Widespread speculation that the Obama administration will loosen restrictions on the ability of American citizens to visit Cuba has put travel to the island back in the spotlight. If you are hoping that the president's expected announcement will allow you to travel to Cuba, there are a few things to consider.
Iran and Cuba are the most visible examples of the failure or unilateral and extraterritorial sanctions to achieve their stated objectives and of the negative international repercussions of extraterritoriality. When additional sanctions are considered as a foreign policy measure, as they currently are in the case of Iran, we strongly recommend that they be carefully coordinated with the target country’s other trading partners, thereby multilateralizing them, and that they do not include extraterritorial measures that the history of existing sanctions has demonstrated are counterproductive.
A group of experts on Iran policy has called for "open[ing] the door to direct, unconditional and comprehensive negotiations at the senior diplomatic level." The statement also suggests that, "History shows that sanctions alone are unlikely to succeed, and a strategy limited to escalating threats or attacking Iran is likely to backfire." NFTC Vice President Jake Colvin briefed experts and authored a commissioned paper on which the statement draws.
In testimony delivered yesterday before a subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC) President and USA*Engage Co-Chair Bill Reinsch outlined key issues plaguing U.S. export control administration.
Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez met with business leaders in Memphis last Friday, nothing that last year trade was responsible for 26 percent of America’s growth.
USA*Engage helped spearhead a letter to Maryland State Senators urging them to oppose a resolution which would embrace current U.S. restrictions on trade and travel to Cuba. Read the letter below:
On Tuesday, USA*Engage director Jake Colvin participated in a media call on the Resignation of Fidel Castro. Full transcript at the link, read on for Colvin's remarks.
This morning, the Senate passed a resolution sponsored by Senators Biden and Lugar, and supported by USA*Engage , that calls for an increased commitment to peacekeeping forces in Darfur. Read on for the Biden/Lugar press release.
Earlier this week, USA*Engage's sister organization NFTC released a statement welcoming new U.S. investment and financial services negotiations with Singapore, Chile, New Zealand and Brunei.
