Ever since Fidel Castro and his 26th July Movement started the Cuban revolution in 1959, diplomatic relationships between the United States Of America and Cuba have been rather sour.  A trade embargo was brought in by the US government that would not allow US companies to trade with Cuba and  this embargo has remained in place  to the present day and will likely remain until the US sees the Cuban government take more care of their citizens by allowing democracy and stopping what they believe is continued human rights abuses.

President Obama and his government have made steps to loosen the restrictions with Cuba announcing recently that students and some religious groups will be allowed to travel to Cuba,  US airports can now offer charter flights to Cuban airports and Cubans living in America can send money home, as long as it is going into the hands of non communists.

All though this is not a great lead forward in terms of the whole problem, it is a step in the right direction for businesses in the USA and Cuba that may wish to trade sometime in the future.  It may mean that more Cubans will be allowed to prosper under a democratic government and all sorts of things will get cheaper and more widely available, from central heating components to medicine to food.  It could be just what the Cuban people need to deliver themselves from a Communist dictatorship.

Although relations between the US and Cuba are still not always very clear, reasonable or even very easy for most people outside of the world of politics to understand, there is one occasion where representatives from both nations do get to meet, mingle and perhaps even exchange ideas and that is over a soccer ball at the Copa de Oro.

The Copa de Oro is played every 2 years, basically providing a dose of international competition between FIFA World Cup tournaments, which are played every two years. A number of nations from all over the world participate, including Cuba and the US with all the participants basically coming from North America, Central America and the Caribbean. That does mean that South American powerhouses like Argentina and Brazil are not participants at the Copa de Oro and the weaker teams on the international scene get the chance to shine a little and show the world what they can do.

Cuba is not particularly a soccer loving nation, baseball is the real national pastime. However it is not the chosen sport of many US sports fans either, although it has grown in popularity over the last decade or so with the introduction of a national soccer league, the MLS and an improved national team that can now compete with some of the biggest names in the world.

Soccer in Cuba is also developing but at a slower rate. Once more women played the sport than men did but gradually the gentlemen are catching up. Encouragingly their male youth sides, especially their under seventeen side, are doing very well in international competitions, holding their own against “stronger” teams. Therefore the chances are that not too long from now a US/Cuba match up in the Copa de Oro could turn out to be a very interesting meeting indeed.

Amidst the propaganda of the Cuban government about the threat the United States military imposes to their nation’s sovereignty, another enemy is busy occupying their island.  China has been sending huge fleets of Haier refrigerators to Cuba’s’ shores.

Over a quarter of million Cuban households are replacing their inefficient refrigeration appliances with Chinese built Haier fridges.  Unsurprisingly, these exchanges are mandatory. But also worthy of note is that they are not free.

Poor households – of which there is no shortage in Cuba – are being ordered to take out loans from the government in order to pay for their new appliances.  For some people the sums involved are close to a year’s pay.

The reason for this exchange is nominally to improve energy efficiency in the country, which is well known for is ailing power systems. Rolling blackouts are common, and this is one of the methods the government is pursuing to attempt to alleviate the problems.

Comrade Citizens are not all happy with the changes, and the refrigerator reviews are not exactly positive.  The older models – while energy hogs – were very durable, with some households having seen decades of use from them.   Another common complaint is that the newer refrigerators are smaller.  People are upset that they can no longer preserve as much food as they were previously accustomed to.

The old refrigerators are being taken away by the government and turned into another revenue scheme – scrap metal to be sold overseas.  Some find it particularly galling that they are forced to pay for these new refrigerators while the state profits from their old ones.

While the great refrigerator invasion is no Bay of Pigs, it does symptomize the ongoing weakness of the Cuban economy and its utter dependency on sympathetic – and richer – nations in so many different ways.

Cuba and America have without question suffered a strained relationship for many years and the implications of this are far reaching for everyday people like you and me. There are so many restrictions in place for both Cubans, Americans and Cuban Americans that it seems ridiculous in this day and age.

Travel is restricted with American citizens not being able to go to Cuba without the permission of the US government, if this wasn’t sad enough even the amount of times Cuban Americans can visit their homeland is restricted to once every 3 years. There are many other problems that exist, some major and others minor. For new generations of Cubans growing up and that can afford an Internet connection there are ways for them to shop for famous brands that they cannot get hold of within the country.

Although buying from US online retailers is all but impossible due to restrictions in place, consumers can shop in other countries such as the UK that hold no restriction on deliveries to Cuba. So if you are searching for the latest in womens designer shoes or even just DVD’s or music albums then doing it this way offers another alternative.

Some friends of ours have just returned from a holiday in Cuba, paid for by their family as one of their golden wedding anniversary gifts. Apparently the couple visited the country many years ago and on this second visit they report many differences in the country which they suggest are a consequence of the economic sanctions imposed by the USA.

The Cuba missile crisis seems a long time ago, as does the Bay of Pigs episode; so maybe it is time for a change in America’s attitude to their neighbour.

Although personally if we make it to our golden wedding anniversary I can think of better gifts than a trip to Cuba, surely that country is no longer deemed to be any sort of threat to the USA? So, I suggest it is time to mend the broken fences and make friends. It is never a good idea to fall out with your neighbours.