Cuban thaw

The Cuban thaw^[1][2] (Spanish: deshielo cubano,^[3][4] pronounced [desˈʝelo kuˈβano]) was a normalization of Cuba–United States relations from July 2015 to June 2017, ending a 54-year stretch of hostility between the nations. In March 2016, Barack Obama became the first U.S. president to visit Cuba since Calvin Coolidge in 1928.^[5] The diplomatic détente was reversed by the U.S. government – under both Presidents Donald Trump and Joe Biden – due to a variety of subsequent geopolitical issues. Modern diplomatic relations are cold, stemming from historic conflict and divergent political ideologies.^[6][7]

The initial easing of relations was mediated by the Holy See (Pope Francis) and hosted by Canada after multilateral dialogue with First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba Raúl Castro in 2014.^[8] A normalization agreement was put in place that year, easing the U.S. embargo against Cuba. The agreement would lift restrictions on the Cuban travel ban, remittances to Cuba, and access to the Cuban financial system.^[9][10] The U.S. embassy in Havana and Cuban embassy in Washington both re-opened, previously designated as latent "interests sections".^[11][12] In 2015, the U.S. waived Cuba's designation as a State Sponsors of Terrorism, in a major U.S. foreign policy divergence.^[13]

Relations deteriorated sharply over the status of human rights in Cuba. The election of President Trump in 2017 led to a reversal of accommodative U.S. foreign policy toward Cuba.^[14][15] The U.S. embargo was significantly tightened with a travel ban preceding heightened restrictions on financial transactions benefiting the Cuban armed forces.^[16][17] The U.S. government further retaliated for protest crackdowns and human rights abuse in 2021 and again in 2024.^[18][19] Since the Cuban thaw, both nations have contested issues on counterterrorism, immigration, electoral interference, financial claims, fugitive extradition and Cuban foreign policy.