Cuba-US relations

"This book is unique. It brings together experts from Cuba, the United States, and throughout the Americas to analyze Cuba-US relations since the December 17, 2014 announcements by President Raúl Castro and President Barak Obama that a process of normalization of relations would be inititated. Since then Cuba and the US have engaged in bilateral negotiations, as well as technical talks on a range of issues including migration, environmental protection, telecommunications, iterdicting human and drug trafficking, and trade, commerce, and banking, among other issues. This book evaluates the progress made to date and the challenges that currently face the negotiators. These include the US embargo of Cuba and the ban on travel by US citizens to the island, which require congressional action to eliminate. Cuba and the US both have monetary claims against each other that the authors analyze in terms of possible solutions. Impediments arising from domestic conditions in both countries are also examined. The book concludes with a study of the "spoilers" -- the factors and actors that could derail the process. This work is aimed at all those interested not only in Cuba-US relations, but also in how diplomacy can achieve what hard pressure did not."--Back cover.