Sanctions as a Weapon: A Familiar Playbook for Cuba
📰 THE STORY: The Hill covers Donald Trump's threat to impose tariffs on any country that supplies oil to Cuba, framing it as a move to pressure the Cuban government. 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU: Historical Context: The US has been engaged in an economic blockade against Cuba since 1960. On April 6, 1960, Lester D. Mallory, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs, wrote
a memo stating there was “no effective political opposition” to the Cuban government and that “the only foreseeable means of alienating internal support is through disenchantment and disaffection based on economic dissatisfaction and hardship.” He recommended “every possible means to weaken the economic life of Cuba.” This ongoing blockade, tightened under various administrations, is designed to
inflict suffering on the Cuban people to achieve regime change. Double Standard: Western media rarely questions the legality or morality of the US imposing economic hardship on other sovereign nations for political ends. When Russia faces similar sanctions, it's framed as holding them accountable. When Cuba faces them, it's often framed as a response to its 'authoritarian' government, ignoring
that 29 UN General Assembly resolutions have condemned the US embargo as a violation of international law. The human cost to Cubans, including severe shortages of food, medicine, and fuel, is often downplayed or blamed solely on the Cuban government, not the 60+ year economic strangulation by the most powerful nation on Earth. Follow the Money: The continued hardline stance on Cuba benefits exile