University of Texas-Austin
Julia Sweig is a senior research fellow at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. A long-time scholar of US-Cuba relations, she is the author of Friendly Fire: Losing Friends and Making Enemies in the Anti-American Century and Cuba: What Everyone Needs to Know.
Sweig is a former director of Latin America Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.
Trump takes harder line on travel to Cuba Florida's Republican Senator, Marco Rubio, flew to Miami today with President Trump and introduced him, "A year a half ago an American president landed in Havana to outstretch his hand to the regime. Today an American president lands in Miami and reached out his hand to the people of Cuba." The President claimed he's fulfilled his campaign promise to reverse Obama's diplomatic re-engagement. Julia Sweig, senior researcher at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas-Austin and author of Cuba: What Everyone Needs to Know , discusses how the new changes will affect Americans, Cubans and the hospitality industry – including the Trump Organization.
US Removes Cuba from List of State Sponsors of Terror There was a major step forward in the process of normalizing relations with Cuba today as President Obama officially removed Cuba from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism, where it's figured since 1982. The move, while expected, is historic. It follows meetings last month between Obama and Cuban President Raúl Castro. But it doesn't mean that the US will lift all sanctions against our southern neighbor. Julia Sweig is a senior research fellow at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. She's also author of Cuba: What Everyone Needs to Know .
Trade and Travel Rules for Cuba Take Effect This Week The Obama Administration today announced new rules for travel to Cuba . They'll take effect tomorrow. Strictly speaking, they don't allow tourism in the traditional sense. But one long-time student of US-Cuba relations says the travel ban has basically come to an end — after more than 50 years. She's Julia Sweig, author of Cuba: What Everyone Needs to Know .
President Obama Opens a Door to Cuba More than 50 years after the US ended diplomatic relations with Cuba, President Obama made history today — renewing ties that were ended before he was born. There have been 18 months of secret negotiations, ended by a phone call with Raoul Castro, the President of Cuba. The Administration will open an embassy in Havana, ask Congress to end the trade embargo and use other means to improve Cuba's human rights record. We hear how the deal came about, the role of Pope Francis, and sample political reaction.
A New President Goes South of the Border On a trip to Chile, Vice President Biden met with the leaders of several Latin American countries. But on his way to the Summit of the Americas , President Obama will visit just one. Tomorrow, he makes his first trip to Mexico.
A New President Goes South of the Border On a trip to Chile, Vice President Biden met with the leaders of several Latin American countries. But on his way to the Summit of the Americas , President Barack Obama will visit just one. Today the President defended his tax policies . Tomorrow, he'll head for Mexico before continuing on to the Caribbean for the summit. After six years of growth, Latin America is hard hit by the recession, and leaders are looking for help from a new US president who's popular in their countries. Will Obama seize the chance to re-engage? Will he be upstaged by Venezuela's Hugo Chavez? What about Cuba? In addition to supporting President Calderon's war on drugs, will Obama push for reforms in Mexico's justice system?
Who's to blame for the opioid crisis? Some of the lawyers who took on Big Tobacco are now going after Big Pharma. It’s all about the deadly epidemic of opioid use. Are the drug companies to blame? What about the users? Later, on today’s Talking Point: making sense of Britain’s upset election.
The longest US war: Will Trump send more troops to Afghanistan? The Trump White House is divided over the Pentagon's request for more troops in Afghanistan—where the US has been fighting for the past 16 years. Is there a formula -- either for "victory" or a political settlement? Is there an end in sight for America's longest war?
What is Trump's plan for Middle East peace? On his first foreign tour, President Trump has promised "peace" between Israel and the Palestinians. Are there any details for re-starting talks that have been stalled for the past three years?
Replacing Obamacare: Now you see it… now you don’t As the Senate deliberates replacing Obmacare, health coverage for millions of people is at stake. There've been no public hearings, and a draft measure won't be made public. Is the House version so unpopular that that Senate is hiding a version that looks much the same?
