US Sanctions Cuba Over Oil: The Old Blockade, New Target
📰 THE STORY: Mainstream outlets report the Trump administration's move to cut off all Venezuelan oil shipments to Cuba, citing concerns over Cuba's support for the Maduro government and alleged human rights abuses. This escalation in sanctions aims to further isolate the island's socialist system. 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU: Historical Context: The US has maintained an economic blockade
against Cuba since 1962, following the Cuban Revolution. The Helms-Burton Act of 1996 further codified and tightened these sanctions, penalizing foreign companies dealing with Cuba. This latest move is merely an iteration of a 60-year campaign of economic warfare designed to destabilize the Cuban government, not 'promote democracy.' Double Standard: While targeting Cuba's human rights record, the
US maintains strong alliances and arms sales with nations like Saudi Arabia, a kingdom with an abysmal human rights record, including the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and its ongoing war in Yemen, which has caused hundreds of thousands of deaths. There is no comparable move to cut off oil to Riyadh. Follow the Money: The blockade against Cuba has cost the island's economy over $144
billion, according to Cuban government figures. While direct 'profits' are hard to quantify, the beneficiaries are those who seek to maintain hegemonic control over Latin America, prevent alternative economic models from flourishing, and appease the powerful anti-Castro lobby in Florida, a key swing state. The US foreign policy establishment profits from portraying Cuba as a 'threat' which