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1 1 (August 6, 2021)

handle is hein.crs/goveegs0001 and id is 1 raw text is: ~in~ th ~ i~k del ~te ~i 1~ 14 Updated August 6, 2021 Cuba: U.S. Policy Overview Cuban Political and Economic Developments Cuba remains a one-party authoritarian state with a government that has sharply restricted freedoms of expression, as sociation, as sembly, and other basic human rights since the early years ofthe 1959 Cuban revolution. Current President Miguel Dfaz-Canel succeeded Radl Castro in 2018. In April 2021, Dfaz-Canel also succeeded Castro as head of the Cuban Communist Party (PCC) at its eighth party congress. The departure of Castro and other older leaders fromthe PCC's Politburo reflects the generational chang e in Cuban leadership that began several years ago. While in power (2006-2018), Rail Castro began to move Cuba toward a more mixed economy with a strongerprivate sector, buthis government's slow, gradualist approach did not produce major improvements. Cuba adopted a new constitution in 2019 that introduced some reforms but maintained the state's dominance over the economy and the PCC's predominant politicalrole. The Cuban economy is being hard-hit by the economic shutdown associated with the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic; Venezuela's economic crisis, which has reduced Venezuelan financial support; and U.S. economic sanctions. The Cuban government reports the economy contracted 11% in 2020, and the Economist Intelligence Unit projects 2.2% growth in 2021. In January 2021, Cuba eliminated its dual currency system; the long- debated reformhas spurred inflation, but economists maintain it should boost productivity in the long term. Cuba's public health response to the pandemic initially kept cases and deaths low, but both increasedin late 2020 and have surged in 2021. As ofAugust 5,2021, the country had reported 3,091 deaths, with a mortality rate over 27 per 100,000 people, according to Johns Hopkins University. Cuba has developed two vaccines and, as ofAugust5, 2021, had fully vaccinated 24% ofits population, far from its goalofhaving 70% vaccinated by the end of August. Beginning in November 2020, the government cracked down strongly on the San Isidro Movement (MSI), a civil society group opposed torestrictions on artistic expression. Motivated by the repression of the MSI, in February 2021, a group of well-known Cuban hip-hop recording artists released a song and music video, Patria y Vida, critical of the government that became an instant hit. On July 11, 2021, widespread anti-government demonstrations broke outin Havanaand in cities and towns throughout the country, with thousands of Cubans protesting shortages of food and medicine, daily blackouts, and slow progress on COVID-19 vaccinations and chanting freedom, a reference to the country's authoritarian system The governmentresponded with harshmeasures, including widespread detentions ofhundreds ofprotesters, activists, andjournalists, according to Cuban human rights groups, which reported summary trials for some of those detained. The government blocked access to socialmedia and mess agingplatforms thathadbeen instrumental in bringing Cubans to the streets. As of August 3,2021, the human rights group Cuban Prisoners Defenders (CPD) reported 272 political prisoners (up from 152 on July 1), with 198 imprisoned and considered prisoners of conscience by CPD, 39 under conditionalrelease, and 41 imprisoned for other politically motivated acts. U.S. Policy Since the early 1960s, when the United States imposed a trade embargo on Cuba, the centerpiece of U.S. policy toward Cuba has consisted of economic sanctions aimed at isolating the Cuban government. In late 2014, the Obama Administration initiateda policy shift away fromsanctions and toward engagement and the normalization ofrelations. Changes included the rescission of Cuba's designation as a state sponsor of international terrorism(May 2015); the restorationof diplomatic relations (July 2015); and an easing of restrictions on travel, remittances, trade, telecommunications, and banking and financialservices (2015-2016). The restorationofrelations led to increased government-to-government engagement, with over 20 bilateral agreements and numerous dialogues. President Trump unveiled his Administration's Cuba policy in 2017, issuing a national security presidential memorandumthat introduced new sanctions, including restrictions ontransactions with companies controlled by the Cuban military. By 2019, the Trump Administrationhad largely abandoned engagement and significantly increased sanctions, particularly on travel and remittances, to pressure Cuba on human rights and for its supportof the Venezuelan government of Nicolas Maduro. The Biden Administration has been conducting a review of policy toward Cuba. The White House press secretary said on March 9, 2021, that although a Cuba policy shift was not among the President's top priorities, the Administration was committed to making human rights a core pillar ofpolicy and would review policy decisions made in the prior administration, including thedecisionto designate Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism. Sanctions imposed under the Trump Administrationremain in place. In May, the State Department renewed Cuba's designation as a country not cooperating fully with U.S. anti-terrorismefforts. On July 1, it cited Cub a for labor abuses as sociated with its foreign medical missions and continued to rank Cuba as Tier 3, the worst ranking, in its 2021 Trafficking in Persons report.

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