Since President Barack Obama’s historic Cuba visit on March 20, some are speculating about whether he can pressure Cuba to improve its human rights. A comparison of Cuba’s human rights record with that of the United States, however, shows that the America should be taking lessons from Cuba, says Marjorie Cohn. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights contains two different categories of human rights – civil and political rights on the one hand; and economic, social and cultural rights on the other. Civil and political rights include the rights to life, free expression, freedom of religion, fair trial, self-determination; and to be free from torture, cruel treatment, and arbitrary detention. Economic, social and cultural rights comprise the rights to education, healthcare, social security, unemployment insurance, paid maternity leave, equal pay for equal work, reduction of infant mortality; prevention, treatment and control of diseases; and to form and join unions and strike. These human rights are enshrined in two treaties – the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). The United States has ratified the ICCPR. But the U.S. refuses to ratify the ICESCR. Since the Reagan administration, it has been U.S. policy [...]