The Biden administration, nearing the end of its term, has decided to remove Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism.
On the 14th (local time), President Joe Biden informed Congress of this policy, the White House announced. Regarding the reason for the removal, the White House stated, "Cuba has not provided any support for international terrorist activities over the past six months," and "the Cuban government has pledged not to support international terrorism in the future."
This policy by the Biden administration is part of negotiations in which the Cuban government agreed to release political prisoners through mediation by the Catholic Church. In the communist country of Cuba, large-scale protests demanding the "overthrow of dictatorship" were held in July 2021 as citizens exhausted by the COVID-19 pandemic took to the streets. The Cuban government detained hundreds of protesters, drawing criticism from the international community. According to the Associated Press, the Cuban government plans to release a significant number of political prisoners before noon on the 20th, when President Biden's term ends.
The U.S. government also plans to ease economic sanctions imposed on Cuba. If Cuba is removed from the state sponsors of terrorism list, restrictions on arms exports and trade will be lifted, and Cuba will be able to freely access the U.S. financial system.
However, the Associated Press predicts that this decision is likely to be reversed by a second Trump administration. During his first term in office in 2017, then-President Donald Trump tightened economic sanctions on Cuba, including restrictions on remittances to the U.S. and travel regulations. Senator Marco Rubio, nominated as Secretary of State for a potential second Trump administration, supports sanctions against Cuba.
Meanwhile, designation as a state sponsor of terrorism imposes sanctions such as restrictions on arms exports, controls on dual-use goods exports, limitations on U.S. aid, and financial restrictions.
The U.S. government designated Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism in March 1982, citing support for South American insurgencies, but removed it from the list in 2015 during the Barack Obama administration after 33 years. However, then-President Trump re-designated Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism in January 2021, just before the end of his first term.
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