What do you think about the embargo against Cuba?

I oppose the economic embargo against Cuba, and welcome a sane and humane policy of peaceful engagement.

As you will learn throughout this web site, Cuba went from four centuries as an unwilling Spanish colony to six decades as an un-willing near-colony to the U.S. When it was finally established that Cubans would no longer accept the cruel and corrupt U.S.-supported governments of the past, and that Cubans felt the right to establish their own type of government and befriend whoever they wished, the Cold War emerged, as did hostilities such as terrorism, sabotage, assassination attempts and the economic embargo. Because of the overwhelming amount of legislation passed in more than forty years of the embargo's existence, it has become a full-blown blockade.

Embargoes are an immoral war-time policy that employs human suffering and disease as political weapons with a very simple logic; the lack of food and hope are supposed to rev-up the affected masses to the point where they implode into civil war and overthrow their government.

The common people, the ones who had the least to say about the type of government they're now stuck with, are the ones who live the effects of the embargo. They are the ones who bear the blunt of the hunger and disease, and the ones that will supposedly rise in arms against their government. Needless to say, these people, the ones the embargo aims to activate, are those who might be more inclined to be part of a democracy and oppose the communist regime… those who may be already making a statement by choosing not to work for the government.

Given our stated position on human rights, and what we already know about embargoes, why do we continue trying to starve Cubans into submission? Do we really want to bring this old idea and its brutal methods with us into this new millennium?

It should be noted that in spite of the embargo, Cubans have maintained a higher level of health care than any country in South America, and the literacy rate in Cuba is 98% (higher than in the state of Texas!).

The economic embargo against Cuba is the longest running embargo in modern history, and is as misunderstood by working Americans as is the aggressiveness of U.S. foreign policy towards Cuba. Would it be fair to punish these working Americans for the crimes of the U.S. government by depriving them of food, medicine and the hope of a future for their children? Are we not shocked enough by the horrendous acts of terrorism (9/11/01) to make us take a look at this? Cubans understand the difference between the American people and the American government, and they would never choose to punish one for the crimes of the other.

The situation was not helped by President Clinton's cowardly lack of leadership in this area, and President Bush's debt to Cuban-Americans for the pseudo-victory which gave him the presidency. Both presidents have, so far, followed the failed policy of Cold War and big-stick diplomacy over the wisdom of peace and engagement.

From a Cuban perspective, these recent governments are not much different from the ones that tried to buy Cuba from Spain, and the current congress is no different from the one that imposed the Platt Amendment on Cuba and appropriated Guantanamo Bay for military use over 100 years ago.

The world is united in its support for Cuban solidarity. For ten consecutive years the United Nations General Assembly has recommended an end to the embargo. On November 28, 2001, the United Nations again voted 167 to 3, against the embargo, with three nations abastaining. Voting with the U.S. was Israel and the Marshall Islands. (It should be noted that in spite of voting for the embargo, Israel continues to trade with Cuba.)

There's an old saying in Latin America: "The United States never remembers and Latin America never forgets!" This explains the depth to which Cuba (and Latin America) distrust U.S. governments.

We need to stop being so angry with Castro and make peace, just as we've made peace with other communist regimes. We may find that it is a part of ourselves we end up finding peace with.