The United States should normalize relations with Cuba.

This is the Public forum debate topic for NFL nationals, and as I am currently prepping for that tournament, just wanted to test my affirmative case. So, without further ado. From the Princeton Wordnet, normalize is defined as "to become normal or return to its normal state" Contention 1- Normalizing relations with Cuba is beneficial to the United States There are two reasons why normal relations are beneficial to the U.S. First, normalizing relations with Cuba opens a new market for U.S goods. In 2000, Congress opened Cuba for a low amount of trade, specifically in farm products and medical supplies. The Cato Institute explains the result "Since 2000, total sales of farm products to Cuba have increased from virtually zero to $380 million last year. From dead last in U.S. farm export markets, Cuba ranked 25th last year out of 228 countries in total purchases of U.S. farm products. Cuba is now the fifth largest export market in Latin America for U.S. farm exports". Additionally, the American Farm Bureau estimates that Cuba could eventually become a $1 billion agricultural export market for products of U.S. farmers and ranchers. The embargo stifles another $250 million in potential annual exports of fertilizer, herbicides, pesticides and tractors. According to a study by the U.S. International Trade Commission, the embargo costs American firms a total of $700 million to $1.2 billion per year. Clearly, there is a huge market for the United States in Cuba, and we would be foolish to ignore it. The second reason for normalizing relations with Cuba is that trade with Cuba will push Cuba to allow further freedoms, and reduce human rights abuses there. From the Cato Institute's Policy Recommendations to the 108th Congress, "As long as Castro can point to the United States as an external enemy, he will be successful in barring dissent, justifying control over the economy and the flow of information, and stirring up nationalist and anti-U.S. sentiments in Cuba." The Senate Committee on Foreign Relations agrees "In hindsight, the U.S. embargo has not served a national security agenda since Cuba ceased to be an effective threat to the security of the United States. In the immediate post-Cold War era, the cost of maintaining this policy was negligible in comparison to the domestic political benefit derived from satisfying Cuban-American groups in the United States. The USG justified the embargo policy as an incentive or inducement for negotiations with the Cuban government, the rationale being that the U.S. would lift the embargo, or parts of it, in response to reform on human rights and democracy. This narrow approach, however, has not furthered progress in human rights or democracy in Cuba and has come at the expense of other direct and regional strategic U.S. Interests." In essence, maintaining an embargo on Cuba simply prolongs human rights abuses, which is harmful to U.S interests. Contention 2-Normalizing relations with Cuba improves Latin American relations. The majority of Latin American countries that are opposed to the United States are stand ideologically behind Cuba. Normalizing relations with Cuba would undermine their position. The Senate Committee for Foreign Relations explains "Reform of U.S.-Cuban relations would also benefit our regional relations. Certain Latin American leaders, whose political appeal depends on the propagation of an array of anti-Washington grievances, would lose momentum as a centerpiece of these grievances is removed. More significantly, Latin Americans would view U.S. engagement with Cuba as a demonstration that the United States understands their perspectives on the history of U.S. policy in the region and no longer insists that all of Latin America must share U.S. hostility to a 50-year-old regime. The resulting improvement of the United States' image in the region would facilitate the advancement of U.S. Interests.". As such, normalizing relations with Cuba improves our position with Latin America, and is beneficial to U.S interests.