Sanctions as Starvation: The Quiet War on Cuba
📰 THE STORY: Bloomberg reports that Cuba is decrying former President Trump’s plans for tariffs to choke off oil supplies, calling it “blackmail and coercion” that will force Cubans into more dire conditions, with the government preparing for potential calamity. 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU: Historical Context: The US embargo against Cuba began in 1960 under the Eisenhower administration after
Cuba nationalized properties. In April 1960, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Lester D. Mallory drafted a memo stating the policy's goal: 'to decrease monetary and real wages, to bring about hunger, desperation and overthrow of government.' This goal has remained unchanged for over six decades, causing an estimated $14 trillion loss to Cuba's economy by 2018. Double Standard: The US media and
political establishment decries 'humanitarian crises' in nations resisting US hegemony (Venezuela, Iran, Syria) as justification for intervention or sanctions, yet entirely ignores or downplays the direct role of US sanctions in creating 'dire conditions' in Cuba. When the US besieges a nation for refusing to adhere to its dictates, it's called 'foreign policy'; when another nation defends its
sovereignty, it's 'tyranny.' Follow the Money: The blockade serves US political interests, particularly Floridian Cuban exiles who are a powerful voting bloc and financial contributors, influencing politicians to maintain a hardline stance. Beyond politics, pharmaceutical patents are protected and nationalized industries are kept out of reach for US corporate exploitation. đź’ˇ THE PATTERN: This is