greenmonkey51 Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 I maybe still young, but Obama's foreign policy and actions taken seem to be one of the most positive pieces of foreign relations/policy that I've seen. It's good to see a politician basically rise above the BS fray and work towards something that could be positive. 4 Link to comment
BigRedBuster Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 I'm for at least trying to normalize relations with Cuba and even Iran. 3 Link to comment
cm husker Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 I agree, BRB. Embargoes have consistently proved to be ineffectual, and even counterproductive, to stated policy goals. That said, there are a lot of people still alive today who were gravely harmed by the communists in Cuba, and their experiences should be fully acknowledged, not minimized. Interesting thing about Cuba is that cnn had a cool collection of photos where you can do a "then and now" comparison between how Cuba looked during each of the last POTUS visits. It's shocking how little it has changed, which provides a stark example of what a failure socialism has been for that country. Link to pics: http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2016/03/world/cuba-before-after/ Link to comment
BigRedBuster Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 And the leader that caused those problems is not in power anymore. I know the new one is his brother, but you gotta start somewhere. Link to comment
NUance Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 And the leader that caused those problems is not in power anymore. I know the new one is his brother, but you gotta start somewhere. And the country that tried to send missiles there is not even in existence anymore. This is waaaay overdue. Should have happened 20 years ago. 1 Link to comment
cm husker Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 Important perspective described here: http://floodmagazine.com/34721/please-stop-saying-you-want-to-go-to-cuba-before-its-ruined/ Link to comment
The Dude Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 I like their cigars, and I'm not really a cigar guy. Link to comment
darkhorse85 Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 AirBNB is cleaning up down there right now, and so are the people that rent out rooms in their houses. On ABC news the other night they talked to a guy who had a room in his house completely booked for the next month or two and he was getting $46 dollars a night for it. His regular weekly income from his day job was $10. Link to comment
Moiraine Posted March 27, 2016 Share Posted March 27, 2016 AirBNB is cleaning up down there right now, and so are the people that rent out rooms in their houses. On ABC news the other night they talked to a guy who had a room in his house completely booked for the next month or two and he was getting $46 dollars a night for it. His regular weekly income from his day job was $10. Damn. I just looked and immediately found this old couple with a $20/night room. It's still a pain in the ass to get there though. Link to comment
TGHusker Posted March 29, 2016 Share Posted March 29, 2016 You know with our biggest trading partner being Communist Red China - I don't see normalization wt Cuba to being a big deal. We should strive to see human rights improvement made by swapping trade deals for more freedom. Link to comment
VectorVictor Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 You know with our biggest trading partner being Communist Red China - I don't see normalization wt Cuba to being a big deal. We should strive to see human rights improvement made by swapping trade deals for more freedom. That's just it--a lot of it the United States and the western world doesn't even have to push for, it will happen, gradually, over time. Remember--one of the United States' biggest exports is culture and political hegemony, all in the guise of the internet, movies, video games, books, toys, etc. The USA would actually do well to STFU on a day to day basis about China and Cuba's human rights issues and keep their powder dry for special events (ad hoc hotbed issues) and events where multiple world leaders/dignitaries are in attendance (e.g. UN Summits, G8 Summits). Unfortunately, patience and a steady hand in governance are not things synonymous with our more extremist members running the GOP, and every time they run off at the mouth or say something stupid, it chips away at any foreign policy credibility Obama and his staff have mustered with other nations. And don't forget, coming off of G.W. Bush, foreign relations were one gigantic clusterf*** that Obama inherited. The fact that the West isn't incessantly pissed at our spying on them is testament to how much good will and credit Obama has built. Had the Snowden crap broke when G.W. was in office or very soon after, things would have been a LOT worse with countries like Germany. Link to comment
cm husker Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 What's your evidence that things would be worse? Link to comment
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