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A History of Tension: 50 Years of U.S.-Cuba Relations [Interactive Timeline]

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Courtesy of the Center on Foreign Relations

Break out the cigars (the good ones)!

The United States will restore diplomatic relations with Cuba, ending 50 years of Cold War hostilities between the two nations, President Obama announced Wednesday. The news comes after the release of an American aid worker who had been held in a Cuban prison for the last five years on charges of espionage. It was part of a deal negotiated over 18 months of secret talks between the two nations, and with the support of Pope Francis.

In a recent phone call, Obama and President Raúl Castro of Cuba agreed to play nice. As part of the deal, Obama will use his executive authority to ease restrictions on Cuban travel and trade, and establish an embassy in Havana. Although the president lacks the power to completely end the 50-year trade embargo with Cuba (doing so requires an act of Congress), these actions are big step in that direction.

“We will end an outdated approach that for decades has failed to advance our interests and instead we will begin to normalize relations between our two countries,” Obama said in a nationally televised statement. The deal will “begin a new chapter among the nations of the Americas” and move beyond a “rigid policy that’s rooted in events that took place before most of us were born.”

America has had a long, tormented relationship with this small island nation that sits just 90 miles off the shores of Florida. Key dramatic events are chronicled in this timeline, produced by the Center on Foreign Relations.

[Correction: An earlier version of this post stated that President Obama’s executive action would end the U.S. trade embargo on Cuba. Rather, it will ease trade and travel restrictions, but not actually end the embargo — that can only be done by Congress.]

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