HAVANA, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- Though less than 150 km away, Cuba and the United States have for the past half century been distanced by their difference in political ideology.
It was not always that way. During the rule of Cuban dictator Gen. Fulgencio Batista (1940-1944 and 1952-1959 in office), the two governments collaborated closely and U.S. companies flourished in the Caribbean island country.
Batista's excesses, however, led to the uprising that brought revolutionary Fidel Castro to power in 1959. The socialist system he installed so close to U.S. shores soon led Washington to impose economic embargo against the country in 1962, in a bid to isolate and topple the fledgling reformist government.
Cuba looked to the former Soviet Union for support and got it. That relationship helped the tiny Caribbean nation thrive despite even greater restrictions imposed by the United States.
The breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991 plummeted Cuba into an economic crisis that lasted until Hugo Chavez came to power in oil-rich Venezuela in 1999, and was willing and able to offer a helping hand. By that, Cuba's economy managed to sputter on.
The need for greater economic reforms in Cuba coincided with Fidel Castro's retirement and the succession of his brother Raul in 2008.
Raul Castro has spearheaded a package of economic reforms, including opening up the economy to greater foreign investment, which have drawn attention of global investors, including those in the United States.
U.S. President Barack Obama has recently noted the embargo against Cuba has harmed U.S. interests by preventing American companies from doing business in the country, while many European nations, such as Spain, are operating freely there.
At the same time, political pressure on the United States to change its anti-Cuba policy has been on the rise.
In October, the United Nations General Assembly voted again in favor of a resolution condemning the embargo. The vote has practically turned into an annual ritual that criticize Washington's outdated stance, with the international community voting almost unanimously in favor of Cuba.
The decision announced Wednesday by Cuba and the United States to restore ties marked the first step toward establishing a mutually beneficial relationship, but that is not likely to happen until the embargo is fully lifted.
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