US–Cuba accord holds promise for science
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.028508
Science : Yesterday President Obama and Cuban president Raúl Castro reached a landmark agreement to restore diplomatic relations between their two countries. For the past half-century, the US has imposed economic sanctions and a trade embargo on Cuba to punish the communist regime set up by Fidel Castro. The recent accord bodes well for the scientific community, according to Alan Leshner, CEO of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. The new policy could boost collaboration between scientists in the two countries, allow US groups to organize workshops and meetings in Cuba, and support the export of scientific equipment to Cuba to pursue certain areas of research, such as the study of hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico. However, the agreement is expected to meet with opposition in the US Congress.
