#TBT: The Cuban Thaw

 

     Between 2014 and 2017, with the help of the Holy See and the government of Canada, Barack Obama was able to restore relations with Cuba while also continuing to develop America's relationship with Vietnam and becoming the first sitting president to visit Myanmar and Laos. 

     Known as the "Cuban Thaw," this process was announced by Obama and Cuban President Raúl Castro on December 17th, 2014. It resulted in the reopening of American embassies in Cuba and vice-versa, the lifting of travel and banking restrictions, the removal of Cuba from the State Sponsors of Terrorism List, and Obama becoming the first president to visit Cuba since the Cold War.

     While Trump attempted to reverse these policies, he was largely unsuccessful, and America continues to improve its relationships with countries it once opposed during the Cold War.