ENDURING DIPLOMATIC LEGACY
Though Kennedy's leadership no longer guides our nation, his legacy persists through modern leaders who fight for the same principles. From the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaties, to Obama's recent decision to resume diplomatic relations with Cuba, these actions all work towards the goal Kennedy always sought to fulfill: peace.
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"Over the following few years, the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), designed to halt the spread of nuclear weapons to other countries, was negotiated and signed, and the United States and Soviet Union took their first direct steps in nuclear arms control, starting with diplomatic discussions and then a summit in Glassboro, New Jersey, in 1967. Late 1969 saw the beginning of negotiations that led to the first Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT I) and the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty. The outcome was also a shot in the arm for U.S. diplomacy more generally and reinforced the notion that effective diplomacy has a central role to play in U.S. security policy" (USIP).
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NON-PROLIFERATION TREATY (NPT)
"The Non-proliferation Treaty is uniquely unequal, as it obliges nonnuclear states to forgo development of nuclear weapons while allowing the established nuclear states to keep theirs ... In the 2005 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on Non-proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, this inequality was a major complaint against the established nuclear powers. The treaty continues to play an important role in sustaining the international norm against proliferation, but it has been challenged by a number of events" (Britannica).
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STRATEGIC ARMS LIMITATION TREATY (SALT I&II)
"SALT I is considered the crowning achievement of the Nixon-Kissinger strategy of détente... Negotiations for a second round of SALT began in late 1972. The negotiations spanned the Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Jimmy Carter administrations... [It] sought to prevent both sides from making qualitative breakthroughs that would again destabilize the strategic relationship... At the November 1974 Vladivostok Summit, Ford and Brezhnev agreed on the basic framework of a SALT II agreement... Even after the Vladivostok agreements, the two nations could not resolve the two other outstanding issues from SALT I: the number of strategic bombers and the total number of warheads in each nation’s arsenal...On June 17, 1979, Carter and Brezhnev signed the SALT II Treaty in Vienna... On December 25, [1979], the Soviets invaded Afghanistan, and on January 3, 1980, Carter asked the Senate not to consider SALT II for its advice and consent, and it was never ratified. Both Washington and Moscow subsequently pledged to adhere to the agreement’s terms despite its failure to enter into force" (Office of the Historian).
CUBA TODAY
“The blockade is one of the main causes of the economic problems of [Cuba] and the major obstacle to its economic and social development" - Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cuba, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla.
United Nation's Perspective
Excerpt from "United Nations Resolution 68/8":
"The genocidal United States embargo constantly weighs on Cuba's health system, seriously impairing the health and well-being of the Cuban people... The Ministry of Health of the Republic of Cuba conservatively estimates the harm done at US $66.5 million"
"In today's world, the embargo acts as a serious barrier to the granting of concessionary loans to Cuba, the transfer of advanced technology, the mobilization of foreign capital, foreign direct investment, protection of the environment, and the country's full integration into the global economy."
"What characterizes the current U.S. stance is its insistence on punishing third parties for maintaining normal relations with Cuba, and the absurd claim that its laws have universal validity when it comes to the Cuban people. This [embargo] runs counter to all standards of international law that promote peaceful coexistence among the world's nations.
"This genocidal policy of embargo against Cuba is encountering constantly increasing opposition, both internationally and within the United States, as more and more protesters call for the lifting of the unilateral sanctions" (UN).
"The General Assembly ... adopted a resolution which for the twenty-third year in a row called for an end to the United States economic, commercial and financial embargo on Cuba" (UN).
President Obama
"U.S. President Barack Obama came into office seeking greater engagement with Cuba...During his first term, Obama permitted U.S. telecommunications companies to provide more cellular and satellite service in Cuba and allowed U.S. citizens to send remittances to non–family members in Cuba and to travel there under license for educational or religious purposes" (CFR).
"We will end an outdated approach that for decades has failed to advance our interests, and instead we will begin to normalize relations between our two countries” " President Obama on [December 17, 2014] ordered the restoration of full diplomatic relations with Cuba and the opening of an embassy in Havana for the first time in more than a half-century as he vowed to 'cut loose the shackles of the past' and sweep aside one of the last vestiges of the Cold War" (NYT).
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Economic Embargo
"As the White House moves to re-establish diplomatic relations with Cuba after a 50-year freeze, a group of senators is trying to open up more trade opportunities for American businesses. President Obama's announcement in December began a process to normalize relations between the two countries and created a few more avenues for American businesses to operate in Cuba. But the economic embargo on the communist island remains, severely limiting the ability of U.S. companies to trade with Cuba's government or its people" (USAToday).
"On [February 12, 2015] six senators filed a bill that would end the embargo. That would allow American companies to export their goods to Cuba, allow Cubans to sell their goods in the USA and eliminate banking restrictions that inhibit those processes" (USAToday).
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"By laying the groundwork for normal commercial relations, we can begin to provide greater access to the Cuban people to American products and more democratic ideas" - Senator Debbie Stabenow. |
However, "Republican leadership in Congress has given no indication that it would consider ending the 50-year-old trade embargo with Cuba. Some Republicans, led by Cuban-American Senators Marco Rubio, and Robert Menendez, have said the embargo should not be lifted until the Cuban government improves its human rights record, establishes legitimate elections and changes its political system" (USAToday).