with the sugar lobby. The cigars are overrated. The beaches are nothing that can't be found elsewhere. I would like to visit a place with no Coca-Cola, Starbucks, or McDonald's around but that means the rest of the place is probably a dump.

In the end, I do not like said reward to the Castros but its effect on my life is minimal so I give it a huge "meh." One thing that will happen if they lift the embargo is when the place stays poor those of us on the conservative side will be able to point and say, "we told you for 50 years that they are poor because of communism and not the embargo!"