Cuban Thaw

The Trump administration on Jan. 11 re-designated Cuba as a "state sponsor of terrorism," in a move that hits the country with new sanctions shortly before President-elect Joe Biden takes office.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the step, citing in particular Cuba's continued harboring of U.S. fugitives as well as its support for Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.

The Trump administration is considering closing the recently reopened United States Embassy in Havana after 21 Americans associated with the embassy experienced a host of unexplained health problems.

Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson said during an appearance on CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday that such a closing was “under evaluation.”

During the Cold War, international relations was built on the bipolarity between the liberal value system of the West, based on fundamental human rights and freedoms, and the value system believed to be the opposite of it prevailing in Communist countries.