The Eternal Blockade: Cuba's Economic Strangulation, Refried
When Al Jazeera reports on US sanctions 'crippling life in Cuba' in 2026, it's not a new phenomenon, but rather a recurring storyline that highlights a persistent foreign policy instrument little changed in over six decades. This policy, officially known as an embargo but widely referred to as a blockade by its critics and most international bodies, has a deeply entrenched history of achieving
stated political goals while inflicting severe economic and humanitarian consequences. FIRST INSTANCE: The Foundation of Economic Warfare The economic strategy against Cuba began with the Eisenhower administration in 1960, post-Castro's revolution. On October 19, 1960, the US imposed a partial trade embargo on Cuba, ostensibly in response to the nationalization of US-owned properties without
compensation. This was codified by President John F. Kennedy on February 7, 1962, via Presidential Proclamation 3447, placing a full embargo on all trade with Cuba. Assistant Secretary of State Lester D. Mallory, in an internal memo dated April 6, 1960, articulated the intent: 'to decrease monetary and real wages, to bring about hunger, desperation and overthrow of government.' (US Department of
State, 1960) This foundational document clearly outlines the policy's goal: not reform, but regime change through economic immiseration. REPETITIONS: Decades of Intensification and Double Standards The embargo has been repeatedly tightened, not loosened, despite overwhelming international opposition. In 1992, the United Nations General Assembly first voted on a resolution calling for an end to the