U.S.-Cuba Reopen Embassies, Diplomatic Relations

For the first time in 54 years, the U.S. and Cuba reopened their embassies on Monday, marking a return to diplomatic engagement between the two countries. Yet while the re-inauguration of the embassies will enable the two nations to have the "government-to-government contact that has been lacking for decades," obstacles to full normalization still remain. Cuban-American senator Marco Rubio has said that "Cuba is a state sponsor of terrorism," and republicans in Congress will not permit President Obama to nominate an ambassador to Havana, meaning that the newly reopened U.S. embassy will operate without one, for now. In any case, as both countries "brush away the Cold War cobwebs," the reestablishment of diplomatic ties is both symbolic of and a step towards normalization in U.S.-Cuban relations.

 

Cuba opens Washington embassy, urges end to embargo

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