The Geopolitical Squeeze: Old Enemies, New Tactics
THE ACTORS: Who benefits from Cuba's distress? The primary actors are the U.S. government, specifically the executive branch via the Treasury Department, which enforces sanctions, and the Cuban government, represented by the Cuban Civil Aviation Institute (IACC) and state-run entities like Cubana. Beyond the immediate parties, beneficiary groups include hardline political factions within the U.S.
— particularly those with significant Cuban-American constituencies in Florida – who advocate for maximalist pressure on Havana. THE FUNDING: The quiet machinery of economic coercion While direct funding isn't always obvious in sanction enforcement, the economic cost to Cuba is immense. The Cuban government estimates the U.S. embargo has cost its economy $144.4 billion over six decades (Cuban
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2021). The specific actions cited, which began in 2019, included restrictions on oil shipments to Cuba and the activation of Title III of the Helms-Burton Act, which allows U.S. citizens to sue companies using Cuban properties nationalized after the 1959 revolution. These measures directly impede Cuba's ability to procure fuel and engage in international commerce. THE
INCENTIVES: Maintaining control through economic leverage The incentive for maintaining these sanctions, despite international condemnation (the UN General Assembly has voted against the embargo 29 times since 1992 , with only the U.S. and Israel consistently voting 'no'), is fundamentally about political leverage. The stated goal is to promote 'democracy' and 'human rights,' but the historical