CUBA WELCOMES US SHIPMENT AFTER A 50 YEAR TRADE EMBARGO

Anyone with a romantic vision of Cuba’s revolution should avoid reading the details, if they intend to keep it that way, that is. Like most great revolutions, Cuba’s was hijacked. People from all walks of life had joined the uprising to oust the corrupt dictator and American darling: Fulgencio Batista. A proportion originated from Cuba’s professional and privileged ranks and had a lot more to lose than Fidel Castro. After victory, however, many of these enlightened souls were imprisoned or killed. The lucky ones managed to escape abroad, mostly to the US, where there now are over a million exiles and their descendants. Ever since those events in 1959, the relations between the US and Cuba have been so strained, they very nearly caused a nuclear war.

Now, with a less militant American President in the Whitehouse and with Fidel Castro in the background, as his more reasonable brother, Raul, takes on the reins of power, the icy situation may be finally beginning to thaw. About time! The US embargo has been causing the islanders unfair and unnecessary hardship and even Pope Benedict XVI, when touring Cuba last March, criticised the US about it.

So the sight of the Ana Cecilia sailing into the port of Havana yesterday must have been a real symbol of hope and reconciliation. The cargo ship which had sailed out from Miami, USA, was carrying humanitarian aid, including medical supplies, food and clothing. This must now lead to the resumption of trade between the two countries, so that humanitarian aid will not be necessary in the future. It seems a bit incongruous to ostracise Cuba on the one hand and to invite China to make your Olympic costumes on the other.

TIMELINE OF US-CUBAN RELATIONS

October 1873 to February 1875
The Virginius Incident: The Virginius, a fast American ship leased to Cuban insurrectionists who were fighting for independence, is captured by the colonial power, Spain. The Spanish execute 53 members of the mostly American crew. The executions stop at the behest of the British government, whose citizens also formed part of the crew.

April 1898 to August 1898
The Spanish-American War: This was predominantly caused by America's support of the Cuban revolt and ended with Spain's defeat and the Treaty of Paris.

December 1898 to April 1899
The Treaty of Paris is signed and ratified: Spain surrenders control of Cuba to the US (together with Puerto Rico, parts of the West Indies, Guam, and the Philippines). Spain is however compensated by the US with a payment of twenty million dollars.

May 1902
Cuba becomes independent from the US and declares a republic.

February 1903
The Cuban-American Treaty: America assumes territorial control of the area around Guantánamo Bay through the agreement of a perpetual lease.

October 1940 to October 1944
The US backed Fulgencio Batista is president of Cuba.

March 1952
Batista ousts outgoing President Carlos Prío Socarrás in a military coup when he realises that he would lose the forthcoming elections. He is soon after recognised by the US.

January 1959
Batista flees to the Dominican Republic as revolutionary forces under Che Guevara begin to close in on his palace.

February 1959
The anti-American Fidel Castro becomes Prime Minister.

April 1961
Bay of Pigs Invasion (Batalla de Girón): American-supported Cuban exiles attempt to reclaim Cuba, but are defeated by Soviet trained Cuban forces.

November 1961
Operation Mongoose is endorsed by US President Kennedy: its aim is to destabilise the communist Cuban regime by any covert means possible (including, perhaps, the alleged exploding cigar plot on Castro).

October 1962
The Cuban Missile Crisis: The US blockades Cuba and raises the threat of a nuclear confrontation. The blockade is in retaliation for the installation of ballistic nuclear missiles on Cuba by the USSR; the missiles possessed the ability of striking most of the United States.

November 1962
The US blockade is officially lifted after secret negotiations with the USSR which resulted in concessions from both sides.

January 2009
Barack Obama is sworn in as the 44th President of the US, having been elected in November 2008. Once in office, he began to ease restrictions on Cuba by allowing travel to Cuba from the US and permitting unlimited remittances to Cuba from Cuban Americans.

December 2009
US citizen Alan Gross was arrested for distributing laptops and communications equipment to members of Cuba's small Jewish community under a US State Department contract. It emerged that the equipment had sophisticated satellite communication systems that was intended to support dissidents operating in Cuba. Gross was charged in 2011 and is serving a 15-year prison sentence in Cuba.

July 14, 2012
The first post-revolution shipment of supplies from the US arrives in Cuba.

July 2012
Despite Barack Obama's 2008 electoral promises to close the prison camp at Guantánamo, 168 detainees still remain incarcerated there.