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    You are at:Home»December»December 17»In 1959, the U.S. Recognized Castro’s Cuba / In 2014, the U.S. Did It Again!
    December 17

    In 1959, the U.S. Recognized Castro’s Cuba / In 2014, the U.S. Did It Again!

    Major DanBy Major DanJanuary 7, 2015Updated:December 31, 20198 Comments3 Mins Read
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    Castro's Cuba

    History: January 7, 1959:

    The U.S. Recognizes Fidel Castro’s Government of Cuba

    On January 7, 1959, the United States officially recognized the new government of Cuba that was headed by Fidel Castro who, together with his revolutionaries, had overthrown the corrupt dictator Fulgencio Batista.

    Batista had originally seized power in a coup after having lost a presidential election in 1952, so the U.S., expecting a return to democracy, actually welcomed Castro and his revolution.  Alas, it was not to be as Castro declared himself a communist in 1961, and it quickly became evident that he was just another dictator. Worse yet for the U.S., this placed a communist ally of the USSR 90 miles from Florida, right on America’s doorstep so to speak.

    In response, the U.S. sponsored and supported an ill-advised invasion of Cuba by counter-revolutionaries in the debacle known as “The Bay of Pigs.”  This invasion failed horribly with the U.S. losing face by failing to provide the promised air support.  Ever since, the U.S. and Cuba have had a frosty relationship especially after the U.S. imposed an embargo on civilian travel to and from Cuba and on trade with the island, which hurt both countries economically.

    In 1962, a Soviet plan to base nuclear armed missiles in Cuba almost resulted in World War III but instead was resolved by the U.S. pulling its nukes out of Turkey in exchange for the Soviets keeping their nuclear weapons out of Cuba.

    When the Cold War ended with the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991, many thought that relations with Cuba would finally be normalized.  No way, Jose!  Even as power passed from Fidel to Raul Castro in 2006, the U.S. held firm despite already enjoying improved relations with former enemies China, Vietnam and Russia.

    Headline: December 17, 2014:

    President Obama Announces End to Cuban Embargo

    In a surprise move that most people (except perhaps the most hard-core haters of Castro) see as long overdue, President Obama announced that a deal had been brokered by the Vatican between the U.S. and Cuba to begin the process of normalizing relations.  It is not known exactly when relations will officially be normalized, but the U.S. President has basically said that the wheels are in motion.

    Thus might end over 50 years of a hate-hate relationship between 2 close neighbors, half a century in which the U.S.’s Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) made several attempts to assassinate Fidel Castro, while rumors that Castro had something to do with the assassination of John F. Kennedy still persist. 

    Question for students (and subscribers): Who will be the main target of U.S. animosity now?  Perhaps North Korea, perhaps ISIS?  What do you think?  Please let us know in the comments section below this article.

    If you liked this article and would like to receive notification of new articles, please feel welcome to subscribe to History and Headlines by liking us on Facebook and becoming one of our patrons!

    Your readership is much appreciated!

    Historical Evidence

    For more information, please see…

    Kornbluh, Peter and William M. LeoGrande.  Back Channel to Cuba: The Hidden History of Negotiations between Washington and Havana.  The University of North Carolina Press, 2014.

    The featured image in this article, a map by Bazonka at English Wikipedia showing locations of Cuba and USA, is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

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    Major Dan

    Major Dan is a retired veteran of the United States Marine Corps. He served during the Cold War and has traveled to many countries around the world. Prior to his military service, he graduated from Cleveland State University, having majored in sociology. Following his military service, he worked as a police officer eventually earning the rank of captain prior to his retirement.

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    <span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="7480 https://www.historyandheadlines.com/?p=7480">8 Comments

    1. DAVID WARDLE on April 14, 2015 11:34 am

      Honestly… I am surprised that the embargo lasted that long! Let us switch our focus to more pressing issues! — DAVID WARDLE

      Reply
    2. Heather H on April 14, 2015 12:27 pm

      I believe the US will turn its attention now to ISIS

      Reply
    3. Samantha Easterling on April 17, 2015 12:57 pm

      Glad we resolved that issue, not time to focus on more pressing issues.

      Reply
    4. Natalie Sholtis on April 20, 2015 12:38 pm

      This should not have gone on for so long! Way more important and pressing issues with other countries and conflicts.

      Reply
    5. Mike Rinicella on April 20, 2015 2:25 pm

      This really went longer than it should

      Reply
    6. Jake Woolf on April 22, 2015 8:26 pm

      I still maintain that the US government’s main target for animosity is a tie between the average taxpayer and limited government proponents.

      Reply
    7. Alex Guthrie on April 25, 2015 9:16 am

      The attention will most likely turn to ISIS. I think we have more to worry about from them than the North Koreans for the time being.

      Reply
    8. w.y. on May 3, 2015 3:41 pm

      Cuban cigars for everyone

      Reply

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