The Cuban Embargo: A Double Edged Sword

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In five decades, the Cuban embargo has failed to achieve its purpose, damaged U.S interest, and affected the Cuban people. Since the year 1959 when Fidel Castro took over Cuba, the country has been under communist rule. It’s been over 50 years since the United States placed and embargo against Cuba. The embargo also known as “the blockade” places travel restrictions and trade of commerce on any one who is under the US jurisdiction. One of the purposes of the embargo was to turn Cuba into a democratic country and to fight for human rights. Nothing has changed and now Cuba is blaming the U.S. for its chronic starvation and economic devastation.
The U.S has had relations with Cuba since the Spanish-American war in 1898. Since Spain was defeated by the Americans, Spain signed the rights to its territories including Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Guam over to the U.S. It granted Cuba its own independence with the stipulation that the US could intervene in the country’s affairs if necessary. Then came the Cuban revolution in 1951 and Fidel Castro’s guerrillas took over President General Batista government. Castro’s Marxist-Leninist ways took over the whole island and began to tax the U.S. heavily. President Eisenhower responded by imposing trade restrictions on everything except food and medical supplies. Castro then expanded its trade with the Soviet Union and the U.S responded by cutting all diplomatic ties. President John F Kennedy signed a permanent embargo in 1962, right after ordering 1200 Cuban Cigars. Cuba and the U.S have been communicating through Switzerland since then.
The intent of the embargo was to encourage democracy and to fight for human rights. The country has been under communist rule since the Castro Regime began. Nothing...

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...gs we have in this world. We should all be United as a whole and share what we have. As a free country we should be able to travel to Cuba. Why not? Other Countries are able to travel there. We are a free country and I feel that by restricting us from traveling to Cuba it defeats the purpose of being a free country. How does traveling to Cuba Lifting the embargo would be beneficial to the U.S. financially and politically.

Works Cited

"Cuban Dissident Calls to End Embargo." NYTimes.com Video Collection 2010. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 9 Dec. 2013.
Berrios, Ruben. "Why America should lift its Cuban embargo." Contemporary Review 265.1545 (1994): 182+. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 10 Dec. 2013.
Katz, David. "Sanctioned state: the US embargo on Cuba." Harvard International Review 27.1 (2005): 8+. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 27 Apr. 2014.

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