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It's time to end the embargo.


Mongol Federation

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Since '62 Cuba has suffered under the US Trade/Travel Embargo. During the hight of the Cold War, the Soviets took off much of the pressure but after the Fall in '91 that all changed. The military, once a world class force and celebrated to this day as liberators in Africa, was forced to drastically downsize. The economy fell apart up as trade fell off. The people grew poor, humbled by crushing poverty.

As the years went by, increased trade with the Europeans, Canadians, Mexicans and South Americans combined with the Cuban Gov't's heavy investment in public education started to turn things around. But the US, once Cuba's #1 trading partner making up a full 70% of it's trade, maintains the embargo. The US, which could flood Cuba with tourism money, much needed medical supplies and the experts and tech needed for the creation of a high tech industry does not. The Cuban Gov't is unbowed, the people suffer and the US economy suffers from the continued closing of what has been historically some of the most profitable trade routes in the South.

If the embargo was to end, up to 500,000 Americans are expected to visit in the 1st year alone, the economy, it's major trade routes restored and the resources needed to harness it's highly educated population, would expense massive growth. Vary quickly Cuba would become one of the major economic powers in Latin America.

So why do we maintain the embargo? It's a major humanitarian disaster and it's stated goal of deposing the socialists has proven to be 1 of the greatest policy backfires in US history.

It's time to end the embargo, the suffering and the mutual economic harm.

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Like a majority of Americans, I absolutely agree. Unfortunately our opinions don't matter to the federal government -- which is beholden to a select group of rich Cuban expats who have enough clout to prevent it from happening in the foreseeable future.

-Craig

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Just another of the many stains on US history. 50 years (this October)of economic warfare on a tiny country because they wanted to run their own country & the US couldn’t successfully kill their leader & get them do do Americas bidding like the many other "regime changes" the Federal Government thinks it has the right to force on other nations. They have topples democracies too before anyone says hes a commie or socialist. They are crap reasons anyway.

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During my trip to Cuba in 2008, I asked many people -- from resort employees to shop owners in the nearby city -- if they would like to see the embargo end. The responses I received all boiled down to, "Not if it means Americans will be coming here."

As to Cuba rapidly becoming a major economic power in Latin America....it would take a hell of a lot more than merely ending the embargo to do that.

The problem is that Florida, a state dominated by Cuban expats and jingoistic anti-communist jews, is a swing state.

"Scratch a liberal, find a bigot."

EDIT: For the record, Cuban-Americans comprise approximately 4-5% of Florida's population. Jews represent 3-4% of the State's population. (Presumably there is at least some 'overlap' between the two groups, since nearly all of Cuba's Jews left the country after the events of 1959.)

So the statement quoted above is not merely racist in its formulation, but quite simply wrong.

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