Embargoes are restrictions on trade between countries used to achieve some kind of goal. The United States has imposed an embargo on Cuba to encourage the Cuban government to change the way they run themselves because the United States does not agree with the system of government they have in place. This embargo enacts total restrictions on trade and travel between the United States and Cuba. The United States’ embargo against Cuba should be lifted because it is doing more harm than good to both countries involved.
To start, embargoes in the United States started with Jefferson’s Embargo of 1807 (“The Embargo of 1807”). Embargoes are put in place by countries in hopes to maintain or restore peace between countries (“Sanctions, Embargoes and Restrictions”). They can be enacted for a number of different reasons including moral, political, or environmental objections or concerns (Berkheimer). Embargoes seek to encourage a country to change the regimes or groups that have allowed the behavior from which the concerns arise. They do this by way of bans on certain things like travel, arms, or
…show more content…
Both of these problems created by the embargo leave ordinary citizens to suffer, not their government. Because of the wholesale ban on trade, American food and related supplies cannot be exported to Cuba. Many of the Cuban citizens are malnourished which leads to medical problems Cubans’ do not have the resources to handle. Malnourishment also means pregnant women cannot receive what their bodies need during pregnancies, leading to a high infant mortality rate for a developed country. Due to trade restrictions Cuba cannot get any significant number of water treatment chemicals to purify water for drinking. This has led to a decrease in the amount of safe drinking water that is available to Cuban citizens (“Denial of
The time of the Cuban Revolution was a great deal of turmoil, not just in Cuba but in almost every corner of the world. It was 1945, shortly after the end of World War Two, and the Cold War was taking off between the United States and the Soviet Union. Cuba, in the middle of its own war, was caught up in the international politics of the Cold War. The interaction between international and domestic politics played a major role in the outcome of the revolution. The result of the revolution left Fidel Castro in charge of Cuba.
The embargo is estimated to have cost Cuba $1.126 trillion in lost revenue over the last 50 years. The embargo obviously restricts Cuba from buying a lot in the United States, but not everything. Cuba is only allowed to purchase certain things from the United States if they pay in cash. The United States can't buy anything from Cuba though. Due to the restrictions of purchasing things from the United States, Cuba mostly has automobiles from the 1950’s or 1960’s.
American international relations with Cuba have almost always been tense. The cold war solidified the growing negative relations, and the embargo embodied it. But now that the cold war is over, as is the Cuban missile crisis, we’re left to wonder if the embargo is really necessary. Should the United States lift the embargo of Cuba? All of the evidence, be it economic, diplomatic, or social, points to yes. We should lift the embargo.
As also stated by Mr. D’angelo, in a personal interview about the Cuban embargo, “Yes I think it will last until Cuban reforms, change in Cuban leadership…” This shows that many people, including professionals believe that the embargo will not end soon without the removal of the Castro’s. This idea of no Castro in the government makes sense since many speculate that even though Fidel is no longer is power he still has some influence over what his brother does. Vividly depicted, this is shown by a passage made by Catharine Moses from her book: “They might not like him, they might complain about him, might see his failing and might blame him for all the countries problems, but he is Fidel. He is in control of the island…”(pg. 7) In compliance, this just shows that many still believe he holds power and some hold truth to their hearts that it is Fidel’s Cuba. On an other aspect that goes hand and hand with the Cuban democracy Act is the declaration of John F. Kennedy that states that the goal of the embargo is to submit Cuba’s government into giving up its communist government. Evidently, this was the main goal of the embargo and Cuba has not, and for the foreseeable future, will not change its government from the communist one that it is known for. An idea and aspect that is clearly shown and supports the idea of containment, is that the embargo also
Cuba and the United States of America have completely opposite economies. Cuba’s economy is based on the few natural resources that the country owns while the economic system in The United States is capitalist and can be recognized for its noticeable development in agriculture, energy, and other resources that keep the country expanding and provides jobs as well as a good quality of life for its residents. On the other hand, Cuba’s economy, is predominantly poor, to the point where a very huge percent of its population suffers from
The Cuban embargo was set up in October 1962 by President John F. Kennedy. Cubans’ name for the embargo, ‘el bloqueo’ meaning ‘the blockade’, is arguably more fitting rather than ‘embargo’ which is what the United States call it. This is because the U.S policy aims to limit other countries from engaging in business with Cuba. John F. Kennedy began the embargo with the intention of punishing Fidel Castro’s management of allowing the storage of Soviet nuclear weapons in Cuba. The embargo aimed to reform the communist system, encourage democracy and to improve human rights in Cuba. However, the embargo did not accomplish this. Instead it imposed unselective hardship on the Cuban population and because of it, the Cuban government had an excuse
There are even people as you read that protest about this type of government. Mainly the people that are ordinary, have trouble with this totalitarian government. Some people don’t see the trouble in this type of government. Victoria Burnett talks about the down fall of this government, “Loosening the embargo might help more Cubans see that "the first cause of poverty and lack of liberty is not the embargo, it's the totalitarian government of Cuba.” Burnett talks about even more troubles that this totalitarian government creates, not only the freedom
The U.S. imposed an Embargo against Cuba on Oct. 19, 1960. Has the time come to the United States to lift the five-decade embargo? The Embargo was a part of America’s Cold War strategy against the Soviet Union, imposed on the belief that Cuba was a threat to the U.S. since the Soviet Union was a danger to the National Security because of its alliance with the Soviet Union. Although Cuba would like the U.S to terminate the embargo against their country, the U.S. wants Cuba to make their situation a better living environment and to promote human rights for its citizens before any sanctions are removed.
I knew that the US embargo is a commercial, economic, and financial embargo imposed by the United States on Cuba. They embargo on exports to Cuba except for food
Cuba and the Affects of the Embargo The island nation of Cuba, located just ninety miles off the coast of Florida, is home to 11 million people and has one of the few remaining communist regimes in the world. Cuba’s leader, Fidel Castro, came to power in 1959 and immediately instituted a communist program of sweeping economic and social changes. Castro allied his government with the Soviet Union and seized and nationalized billions of dollars of American property. U.S. relations with Cuba have been strained ever since. A trade embargo against Cuba that was imposed in 1960 is still in place today. Despite severe economic suffering and increasing isolation from the world community, Castro remains committed to communism. (Close Up
Illegal immigration from Cuba can be stopped if the embargo is lifted. The Cuban embargo puts a lot of economic pressure on the Cuban people themselves. One key example of this was the Mariel boatlift in 1980. Tens of thousands of Cuban fled their country on makeshift boats with Miami in mind. The influx of immigrants caused Jimmy Carter to grant every Cuban automatic political asylum status the moment they step foot on US soil, a policy that is still in effect today.
economic growth comes from agriculture and exports to and from Europe. Since America has had an embargo on Cuba since 1962 neither countries trade with each other because of many disagreements about governing techniques and Fidel's unwillingness to comply with U.S. instructions. Cuba’s long history and culture has contributed to many economic and social growth through out the world, but Cuba is still struggling to try to stable their economy.
Nearly fifty-five years ago, an embargo was placed on Cuba, halting all trade between the two countries. Fidel Castro led the Cuban Revolution, which began in July of 1953, leading to their victory and the previous leader, Fulgencio Batista, surrendering from his position. Castro was an American friend and had gained a great deal of support from Cuban citizens with his promises to restore basic, essential liberties. Castro later began to stray from these promises, starting by nationalizing American businesses within Cuba following by presenting anti-American behavior. In 1960, he initiated talks with the Soviet Union and began to progress toward communism, leading to America creating the embargo in 1961. The embargo was mainly put in place to contain the spread of communism to other South American countries. The terms to lift the embargo included, the discontinuation of their communist ways and move toward democracy, and to improve the freedom of the individuals whom live on the island. These have both yet to have happened, yet fifty-four years later, the embargo is still firmly in place. Lifting the embargo can fix issues related to the Cuban people, it can bring countless trade opportunities, and it can push for positive changes in Cuba. Therefore, the United States should lift the embargo on Cuba.
Nearly fifty-five years ago, an embargo was placed on Cuba, halting all trade between the two countries. Fidel Castro led the Cuban Revolution, which began in July of 1953, leading to their victory and the previous leader, Fulgencio Batista, being driven out of his position. Castro had gained a lot of support from Cuban citizens with his promises to restore political and civil liberties. Castro later began to stray from these promises, starting by nationalizing American businesses within Cuba and by presenting anti-American actions. In 1960, he began talks with the Soviet Union and moved toward communism leading to America creating the embargo in 1961. The embargo was put mainly put in place to contain the spread of communism to other South American countries. The terms to lift the embargo included, the revocation of their communist ways and move toward democracy, and to improve the freedom of the individuals whom live on the island. These have both yet to have happened, yet fifty-four years later, the embargo is still firmly in place. Lifting the embargo can fix issues related to the Cuban people, it can bring countless trade opportunities, and it can push for positive changes in Cuba. Therefore, the United States should lift the embargo on Cuba.
In 1959, Cubareceived 74 percent of its imports from the US, and the US received 65 percentof Cuba’s exports. On February 3, 1962, the United States imposed a fulltrade embargo on Cuba, completely ending any type of trade between the twocountries. This embargo remains in effect today, more than four decades later,and has grown ! to be a huge center of debate and controversy (DeVarona 8).Opponents to the embargo argue that the embargo does nothing more than hurt theCuban people, while proponents argue that the embargo places pressure on Castroto repair Cuba’s mismanaged and corrupt government. Both the supportersand the opponents of this embargo have strong arguments and evidence to supportthese