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1 1 (September 3, 2021)

handle is hein.crs/govehlz0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congre sonl Rfese Updated September 3, 2021 Cuba: U.S. Policy Overview Cuban Plitical and Econom Deveoprent s Cuba remains a one-party authoritarian state with a government that has sharply restricted freedoms of expression, association, assembly, and other basic human rights since the early years of the 1959 Cuban revolution. Current President Miguel Diaz-Canel succeeded Raul Castro in 2018. In April 2021, Diaz-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 from the PCC's Politburo reflects the generational change in Cuban leadership that began several years ago. While in power (2006-2018), Raul Castro began to move Cuba toward a more mixed economy with a stronger private sector, but his 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 political role. 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 reform has 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 increased in late 2020 and have surged in 2021. As of September 3, 2021, the country reported over 5,400 deaths, with a mortality rate of 47 per 100,000 people, according to Johns Hopkins University. Cuba has produced two vaccines, but at the end of August said that it would also start using a vaccine from China. As of September 3, 2021, Cuba had fully vaccinated 35% of its population, afar from its goal of 70% 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 to restrictions 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 out in Havana and 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 long- standing concerns about the lack of freedom of expression and assembly. The government responded with harsh measures, including widespread detentions of hundreds of protesters, activists, and journalists, according to Cuban human rights groups, which reported summary trials for some of those detained. The government blocked access to social media and messaging platforms that had been instrumental in bringing Cubans to the streets. As of September 1, 2021, the human rights group Cuban Prisoners Defenders (CPD) reported 381 political prisoners (up from 152 on July 1), with 251 imprisoned and considered prisoners of conscience by CPD, 92 under conditional release, and 38 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 initiated a policy shift away from sanctions and toward engagement and the normalization of relations. Changes included the rescission of Cuba's designation as a state sponsor of international terrorism (May 2015); the restoration of diplomatic relations (July 2015); and an easing of restrictions on travel, remittances, trade, telecommunications, and banking and financial services (2015-2016). The restoration of relations 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 memorandum that introduced new sanctions, including restrictions on transactions with companies controlled by the Cuban military. By 2019, the Trump Administration had largely abandoned engagement and significantly increased sanctions, particularly on travel and remittances, to pressure Cuba on human rights and for its support of the Venezuelan government of Nicolis 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 of policy and would review policy decisions made in the prior administration, including the decision to designate Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism. In May, the State Department renewed Cuba's designation as a country not cooperating fully with U.S. anti-terrorism efforts. On July 1, it cited Cuba for labor abuses associated with its foreign medical missions and continued to rank Cuba as Tier 3, the worst ranking, in its 2021 Trafficking in Persons report. rch Se ii ~e1914

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