Petitions U.S. Government To Make Cigars in the U.S. With Cuban Tobacco Share Photos/J.C. Newman Cigar Co.
A box of pre-embargo Cuesta-Rey Magnificos made in Tampa with Cuban tobacco. Note the authenticity seal verifying that the tobacco was imported from Cuba.
When Drew Newman of J.C. Newman Cigar Co. read an article about the legal importation of Cuban coffee into the United States, he had an idea: why not tobacco? Of course, the obvious answer is the 60-year-old U.S. embargo on Cuban cigars and tobacco, but he figured if the U.S. government allowed Cuban coffee to come into the United States, then his family’s Tampa, Florida cigar company should be able to do the same with tobacco. Newman was so inspired by this idea that he decided to petition the government. Yesterday, he sent a letter to the Office of Economic Sanctions Policy & Implementation asking that the U.S. Department of State rethink its position on importing
The rebirth of the State Department’s Office of Sanctions Coordination: Guidelines for success
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken addresses reporters during his first press briefing at the State Department in Washington, U.S., January 27, 2021. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/Pool
Buried in the 5,593-page stimulus bill signed into law last December was a significant institutional reform of the State Department: the (re-)creation of an Office of Sanctions Coordination.
The office is modeled on the former Office of the Coordinator for Sanctions Policy, which was established in 2013 by then-US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and disbanded in 2017 by then-US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. By enshrining the office in law, Congress is seeking to make it a permanent fixture of the State Department. And by calling for it to be led by an ambassador-level, Senate-confirmed official who will report directly to the secretary of state Congress has positioned it well for success. (Full disclo
Edward Fishman
Edward Fishman is a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center. His research focuses on Europe, Russia, the future of the international order, and the use of economic sanctions as a tool of foreign policy and deterrence strategy.
From 2015 to 2017, Mr. Fishman served at the US Department of State as a member of the secretary’s Policy Planning Staff. In that role, Mr. Fishman advised Secretary of State John Kerry on Europe and Eurasia and led the staff’s work on economic sanctions, long-range strategic planning, and international order and norms. During his time on the Policy Planning Staff, Mr. Fishman formulated strategic plans on a wide range of issues, including the preservation of transatlantic unity on Russia sanctions, the creation of a new economic pressure campaign in response to North Korea’s nuclear provocations, and diplomacy in Europe surrounding the British referendum to exit the European Union. Mr. Fishman also managed th
either. we re talking about a marginal shift here one that s very important for iran and their economy but not one that fundamentally changes or upsets the balance between the united states and iran vis-a-vis the economic sanctions policy. jenna: it s a complex issue and very key, we should mention, to what happens at the end of june and whether or not a deal actually does get done here. chris, great to have your expertise as always. great to be back. jon: top democratic senator accused of corruption. how did the news media cover this political bomb shell and who was the first to drop it? also more disturbing details from the german wings crash. what investigators say the copilot did as he was taking down that airplane. new fallout from the terror attack that left people dead at a kosher market in january. who the survivors are now suing. know your financial plan won t keep you up at night.