[u_sama]

>decades-long economic blockade by the United States

myth, an incredible myth, the US has a package of sanctions and an embargo, Cuba is free to trade with other nations. The reason of the economic powerty and Cubans not being able to live a normal life is mostly self-inflicted (by their government, not the people) from an extractive elite who kept the old colonial system but just changed hands and drapings, with who is on top, plus the disastrous results of marxsist-leninist economic policies who are blind to reality

[defrost]

Not a myth, and as for

> Cuba is free to trade with other nations.

  The embargo was reinforced in October 1992 by the Cuban Democracy Act and in 1996 by the Cuban Liberty and Democracy Solidarity Act (known as the Helms–Burton Act) which penalizes foreign companies that do business in Cuba by preventing them from doing business in the U.S.

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_embargo_against_...

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helms%E2%80%93Burton_Act

I'm not seeing when the Helms–Burton Act was set aside.

[u_sama]

1: You are like 1 search away from seeing the reality of the embargo, Title III which is the mechanism by what you can sue the companies was suspended by every president since Clinton just after the law became effective in 1996, until Trump let the suspension lapse on May 2, 2019. So for all that time the law was effectively useless. [1]

2: In 2000, Congress passed the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act (TSRA), which authorized sales of food, medicines, and medical equipment to Cuba. So basically how it is a blockade or a siege.

3:Spain trades with Cuba. Canada is one of Cuba's biggest export markets. China is a top partner. The Netherlands, Germany, France, Italy all trade. The EU passed a "Blocking Regulation" making compliance with Helms-Burton a criminal offence in some member states

4: Almost 2 Billion $ of remittances are sent every year from Cubans abroad, and like 1.8 of that comes from the US. If there is an blockade, how can the money go into the island.

All of the issues of Cuba are due to its endemic government, the external conditions are just a reaction to that. Talk with some Cubans about the reality of Cuba and you will get the story.

[1]: https://www.quinnemanuel.com/the-firm/publications/title-iii...

[cherry_tree]

How would a country do business with Cuba?

They are debanked from the global financial system due to US sanctions on any business who trades with Cuba

They can’t trade in US dollars, the global currency that nations most typically use for international trade

They can’t follow normal shopping lanes because boats going to Cuba have to stay away from US ports for 180 days

Any company can be sued by any American alleging they have benefitted Cuba

Also, the United Nations has voted unanimously multiple times to drop the sanctions on Cuba- only USA and Israel vote no. To say that it’s a myth that Cuba has been adversely affected by the US actions is plainly stupid.

[nradov]

Why should the USA be forced to do business with a communist dictatorship? Countries are free to trade or not with other countries as they choose. They're welcome to set up their own alternative financial systems and currencies. Not our problem.

The blame here is 100% on the Cuban government. If they want to improve conditions for their people then all they have to do is free the political prisoners, institute multi-party liberal democracy, and adopt free-market capitalism. If they took those simple steps then it would bring tremendous benefits to their country even if US sanctions remained in place.

[cherry_tree]

Did you read my post? I didn’t ask for the USA to trade goods or services with Cuba. Certainly didn’t say anything about forcing such trade.

[yanhangyhy]

When Chinese leaders met with Che Guevara and others, they were not very optimistic about their revolution either; they lacked a deeper understanding of socialism and respect for realism. This may also be related to the character traits of Latin Americans, which differ from the practices in Laos, Vietnam, and China.

There are no detailed data showing exactly how much negative impact the U.S. blockade and sanctions have had on Cuba’s economy. After all, the U.S. has long-arm jurisdiction capabilities in almost every domain, and it is very easy to use private channels to influence other countries and economic entities in their dealings with Cuba(Considering the United States’ notorious human rights record and its multiple assassination attempts against former Cuban presidents). for a small country, in the current U.S.-dominated, power-based international system, facing such unilateral hostility and sanctions undoubtedly adds many extra difficulties to their development.

Whether their development is good or bad, they do not deserve such suffering. The United Nations has held multiple votes on Cuba’s situation, and almost always the United States and Israel oppose lifting the sanctions. The world stands with Cuba, but unfortunately, some people do not.

[u_sama]

The suffering does not come from external actors but it is imposed by the regime itself, the lack of pragmatism and flexibility from the government, as well as their corruption, makes them horrible people to deal with even for China and Russia. I stand with Cubans as a nation, but now with Cuba the state, one can make the difference when talking to Cubans. The UN represent Cuba the state and not the nation, and unlike China or Vietnam the government does not reflect its population wishes.