In an extraordinary move, the United States is pursuing full diplomatic relations with
Cuba, but this won't mean the end to the economic embargo, which only Congress can fully remove.
It's a comprehensive set of economic sanctions on Cuba that has existed since roughly 1962.
It has been an absolute disaster for both the United States and Cuba. Here are 7 reasons
why the embargo needs to end. #1. American diplomats in Havana admit that the embargo
is a failure. The goal of the embargo was to put pressure on the Cuban government -- economic
pressure that was supposed to create popular anger and resistance to the government and
eventually overthrow it. But, according to a 2009 cable from the U.S.'s top diplomat
in Havana at the time, that has failed to happen. 2. Sanctions have failed to ruin Cuba's
economy. Cuba has seen a fair amount of economic growth since the sanctions were created, indicating
that there wasn't nearly enough pressure to send the economy into a full tailspin and
thus foment rebellion. #3. The embargo has probably killed Cubans. The 1992 Cuba Democracy
Act restricted the flow of medical goods into Cuba from the United States. This resulted
in a precipitous decline in access to medical supplies inside Cuba. According to a 2010
review by two Stanford researchers, they believe that the lack of access to this medicine was
responsible for several disease outbreaks in the country, including an increase in Tuberculosis
fatalities. 4.) The embargo has not significantly reduced Cuba's human rights abuses. Cuba has
a terrible human rights record. Among other things, it's one of the worst countries on
freedom of the press in the Western Hemisphere, and it throws dissidents and bloggers into
jail merely for criticizing the regime. However, there's zero evidence that the sanctions regime
has done anything to make those abuses better. 5.) Almost the entire world opposes the United
States's policy. For 23 years, the United Nations has voted to condemn the American
policy towards Cuba. The last vote in 2014 saw 188 out of 193 UN member states opposing
it in the General Assembly. 6.) Cuba is not a state sponsor of terrorism anymore. Some
of the sanctions on Cuba come from the U.S. designated Cuba a state sponsor of terrorism
because of its support for the Basque terrorist group ETA and the Columbian group, the FARC.
Now, according to the State Department's most recent review, there's no evidence that Cuba
is providing material military support to these groups. Moreover, Cuba is cooperating
with Spain on the transfer of ETA prisoners, and it has been sponsoring a peace conference
in Havana for the FARC and the Columbian government -- one that appears to have resulted in a
unilateral ceasefire declaration by the FARC. 7.) A majority of Americans support normalizing
diplomatic relations with Cuba and majorities support relaxing major parts of the embargo,
including restrictions on US companies doing business in Cuba. Now, Cuban-Americans also
appear to oppose the embargo. If the people who have the most reasons to hate the Castro
government have come around to thinking the embargo isn't worth the costs,
it's time to reconsider the policy.