April 18, 2019

Anna Wood 

On April 17, Mike Pompeo, US Secretary of State, declared a new policy to allow lawsuits against foreign firms that deal with properties seized from Americans after the 1959 revolution. Pompeo said the lawsuits can be started on May 2 although this policy shift stirs great anger of European Union.

This declaration is a great blow to Cuba’s weak economy at this moment and dozens of Canadian and European firms would lose tens of billions of dollars in compensation and interest.

On the same day in Miami, John Bolton, national security advisor, delivered a speech on the 58th anniversary of the failed Bay of Pigs invasion. He also mentioned a new cap for the amount of money sent to Americans’ relatives in Cuba besides limiting “non-family” travel by Americans to Cuba. Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel responded, “We
Cubans do not surrender.” The Central Bank of Venezuela and financial services provider Bancorp for Nicaraguan President are also sanctioned.

Donald Trump’s different decision from the former American presidents has aroused international outrage. Critics think Trump’s new sanctions will only hurt everyday Cubans and won’t deliver Florida to him again in 2020.