Diplomatic Relations Between US and Cuba Archives
Diplomatic Relations Between US and Cuba

On December 17, 2014, US President Barack Obama announced a shift in US policy towards Cuba. Obama stated that the US would reestablish diplomatic ties with Cuba. This diplomatic move represented a dramatic shift in decades of US policy towards the communist nation. Transformed into enemies over the course of the Cold War, the US ended diplomatic relations with Cuba and instituted an embargo against the nation. This broken relationship would remain a focal point for US presidents and lawmakers, attract international attention and leave an impact on the populations of both the US and Cuba. This Feature explores the normalization of diplomatic relations between the US and Cuba by focusing on US and international law and policy.

THIS DAY @ LAW

US House voted to impeach President Clinton

On December 19, 1998, a divided US House of Representatives voted to impeach President Bill Clinton on charges of lying under oath to a federal grand jury and obstructing justice in the Monica Lewinsky affair.

Read the Articles of Impeachment.

UK signs Hong Kong over to China

On December 19, 1984, the United Kingdom and China signed the Sino-British Joint Declaration, which ceded control of Hong Kong to the government of mainland China in 1997. The treaty also ensured that Hong Kong would retain its capitalist and democratic systems for at least 50 years after the transfer of power.