It’s one of those high-profile clubs reserved for a select few that you never want to be part of.
Just ask Cuba, who after more than three decades was finally removed from the U.S. State Sponsor of Terrorism list.
The State Department announced Friday (May 29) that it was officially lifting Cuba’s longstanding designation. The move is a major step towards re-establishing diplomatic ties between two nations that have been at odds since President Fidel Castro’s Communist government came to power more than 50 years ago.
President Obama announced efforts in December to resume diplomatic relations with the small Caribbean island nation that sits just 90 miles from U.S. shores. In April, Obama made history by meeting with Cuban President Raul Castro, the first time leaders of the two countries have convened since the 1950s.
The U.S. placed Cuba on its state sponsor of terrorism list in 1982, at a time when Cuba’s government was supporting leftist insurgencies abroad. A black stain on Cuba’s image, the designation has most importantly hindered its access to American banks and economic assistance. The list is reserved for nations that the U.S. State Department has determined to have “repeatedly provided support for acts of international terrorism.”
Iran, Syria and Sudan are the only remaining countries on it.
Despite this major step forward, there’s still a long way to go in the process of normalizing U.S.-Cuban relations, while opposition from certain members of Congress remains strong. And although the U.S. has lifted some travel restrictions, a tourism ban is still in place.
Scroll through this interactive timeline, produced by the Center on Foreign Relations, for more about America’s long, tormented relationship with Cuba.