USCuba

USCuba refers to the bilateral relationship between the United States and Cuba, covering diplomacy, trade and investment, migration, security, and cultural exchange. The history of the relationship is marked by periods of cooperation and tension, beginning with early U.S. involvement in Cuba after its independence, and shaped by the Platt Amendment of 1901-02, which gave the United States a degree of influence over Cuban affairs for decades.

The Cuban Revolution of 1959 transformed the dynamic, as the new Cuban government nationalized properties and aligned with the Soviet bloc. In the 1960s the United States imposed a comprehensive embargo and sanctions, and tensions escalated with events such as the Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961 and the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. Over the following decades, economic and political embargo measures, alongside episodic diplomacy, defined Washington–Havana interactions. Migration and people-to-people contacts, including family networks and educational exchanges, became important channels in the practical relationship.

In the mid-2010s, the relationship moved toward limited normalization. The United States and Cuba restored formal diplomatic relations in 2015, reopened embassies, and pursued steps to ease some travel and licensing restrictions, though the embargo remained in force. Since then, policy has fluctuated with changes in U.S. administrations. The Trump administration tightened aspects of travel, remittances, and licensing, while subsequent policy shifts have varied in scope. Today, USCuba continues to be influenced by domestic politics in both countries, the contours of the embargo, Cuba’s state-led economy, and broader regional and international considerations, including human rights concerns and diaspora ties.