Recently, steps have been made to normalize relations with a communist country that has been secluded from diplomatic relations with the United States for nearly 60 years.

On Jan. 7, President Obama called for an end to the Cuban embargo that has been in place since the Kennedy administration. The embargo was set in place in October 1960, almost two years after the overthrow of the Batista regime by Fidel Castro’s communist forces during the Cuban Revolution.

Obama’s plan would greatly change the relations with Cuba and the United States, opening more opportunity for trade and larger remittances between the two governments.

David Andersen, assistant professor in political science, said ending the embargo would have a positive effect on the U.S. economy.

“If we can normalize things, it’s good for American business because they will buy a lot of our goods,” Andersen said. “Cuba is a great travel destination and they have good industries we could trade with.”

Andersen said the current Cuban president, Raúl Castro, is more ambivalent than his predecessor and most likely more open to talks with the U.S.

Steven Fales, a retired agronomy lecturer, had the opportunity to visit Cuba in order to study food production and urban farming in the country.

Fales and 10 ISU graduate students traveled to the Cuba in 2011 under a strict educational sanctioned tour.

“The oppressiveness of the government was not obvious, but it was still there,” Fales said. “Everything was controlled, including food and Internet access. They could not criticize the government, so they were not very free to talk.”

Fales said he found the Cuban people to be very warm and welcoming to him and his students.

Mary Wiedenhoeft, agronomy professor, traveled with Fales in 2011. She said the people were very proud of their history and seemed to thrive as well. The Cuban people spoke highly of their government, due to the free education and health care.

Wiedenhoeft said there was only one instance throughout the trip that she felt was very politically clear.

“There was one meeting where we were sat down and given a presentation with a clear agenda,” Wiedenhoeft said. “That was about the Cuban Five, and that we should return home and try to advocate for their release.”

The Cuban Five are five Cuban men who were arrested on American soil in 1998 and charged with espionage. Three of five were released recently in a proposed prisoner swap with Cuba for an American named Alan Phillip Gross. The swap took place in December 2014.

Andersen said Cuba is one of the last remaining communist countries in the world and the U.S. is one of the few countries that does not have an ambassador placed in its capital, Havana.

Democrats say the embargo has done nothing to dislodge President Fidel Castro’s regime in Cuba and hail Obama’s plan as a good opportunity for better diplomatic relations.

Wiedenhoeft said she believes the embargo has not done the job it was meant to do.

“My understanding of the embargo was that it was meant to bring down the Castros, but they’re still in power fifty years later,” Wiedenhoeft said. “It’s so funny we’re concerned with a communist island that is just not powerful at all, but we’ll do anything and everything for China, which is just as communist.”

However, Republicans in Congress have made it clear they will block any action made to pass this act.

Andersen said Republicans are not the only ones who don’t want to see the embargo end.

“Cuban-Americans who fled here when Castro came into power really don’t want to see the United States help Cuba in any way shape or form,” Andersen said. “By normalizing relations, it would give a massive boost to the Cuban economy and that should only help the new Castro stay in power.”

However, Andersen said he believes the younger generation of Cuban-Americans born in the U.S. would want to normalize relations. This is because they have not experienced the fear their predecessors had in Cuba and they are curious to see their parents’ homeland and family members who still live there.

Fales said he believes the citizens in Cuba would want to see better relations with the U.S.

“Among the people, I didn’t see any type of anti-Americanism,” Fales said. “But they do feel that America has cheated them.”

Andersen said he believes nothing will be accomplished before the presidential election, but progress will most likely be made within the next 10 years.

“Obama has limited power in what he can do,” Andersen said. “It’s going to be up to the next president and most likely up to the next Congress.”