Us and Cuba Embargo

As time goes on, it seems as though the relationship between the United States and Cuba only extends to more and more complex. Throughout the decades, the results of the sanctions against Cuba have had a drastic influence on the way that the country has developed and interacts with the rest of the world. Cuba’s current situation can be rooted through all of the two countries’ past history with one another and how their relationship has developed. The embargo has inevitably altered Cuba socially, economically, environmentally and politically. By eliminating trade and travel with one of world’s largest superpowers it is apparent how a country can be hindered with scientific knowledge and technology. Most of the world, along with Canada, believe that these restrictions on human rights that the embargo has implemented has gone on long enough. If it is not lifted, it will be difficult for Cuba to ever recover from the embargo’s costs and become independent. The embargo has greatly impeded Cuba and it would be beneficial for the United States to re-evaluate their policies with the country.

The relationship throughout History

Firstly, to better comprehend the extent of damage on Cuba’s social and economic conditions, the past historical events between the United States and Cuba should be accounted for. Even though the embargo has only officially been in effect for 49 years, the US has had large influence on Cuba and its governing for more than 100 years. Spain had power over Cuba until it was conquered by the United States in 1898 . As a result, the United States took over all Cuban governing responsibilities. Finally in 1902, the US gave Cuba its independence. However, their independence included a large list of restrictions and new policies that have grown into an even longer list over the years that allow the US to still have part in Cuba’s management.

Having such close ties with one another, much tension has accumulated between the two countries. After the Cuban revolution, the US feared that Castro’s communist government and close alliance with the USSR would pose a serious threat. There was speculation of Cuba’s association with weapons of mass destruction and military action from the United States took place. Kennedy invaded the Bay of Pigs and initiated Operation Mongoose and Operation Ortsac which only fueled Castro’s paranoia of American attacks. Built up anxiety continued furthermore amongst the two countries when as Cuba and its people grow frustrated with US policies and the US feel international pressure to reconsider their sanctions.

By seeing how past events have added to the tension and feelings between Cuba and the United States, it is evident how involved the two have been with each other’s history. The actions that the United States has taken to deal with their doubts with the Cuban government have not delivered the people of Cuba democracy or solved anything but hold back the progress of Cuba as a developing country.

Consequences of the embargo

In attempts to isolate Castro’s communist government and achieve equal human rights on the island, sanctions were put in place by the US in the 1960s that prohibited trade and financial transactions and assistance to the Cuban government. This created endless repercussions to the country and affects every one of its citizens regularly.

The embargo has ravaged Cuba’s economy and impedes its recovery. Before the embargo was set in place, the US was responsible for most of Cuba’s exports and imports. When this was all taken away, Cuba’s finances took a hard hit and the country’s income decreased largely. Experts estimate that the island has lost more than 86 billion dollars due to the embargo. This is such a great loss for Cuba because it is such a potentially rich country that at one time made a lot of money off of Americans alone in tourism. The country is one of the world’s largest producers of nickel and offers other natural resources such as cobalt and copper. But the Helms Burton Act penalizes foreign companies to trade with Cuba. Unavoidably, the act has greatly hindered Cuba’s development of services and exports.

Socially, Cuba has faced the most injustice. The health and education have greatly suffered since the embargo. The World Health organization, in 1989 claimed “Cuba's health care system should be a "model for the world”; with its nutritional safety net, extensive system of family doctors and sophisticated tertiary care facilities, it has achieved the highest quality of life indicators in Latin America, including an infant mortality rate 30 points below the average, on a par with the developed world.” There have been endless advancements in the health industry within the past decade and Cuba has not benefited from very many of them, completely changing how their health system ranks world wide. Because most of the new drugs and equipment are developed and patented by US companies, Cuban physicians have access to less than 50% of the new medicines available on the world market. For example, Cuban children with leukemia cannot access certain life pro-longing drugs such as oncaspar patented by a US company. Nausea preventing drugs that cannot be given to cancer patients in Cuba are causing some to be vomiting 28-30 times a day without any possible relief. The embargo severely restricts Cuba's access to water treatment chemicals and spare parts for the island's water supply system, leading to serious cutbacks in supplies of safe drinking water. Cuba’s water quality has become a factor in the rising incidence of morbidity and mortality rates from water borne diseases such as typhoid fever, dysenteries and viral hepatitis. Mortality rates from acute diarrheal disease, increased from 2.7 per 100,000 inhabitants in 1989 to 6.7 in 1994. It is unfair to restrict the access to scientific knowledge and individual freedom on the citizens of Cuba, especially when the health care system tends to detriment the youth the most.

Many foreign countries and corporations do not find the embargo justified and protest to the Helms Burton Act, creating tension amongst political leaders and pressure towards the US government from farmers and businessmen to open free trade. Cuba has been globally isolated for half a century while the rest of the world advanced with the help of other countries. The sanctions against Cuba have come to define Cuban life and politics, costing the country billions of dollars and redesigning their social structure.

Canada