Obama & Castro normalize US/Cuba relations after a 50-year hiatus with aid of Pope Francis

2015-04-14 6

No, it’s not a dream. President Barack Obama has announced that the U.S. will restore diplomatic ties with Cuba after 50 years.

OK this is fine and dandy and all, but there are more than a few of you out there who probably don’t know how Cuba got to be on America’s X list in the first place. Not to mention a few of you who think I’m talking about Cuba Gooding Jr. or a sandwich.

In the 1930s and 1940s, Cuba was the richest Latin American country. In addition to being America’s island playground, there was a huge weath gap that caused revolutionaries like Che Guevara and Fidel Castro to revolt and start a communist government. They signed a treaty with the Soviets for trade, protection and arms.

America didn’t like that, so the CIA tried to invade in 1962 but that failed. The Soviets then sent nukes to Cuba, and that almost caused World War III. Luckily everyone backed down.

The damage was done, though. America broke full ties with Cuba and enacted a trade embargo and travel ban. At first the Soviet Union was Cuba’s biggest trading partner, but after the fall of the Soviet Union, another country stepped in and filled the void. Can you guess who? (Hint: they’re famous for pandas.)

The whole debate over whether to restore trade with Cuba has raged for years. The embargo travel prohibitions have ripped apart families and lives. Just ask the many residents of South Florida who have Cuban descent.

Many U.S. presidents have attempted to normalize relations with Cuba, but it seems Obama had been talking in secret for months to get this deal to happen. He and Castro agreed to start releasing each other’s political prisoners and former spies as soon as possible as a sign of good faith.

Next, a framework will be laid to ease banking restrictions, helping families in America send money back to Cuba along with enabling businesses to invest and tourists to spend. This also means the reopening of embassies and consulates will be in the offing as well. It’s reported that The Vatican and Canada had a hand in brokering today’s agreement.

----------------------------------------­---------------------

Welcome to TomoNews, where we animate the most entertaining news on the internets. Come here for an animated look at viral headlines, US news, celebrity gossip, salacious scandals, dumb criminals and much more! Subscribe now for daily news animations that will knock your socks off.

For news that's fun and never boring, visit our channel:
https://www.youtube.com/user/TomoNewsUS

Subscribe to stay updated on all the top stories:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt-WqkTyKK1_70U4bb4k4lQ?sub_confirmation=1

Visit our official website for all the latest, uncensored videos: https://us.tomonews.net
Check out our Android app: http://bit.ly/1rddhCj
Check out our iOS app: http://bit.ly/1gO3z1f

Stay connected with us here:
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/TomoNewsUS
Twitter @tomonewsus http://www.twitter.com/TomoNewsUS
Google+ http://plus.google.com/+TomoNewsUS/
Instagram @tomonewsus http://instagram.com/tomonewsus