1. Castro Out; Cigars Back In?
by Jennifer Jordan
Hanging up his shoes for a final time, Fidel Castro has stated he will retire. On February 19, 2008, just five days before his current term's expiration date, he announced that he would not seek a new term as the leader of Cuba. Cuban cigar lovers living in America practically feel the drool falling from their mouths. This might be the first step in removing the trade embargo.
As those who didn't sleep through high school history will remember, the Embargo against Cuba dates back to the early sixties. Amid the Cold War, Cuba chose its side, aligning itself with the Soviet Union. The United State's greatest foe at the time, President John F. Kennedy simply used the rational "No friend of Russia is a friend of ours" and solidified a temporary measure previously enacted by Dwight Eisenhower. By Executive Order, President Kennedy ended trade with Cuba. Cuban Cigars, a major export of Cuba's, were no longer welcome in America.
Nearly forty years later, in October 2000, the trade embargo was relaxed, if only a little bit. Feeling a financial strain, agriculturists and farmers sought a reprieve by the US government. When the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act was passed, they got their wish. This act permitted agricultural and medicinal goods to be sold to Cuba, on the grounds of humanity. Cigars, however, did not fall under this act.
Fidel Castro had previously declined any help from the US: crops, fruits, medicine he and his people would find elsewhere. When the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act was passed, Castro continued to stand firm. He simply didn't want to help out the United States by purchasing their goods. However, in 2001, Mother Nature intervened and his mind was changed.
Hurricane Michelle, the worst hurricane to hit Cuba since 1952, ripped through the nation. Though the casualties were low - thanks to warnings and evacuations - the damage was extensive: nearly two billion dollars worth of destruction was caused. With his country in dire straights, Fidel Castro accepted US help for the first time in four decades.
Now, with the Cuban President performing his swan song, Cuba could be in for a great deal of changes. Then again, it could not.
Little Havana, located in Miami, is home to many Cuban refugees. While they are elated by Castro's departure, many believe no drastic changes will take place. A communist island that is the yang to the US's democratic yin, the damage may already indeed be done. Cigars are the least of their worries. Many Cuban refugees simply just want to go home.
Whether or not they will is still up in the air. Time, as they say, will tell.
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