average lemmy user: “but communism is still waaaay better than capitalism”
Yep, if communism is to blame then maybe the US should lift the embargoes/sanctions and let communism fail on its own strengths or weaknesses. But they won’t do that. I wonder why.
It’s like the joke about Americans saying that communism is doomed to fail as if they haven’t spent billions and billions of dollars trying to make sure it fails.
They should trade China all the cigars and rum they want for enough cheap solar and batteries to power the island.
This just begs the question
Why do we allow a major embargo of an entire island nation and allow an entire people to live without the proper necessities and resources in order to maintain their nation?
Because the people there didn’t allow US capitalists to exploit them and their resources; because the people started to organize themselves and their resources around public interest; because they were voting in leaders who didn’t allow US elite to exploit them.
And so they must be punished.
The US has an embargo, but Mexico and Canada don’t. Cuba can and does buy goods from them. Cuba’s real problem is paying for them. The US does not embargo food or medicine goods to Cuba, yet the country has problems feeding their people. Poor economic management of a communist country with no real resources.
The US has an embargo, but Mexico and Canada don’t.
Technically, but the US has sanctioned companies in other countries who do business in Cuba scaring off a ton of possible choices. The companies have to choose between the richest company on earth and Cuba. Not much of a choice.
Plus IIRC boats that go to Cuba can’t go to the US after for some period of time. Which considering location makes it hugely inconvenient for shipping companies.
Plus since the US and US based companies control a huge portion of the world’s financial systems Cuba is locked out of all of them
A citation is needed on the first paragraph
Barges float to Cuba from the US twice a week.
Last paragraph is true. Cuba cannot use US banking.
Cuba can’t pay because Cuba can’t conduct normal finances with the rest of world because of the US embargo
It’s like having having someone handcuff you, cuff you feet and pin you to the ground and rest their knee on your neck and ask you why you can’t get up on your own.
Longest embargo in US history!
… probably done as a deterrent against other near by nations looking to station nuclear arms in close proximity.
Stops places like Mexico, Canada, or Panama from making an offer to China, Iran, North Korea, or Russia to station Nuclear their silos/launch bases for them.
Canada is probably still thinking about it though.
You can control a nation’s ability to import and receive nuclear weapons, especially if you are trying to control the supply of arms … it doesn’t mean you get to starve and decimate an entire country just because you don’t like their politics or they don’t happen to support you.
So, while I would agree, politics has unfortunate side effects, both internal cuban politics, and external cuban politics, as the cuban exiles really, REALLY want to get all their shit back.
We shouldn’t be in it, but our Cubans hijacked a large part of our politics by living in such a strong swing state, so we’re at the mercy of them as much as anyone.
https://press.un.org/en/2023/ga12552.doc.htm
UN discussion on how damaging the embargo is
Hey, too close to election for me to not fervently call out misinformation bullshit like this:
It was The Trump Administration who signed the National Security Presidential Memorandum (NSPM-5)
National Security Presidential Memorandum (NSPM-5): Signed on June 16, 2017, this policy outlined the Trump administration’s approach to rolling back aspects of the Cuba normalization process. It directed restrictions on travel, business dealings with Cuban entities controlled by the military, and restrictions on educational and cultural exchanges.
It was Donald Trump who directed the creation of the Cuba Restricted List
The U.S. Department of State, following Trump’s directives, created a list of Cuban entities with which direct financial transactions are prohibited. This list largely includes businesses owned by or affiliated with the Cuban military, intelligence, or security services. It was first issued in November 2017 and has been updated several times since.
Has absolutely nothing to do with Biden or his administration. Get the fuck out of here with that bullshit.
The article doesn’t specify, but it appears to be a long term fuel issue. They have been trying to cut back for a while now, including with blackouts for various areas, but they finally ran out and/or the demand while it was on just crashed the system.
Restarting an entire grid is not easy either, it usually takes many hours even if you have fuel available.