Cuba, United States Establish Diplomatic Relations After 55 Years

The governments of Cuba and the United States made history today by announcing that they will normalize their diplomatic relations after 55 years.

The New York Times reports that the resumption of diplomatic relations between the two countries was made possible by a series of secret meetings held in Canada and the Vatican over 18 months.

The last meeting which sealed the deal was hosted by the Vatican, and the Pope personally reached out to both Barack Obama and Raul Castro during the negotiations.

The restoration of relations was made possible in large part by a prisoner swap between the two countries. The United States released three spies that had been in its custody in exchange for the release of an unnamed US spy that was being held by Cuba, according to the Times.

Cuba also released a contractor named Alan Gross who was arrested in 2009. The release of Gross was not a part of the intelligence asset swap. Cuba will also set free 53 individuals that the US deemed to be political prisoners.

The decision to normalize relations will make it easier to send money to and from Cuba, and it will also make travel between the two countries easier. Along with these changes, both nations will establish embassies to facilitate diplomatic exchange.

The largest issue in the relationship is an economic embargo which has made trade between both countries essentially non-existent. The embargo can only be lifted through an act of Congress.

Powerful Senators Robert Menendez, Marco Rubio, and Ted Cruz all have Cuban heritage and were opposed to the rapprochement between the two countries, meaning that the lifting of the economic embargo is no sure thing.

The Times reports that the State Department has also begun a formal review of its designation of Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism.