Time to End the Cuban Embargo

The Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity (Libertad) Act of 1996, commonly referred to as the Helms Burton Act, is an all-encompassing U.S. law sponsored by Republicans—the late senator Jesse Helms and former representative Dan Burton--and signed by President Bill Clinton. If you don’t live in South Florida this law probably doesn’t mean much, but to the Cuban citizens living in the U.S. and Cuba, the blockade equates to hell on earth.  While most of the world can freely come and go in Cuba, Americans are forbidden from conducting business or tourism activities on the island for fear of enriching the Cuban government.  

The embargo has been generally in effect for nearly 65 years while its actual effectiveness has been routinely debated. Restrictions were most recently relaxed by President Barack Obama when he allowed Americans to participate in amateur athletics and limited tourism there. However, that was curtailed during President Donald Trump’s tenure based on recommendations by then-national security advisor John Bolton. 

Bolton’s disdain for Cuba was highlighted in a 2018 article by Sebastian Rotella, who talked of a 2002 draft Bolton speech warning of Cuban biological weapons manufacturing.  At the time, Bolton was assigned as undersecretary for arms control issues at the State Department. According to Rotella, proof of that threat was never substantiated by U.S. Intelligence.

Un.org reported their latest vote to end the Cuban embargo on November 2, 2023. In that vote by the UN General Assembly, 187 countries voted to end the embargo while only the United States and Israel voted no, and Ukraine abstained. It’s not too difficult to understand why Israel and Ukraine would side with the U.S. on any issue at this time. 

Considering the past twenty plus years of warfare, destruction, and collateral damage I find it amazing that we can still point the finger at Cuba and declare they are the worst. They are the gold standard for human rights violations and therefore their citizens must continue to pay the price. 

Eighty-nine miles from the United States, the citizens of Cuba have limited access to food, clothing, medical supplies, and other essentials of life, while United States tax dollars are doled out to known terror regimes in the name of humanitarian aid. For shame.  

For reasons unknown, the United Stares continues to financially and politically support countries and organizations that vilify Christianity, terrorize their own citizens, and brutalize women and children, but we cannot find a way to normalize relations with Cuba. 

When the USSR left Cuba they left a void. They left behind an infrastructure that supported their military.  While Cuba may not need the bases, runways, and port facilities that have mostly fallen into disrepair, there is one country that could revitalize everything for strategic gain -- and its financial and political support would be impossible to ignore.  

Few of us can recall the most terrifying 13 October days in our history. It was 61 years ago that the Soviet Union began construction of missile launch facilities in Cuba. Their justification was twofold. It was a counter to the United States deployment of Jupiter missiles to Turkey and Italy, but just as importantly it was an effort to solidify their relationship with Cuba and deter a China-Cuba alliance.  

Sixty-one years later the USSR may no longer exist in its former glory, but China continues to thrive, and its reach knows no bounds. Cuba will find it impossible to ignore Chinese financial support, and the United States will find it impossible to ignore a Chinese military presence in Cuba. 

The Cuban blockade has been on autopilot for over 60 years, and, quite honestly, the Helms Burton Act is demanding provisions that the United States government would never agree to on our own soil. Further isolation or overthrow of the Cuban government, as some continue to propose, is not the answer. It is time to put an end to the embargo and put an end to our cold war with Cuba before it’s too late.  If we can’t end it, then we must redefine our criteria for maintaining the policy. Citing human rights violations in today’s world is not a valid justification, and the three countries keeping the embargo in place need to look in the mirror.

I call on the Biden administration to end the inhumane Cuban embargo immediately. Period. It would be good for the United States, and it would be good for the world.