Cuba once more seeks U.N. condemnation of U.S. embargo

Article Summary:

For the 22^nd consecutive year, Cuba will ask the United Nations General Assembly to condemn the United States’ embargo on Cuba. Barack Obama, who stated before taking office that he wanted to recast long-hostile U.S.-Cuba relations, has disappointed many Cubans by failing to dismantle the embargo. Under the Obama administration, the Cuba embargo has been expanded and enforced extra-territorially. Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Abelardo Moreno said, “I ask what right does the United States have to sanction companies that are not North American.”

The United States continuation of the Cuban Embargo exemplifies the Federal Government’s inability to change and align resources efficiently. Trading with Cuba can only benefit the United States. The days of the Cuban missile crisis and the cold war are over. Communism is not going to invade the United States. Thus, the United States has no reason to continue this embargo.

We can think of trade through the perspective of the new leadership model IMT promotes. The United States trades with a lot of countries and is regarded as a global economic power. The United States is essentially a manager and its trading partners are employees. In order to maximize GDP, the United States must align trading partners efficiently. Placing an embargo on Cuba for outdated political reasons is not an efficient alignment of resources. When countries trade, everyone gains.

Additional References:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/07/us-cuba-usa-idUSBRE9960N920131007

Comments (3)

Rizwan Assainar

February 7, 2014

Very depressing to learn this story. It has always been in the US political agenda to control other nations and declare themselves as the super power. I have no troubles in accepting if a country is a super power but then should not be gained through control. Now talking of which, the trade is stopped between the two countries and there is a control over trade. What happens when there is a control over trade? There arises ILLEGAL trade. Thus, this control might satisfy someone but in the long run it is going to affect the economic model due to smuggling, hoarding and so on. Control always brings in negative effect.
Daiquiri Ryan

November 24, 2013

I agree that the United States uses policies like such to try and control the rest of the world (which we ultimately cannot do), but I don’t think the whole story is included in the above article. Yes, if you analyze this embargo from an economic standpoint, it probably does more harm than good for our GDP. However, from a political or ideological standpoint, there is a more significant reason that the United States does what it does. If everything were about boosting the economy, more than half of our policies would be seen as unfit. The purpose of the United States government is to protect and provide freedom to the American people. When Cuba no longer poses a threat to that purpose, the US will lift the embargo. In campaigning, yes Obama probably promised better condition between the United States and Cuba. It is very naïve to think, however, that as a senator President Obama knew every detail to know about Cuban relations. Transparency is not common between the US government and its citizens. I think there are definite pieces to the story that are missing that support why the embargo has not been lifted yet.
Nick Galles

October 16, 2013

It seems as though the United States are attempting to control not only Cuba, but all nations by condemning communism. America is attempting to use a negative incentive in an attempt to control the Cuban citizens. Obama must believe that the incentive of removing the embargo might push the Cubans away from their communist system, but clearly these incentives are not working. This strategy has not worked for decades, so USA has no reason continue this embargo.

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