Lift the Cuban Embargo
In 1959, revolutionaries nationalized Cuba’s wealth and did not compensate U.S. companies for our efforts to fight against the rebels. They did, however, repay corporations from nations that did not fight. Because of this seizure of our property, the Cuban embargo was put into action. In fact, Cuba is the only country in the western
hemisphere which the U.S. government has persistently and actively used a full economic embargo as a dominant policy tool in an attempt to compel a democratic transformation.
The trade embargo, issued by President John F. Kennedy in 1962, was created in response to Fidel Castro’s expropriation of American assets and his decision to export Marxist-Leninist revolutions to Third World countries. In late 1959, Fidel Castro, Prime minister of Cuba, approached the USSR for support. In May 1960, Castro reestablished diplomatic ties with the USSR, and made an agreement to import Soviet oil. In June, the Cuban government took over foreign-owned petroleum refineries that refused to process Soviet oil. Fidel Castro allowed Cuba to serve as a base for Soviet intelligence operations and allowed Soviet naval vessels to have port access rights at the height of the Cold War. Soon after Cuba established diplomatic ties with the U.S.S.R., the U.S.
government outlawed the purchase of Cuban sugar, the mainstay of Cuba's economy. Cuba then assumed control of all U.S. property on the island and established a military alliance with the USSR. In January 1961 the United States broke diplomatic relations with Cuba.
Since the fall of the U.S.S.R. and its communist system, Cuba has not posed a significant military threat to the United States or to other co...
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... Cited
Clarke, Philip. “Cuba’s Newest Revolution Bloodless but Plenty Bewildering as New President Breaks Army Grip, Aims at Democracy.” The Washington Post. 22 July. 1945: B3. ProQuest. James Madison University library. 16 September 2003
Griswold, Daniel T. “No: The embargo harms Cubans and gives Castro an excuse for the policy failures of his regime.” 4 September 2003
<http://www.insightmag.com/global_user_elements/printpage.cfm?storyid=253632>
Lukas, Aaron. “It’s Time, Finally, to End the Cuban Embargo.” 4 September 2003
<http://www.freetrade.org/pubs/articles/al-12-14-01.htm>.
Remer, Terra Lawson. “Lift the Cuban embargo.” 4 September 2003
<http://www.yaleherald.com/archive/xxvii/1999.01.22/opinion/p10remer.html>.
United States. Congress. House. Cuba. 105th Congress., 2nd session. Rept. 50. 2001.
The story reflects a rich spectrum of historical and ideological contexts. Cereals were the staple foods in Greco-Roman antiquity;3 still, food shortages were endemic. Prejudice against profiteering merchants dates back to Homer’s Odyssey (Bk 8.163-4). Generous giving by the affluent elite, on the other hand, was both expected and celebrated. For instance, in the anonymous Latin romance Story of Apollonius King of Tyre4
Special to The New,York Times. “Women Seek Equal Rights.” New York Times (1923-Current file): 19. Jan 06 1960. ProQuest.Web. 20 Jan. 2014
The U.S.’s relationship with Cuba has been arduous and stained with mutual suspicion and obstinateness, and the repeated U.S. interventions. The Platt agreement and Castro’s rise to power, served to introduce the years of difficulty to come, while, the embargo the U.S. placed on Cuba, enforced the harsh feelings. The two major events that caused the most problems were the Bays of Pigs and Cuban Missile Crisis.
The United States embargo of Cuba has its roots planted in 1960, 53 years ago, when “the United States Congress authorized President Eisenhower to cut off the yearly quota of sugar to be imported from Cuba under the Sugar act of 1948… by 95 percent” (Hass 1998, 37). This was done in response to a growing number of anti-American developments during the height of the cold war, including the “expropriation of United States-owned properties on the island… [and] the Soviet Union [agreeing] to purchase sugar from Cuba and to supply Cuba with crude oil” (Hass 1998, 37). Bad sentiments continued to pile up as Cuba imposed restrictions on the United States Embassy and especially when, after the United States “officially broke off diplomatic ties with Cuba, and travel by United States citizens to Cuba was forbidden ... Castro openly proclaimed his revolution to be ‘socialist’” (Hass 1998, 38). The day after this, the Bay of Pigs invasion occurred, but it failed in its job to topple Castro (Hass 1998, 38). Left with no diplomatic options and a failed military attempt, the United States decided that the only way to end Castro’s socialist regime was to sever all ties, and from 1961 to 1996, a series of acts were passed prohibiting the majority of trade and interaction with Cuba. (Hass 1998, 38).
However, these economic sanctions have seen its efficacy come to an abrupt end. The ban on Cuban trade should be lifted in order to reduce poverty on the island, boost the economies of both the United States and Cuba, give America access to superior healthcare and allow America to acquire some cheap labour. In this essay, I will inform you of four things; (1) Cuba’s poverty caused by the sanctions, (2) how lifting the embargo would benefit Cuba, (3) how lifting the embargo would benefit America, (4) why continue the sanctions (5) how close are we to lifting the sanctions.
The United States and Cuba have a history of tension and discord. The reign of Fidel Castro was marked with despotism and led to toxic relations with the United States. This political climate caused President John F Kennedy in 1960 to impose a commercial, financial, and economic embargo and later travel ban on Cuba. These unilateral sanctions examined under the scope of utilitarianism, are ineffective an unethical.
On January 1, 1959, Cuban dictator Fulgencio was overthrown.(Goode, Stephen 75). Fidel Castro overthrew the old government and took over as Cuba’s ruler. During the weeks ahead, Castro found a new government and on February 16, he was officially declared ruler of Cuba (Finkelstein, Norman H. 127). The United States did not mind this new regime because the old ruler was running an unfair, corrupt, and unpopular government. Soon after everything was set, Castro and his men made a quick move to change their political course. These events worried the United States and there were concerns about Castro becoming too powerful. One reason was the friendship Castro had with the Soviet Union. Cuba was receiving armed forces to expand and improve its army. Cuba received 30,000 tons of arms a year, which included Soviet JS-2 51-ton tanks, SU-100 assault guns, T-34 35-ton tanks, 76-mm field guns, 85-mm field guns, and 122-...
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The Cuban Embargo, also known as “el bloqueo” to Cuban citizens, was declared by the United States in 1960 to eliminate imports of Cuban goods. When the embargo was first set, it was only to eliminate food and medicine, but then on Feb. 7th, 1962 the embargo was extended to all exports. President Kennedy announced the embargo citing, “the subversive offensive of Sino-Soviet communism with which the government of Cuba is publicly aligned” (Galeano). “We have a hemispheric commitment to freedom and democracy and respect for human rights”, said Jose Cardenas, a former National Security Council staffer on Cuba. With only 90 miles of sea between the U.S. and Cuba the embargo chokes off Cuba’s number one trade partner and tourism of the island.
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