It could get worse for Cuba in 2021

[Nino]

Not that 2020 was good for Cuba, but 2021 could get worse :

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/29/us/politics/pompeo-cuba-terrorism-sponsor-list.html?action=click&module=Top+Stories&pgtype=Homepage

Pompeo Weighs Plan to Place Cuba on U.S. Terrorism Sponsor List

The move would complicate any effort by the incoming Biden administration to resume President Barack Obama’s thaw in relations with Havana.

Dec. 29, 2020

State Department officials have drawn up a proposal to designate Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism, a final-hour foreign policy move that would complicate plans by the incoming Biden administration to relax increased American pressure on Havana.

Mods feel feel to delete if inappropiate.

[NSXCIGAR]

As stupid as this is, I believe the next Secretary of State can just unilaterally reverse that designation.

[Nino]

1 hour ago, NSXCIGAR said:

As stupid as this is, I believe the next Secretary of State can just unilaterally reverse that designation.

Correct - it just takes time, and maybe the will to do it ...

From the article :
 

Quote

The Biden administration could move quickly to take Cuba back off the list. But doing so would require more than the stroke of a presidential pen. The State Department would have to conduct a formal review, a process that might take several months.

 

[Nino]

Update :

https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2021/1/11/bboutgoing-trump-plans-to-designate-cuba-state-sponsor-of-terror

Economy|Business and Economy

Outgoing President Trump to label Cuba state sponsor of ‘terror

 

The Trump administration will place Cuba back on the list of state sponsors of terrorism on Monday, according to two senior State Department officials, reversing an Obama-era decision and making it harder for President-elect Joe Biden to quickly revive diplomatic ties with Havana.

Secretary of State Michael Pompeo is expected to indicate he’s designating Cuba because the country continues to harbor American fugitives including Joanne Chesimard, convicted of killing a New Jersey state trooper in 1973, and refuses a Colombian extradition request for National Liberation Army members linked to a 2019 bombing that killed 22.

Cuba joins only Syria, Iran and North Korea — nations more widely condemned for fomenting terrorism — on the U.S. list. Cuba had originally been put on the list in 1982 but was removed by President Barack Obama in 2015 as he sought to improve economic and diplomatic relations with the Caribbean nation.

Biden has indicated he wants to revive the Obama-era policy of easing economic and travel restrictions in hopes that closer ties and more capitalism will pave the way for democratic change in Cuba. That strategy could include reducing restrictions on travel, investment and remittances for the island nation that are perceived to disproportionately hurt Americans and ordinary Cubans.

Under President Donald Trump, the U.S. labeled Cuba part of a “Troika of Tyranny” with Nicaragua and Venezuela. His moves were popular with Cuban-Americans in Florida, a state Trump won in his re-election bid with the help of Cuban-American refugees, Venezuelan-Americans and other anti-Communist Latino voters.

His administration had been mulling the terrorism-sponsor move for months. Two senior State Department officials, who asked not to be identified discussing internal deliberations, said politics played no role in the decision to re-designate Cuba and said several administrations — including Obama’s — had made policy decisions about the island late in their presidencies.

The officials said the process of getting Cuba back on the list was a lengthy one and if the U.S. had wanted to play politics, it would have re-designated Cuba before the November presidential election, not after.

The administration had signaled as far back as May that it might restore the designation on Cuba. That was when officials announced Cuba was back on a separate list of nations not cooperating fully with U.S. counterterrorism efforts over its refusal to extradite the National Liberation Army members.

According to the State Department, state sponsors of terror are countries that have “repeatedly provided support for acts of international terrorism.” One of the officials said there is legal precedent dating back to the presidency of George H. W. Bush for keeping a country on the list for harboring terrorists even if it isn’t actively supporting terrorist acts.

Cuba and the U.S., enemies after the late Fidel Castro took power in 1959, established diplomatic relations in 2015 when Obama was president and Biden was vice president. The U.S. eased a five-decade trade embargo and took other steps toward normalization, although a complete end to U.S. restrictions would require an act of Congress.

Despite nascent openings and increasing foreign investment since the 1990s, Cuba’s economy remains heavily controlled by the government and the military.

During Trump’s term, he opened the door for lawsuits against companies benefiting from property confiscated by the government in Cuba, prohibited educational trips and cruises there and limited direct flights. Biden could move to take Cuba off the terrorist list, but a formal review could delay the process by several months and rekindle debate about Cuba’s Communist leaders.

[Tstew75]

Biden won't have this nonsense.

[Chas.Alpha]

This shouldn’t be against the rules, but I will merely point out that one of Donald Trump jr’s twitter profile pics had him burning a CORO, and it wasn’t the Dominican kind... ?

[zigarrenziggy]

10 minutes ago, Chas.Alpha said:

This shouldn’t be against the rules, but I will merely point out that one of Donald Trump jr’s twitter profile pics had him burning a CORO, and it wasn’t the Dominican kind... ?

I think that falls under the "Rules for thee but not for me" exception

[Nino]

11 hours ago, Tstew75 said:

Biden won't have this nonsense.

Maybe he won't, but it will be more complicated.

From today's NYT on the subject :

The move automatically triggers United States sanctions against Cuba — likely to have negligible effect, experts said, given the scale of existing American penalties against Havana.
But the action could be a symbolic deterrent for businesses, adding “another among many disincentives to seek opportunities to export to, import from or provide services for Cuba,” said John Kavulich, the president of the U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council.

While the Biden administration can remove Cuba from the terrorism list, doing so will require a review process that could take months.

Mr. LeoGrande said the designation may impede legal financial transactions involving American financial institutions, like a United States airlines paying the Cuban government for landing fees, as banks grow more leery of additional supervision of such exchanges from Washington.

Banking transactions through third countries could also be affected. During Mr. Trump’s term, European banks have become increasingly reluctant to issue payments to Cuban state enterprises. The island’s terrorism designation could further reduce risk appetite.

[Tstew75]

6 hours ago, nino said:

Maybe he won't, but it will be more complicated.

From today's NYT on the subject :

The move automatically triggers United States sanctions against Cuba — likely to have negligible effect, experts said, given the scale of existing American penalties against Havana.
But the action could be a symbolic deterrent for businesses, adding “another among many disincentives to seek opportunities to export to, import from or provide services for Cuba,” said John Kavulich, the president of the U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council.

While the Biden administration can remove Cuba from the terrorism list, doing so will require a review process that could take months.

Mr. LeoGrande said the designation may impede legal financial transactions involving American financial institutions, like a United States airlines paying the Cuban government for landing fees, as banks grow more leery of additional supervision of such exchanges from Washington.

Banking transactions through third countries could also be affected. During Mr. Trump’s term, European banks have become increasingly reluctant to issue payments to Cuban state enterprises. The island’s terrorism designation could further reduce risk appetite.

Totally get it. This just complicated things wayyy more. I guess what i meant was give it a year, this will likely matter very little.

It's a vicious roller coaster ride b/w American administrations... 

[Nino]

7 minutes ago, Tstew75 said:

Totally get it. This just complicated things wayyy more. I guess what i meant was give it a year, this will likely matter very little.

It's a vicious roller coaster ride b/w American administrations... 

Absolutely right, a roller coaster ride with a lot of crashes ...

Not sure there will be any attempt to go back to Obama-era policies toward Cuba by the new administration for several reasons anytime soon : pressing other concerns right now ( Covid, economy, job market, China ) and concerns in 4 years ( Florida votes ).

Cuba had a great opportunity when Obama visited and extended a hand but it was wasted, Fidel personally attacked and insulted Obama and his policies, Raul put his money on Hillary and now it's too late and the world's attention is no longer on Cuba.

[Tstew75]

4 minutes ago, nino said:

Absolutely right, a roller coaster ride with a lot of crashes ...

Not sure there will be any attempt to go back to Obama-era policies toward Cuba by the new administration for several reasons anytime soon : pressing other concerns right now ( Covid, economy, job market, China ) and concerns in 4 years ( Florida votes ).

Cuba had a great opportunity when Obama visited and extended a hand but it was wasted, Fidel personally attacked and insulted Obama and his policies, Raul put his money on Hillary and now it's too late and the world's attention is no longer on Cuba.

Complicated for sure. Biden has said as late as 12/20 he wants a full reset on Cuba, but even his intentions are mired in Venezuela, etc

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-12-15/biden-plots-cuba-reset-in-rebuke-of-trump-s-sanctions-strategy