Crumbling Cuba-US Relations Impact Binational Science

Recent changes in policy regarding relations between Cuba and the US may mean more than just burning bridges; the collaboration between the US and other Cuban science programs could cease to function effectively, if at all. While the relationship between the two countries deteriorates, conflict prevents the growth and sharing of ideas and work that have so recently begun to occur.

Since the 1950s, the US-Cuba relationship has stood on thin ice, especially when the United States attempted to cease any economic or diplomatic relations with Cuba. Only in recent years, under the Obama administration, steps had been taken to rekindle any broken ties. On March 21, 2016, Obama was the first president to visit Cuba in almost 90 years. This major diplomatic advancement brought in new hopes of revitalizing liaisons in all aspects, economically, socially, and scientifically, that were once lost.

However, in the wake of current actions taken by the regnant US government, there is concern with how international programs in STEM fields will continue to function. Limits put on travel to Cuba have restricted the collaboration of various programs in place or soon to come. The Cuba Program is an example of an interconnected affair that deals with modern science and is associated with other American programs. It’s mission statement follows:

“The SSRC (Social Science Research Council) Working Group on Cuba was established in 1997 in partnership with the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) and the Academy of Sciences in Havana, with the purpose of extending and broadening scholarly relations between Cuba and the United States. Since that time, the program has provided funds to facilitate travel by researchers to and from Cuba, to enable the translation or publication of scholarly works by Cuban researchers, and to assist Cuban libraries, archives, and museums in developing and maintaining resources for scholarly access.”

Due to decreasing visa restrictions in 2011, a group of SSRC were invited to meet with a group of ACLS members in New York. For the first time in ten years, Cuban representatives were able to collaborate with US representatives. But despite this progressive measure, new policies (according to the US Embassy In Cuba) state that there are only 12 approved reasons for travel between countries. Under this administration, government funded or employed scientists will find trouble continuing to research collaboratively. The new open-armed welcome we once gave to Cuban collaborators has quickly come to a close. Already, funds have been cut as in the case with the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH). The NIH had partnered with Cuban researchers studying mosquito-born viruses; however, funds for their research have been put on hold due to difficulties in transferring money with the cause possibly stemming back to the restrictions recently enforced. These restrictions beg the question: what does this mean for scientific progress with projects in either country?