Sanctions as a Tool of Coercive Diplomacy
THE ACTORS: The primary actors are the United States government, represented by its Treasury and State Departments, and the Cuban government. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) serves as an independent observer and alarm-ringer. Oil suppliers, often state-owned entities from countries like Venezuela and Russia, are secondary targets. THE FUNDING: While
direct 'funding' from the US in this context is less about monetary transfer and more about economic leverage, the sanctions apparatus itself has significant financial implications. For instance, the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), part of the Treasury Department, enforces these sanctions, issuing fines that can run into billions of dollars against companies and individuals found to be
in violation. In 2014, for example, the French bank BNP Paribas was fined a record $8.9 billion for violating US sanctions against Cuba, Iran, and Sudan (OFAC, 2014). This demonstrates the punitive financial power wielded by the US to deter transactions with sanctioned entities. THE INCENTIVES: The US incentive, openly stated, is to pressure the Cuban government towards democratic reforms and
human rights improvements. From a realist perspective, it serves to prevent a perceived rival political system from thriving in the region and to maintain geopolitical dominance. Historically, the stated goal has often contrasted sharply with the outcome, which frequently includes increased human suffering and entrenchment of the targeted regime's power due to external threat narratives. THE