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KATIE COURIC: On December 17th, 2014,
President Obama announced that the US and Cuba would restore
diplomatic relations for the first time in more
than 50 years.
So what was going on in Cuba then and now,
and why is our new theme song "Why Can't We Be Friends?"
[MUSIC - WAR, "WHY CAN'T WE BE FRIENDS"]
Let's rewind.
Our relationship with Cuba wasn't always on the rocks.
After all, they gave us the daiquiri--
MICHAEL CORLEONE: Banana daiquiri
KATIE COURIC: --Uncle Milty's favorite stogies, and of
course, Ricky Ricardo.
RICKY ROCARDO: (SINGING) Babaloo!
That was when Fulgencio Batista was in charge,
but in 1959, Fidel Castro led a revolt
to overthrow the pro-American dictator.
Fidel was a communist, and suddenly the Soviet Union
became his biggest ally.
Eisenhower was president, and Ike did not
like this new arrangement so he ended diplomatic relations
with Cuba, shut down the US embassy in Havana,
and imposed an economic embargo he
hoped would squeeze the country and turn
the people against Castro.
President Kennedy took it a step further
and tried to remove Fidel by carrying out
the Bay of Pigs Invasion.
Hashtag #epicfail.
A year later, Soviet missile sites were spotted in Cuba.
The weapons were removed after a tense, 13-day standoff known
as the Cuban Missile Crisis.
For the next 50 years plus, the economic embargo
and a lot of bad blood between the countries
left Cuba isolated and in many ways stuck in 1959.
No new cars, no internet, old fashioned movie theaters,
and a lot of buildings badly in need of repair.
All told, the embargo has cost Cuba $1.1 trillion
in trade and tourism.
Meanwhile, some argue the embargo has not
had the intended results.
Much of the world has condemned it
because it hurts the Cuban people and not
the leadership of the country.
The Castro brothers are still in power,
although now it's Raul who's been in charge since 2008.
Fidel's health is a big question mark.
When President Obama took office,
he started to reach out, first with baby steps, and then
a big leap.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: We will begin to normalize relations
between our two countries.
KATIE COURIC: So will the next step the lifting the embargo?
PRESIDENT OBAMA: As President of the United States,
I've called on our Congress to lift the embargo.
KATIE COURIC: More than half of Cuban Americans
want it lifted but older Cubans who
had to flee when Castro took over are still angry
and think it needs to stay in place.
Ultimately, Congress will have to decide.
Officials from both countries are
trying to talk it out and answer that age old question, where
is this relationship going?
Whether the two nations will be friends with benefits
or committed partners, as Cuba and the US figure it out,
at least you can say, "Now I get it."