Should the U.S. Government Drop Its Sanctions against Cuba?

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After the Second World War sanctions emerge as a major foreign policy instruments of the powerful nations. Globalization engendered the denunciation of the brute use of force as a primary method of international coercion. Cuba is one of the countries considered as a rogue state by the United States and its allies. The emergence of Cuba as a communist country in the western hemisphere in 1960, and the nationalization of a huge amount of US assets in Cuba by the then new regime led to the sanctions against Cuba. However, starting from the end of the 1980’s the Communist block begin falling apart. Cuba lost its international allies and became helpless both economically and politically in the international seen, and it is no longer a threat to US interests. In spite of this, in 1992 the US congress passed the so called the “Cuban Democracy Act”. The sanctions against Cuba strengthened, and the objectives of the sanctions are also transformed from containing communism to bringing freedom and democracy to the people of Cuba. Still, the multifaceted and half a century old sanctions failed to bring democracy and freedom to the people of Cuba, and now it is time to make a new beginning by lifting the embargos, and engaging with Cuba through public diplomacy, communication and international aid.
The atrocities of the Second World War were great lessons for humanity about the devastating effect of the use of arms. Specially, the development of atomic bombs, and the possession of mutually assured self-destruction nuclear weapons by the United States and the former Soviet Union renders the use of arms unattractive method of coercion. In addition to this the increased interdependence and interconnectedness of the world in different dimensio...

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... 18 April 2014.
Herrera, Remy. “US Embargo against Cuba: Urgent Need to Lift It.” Economic and Political
Weekly 38.41(2003):4310-4311) Web. 14 April 2014.
Kaplowitz, Donna R. Anatomy of a Failed Embargo: U.S. Sanctions against Cuba. Boulder: Lynne
Rienner, 1998. Print.
Patterson, Jack. “The Sanctions Dilemma.” Interventions and North South politics in the 90s
Middle East Report Mag., Mar- Jun 1994. Web 17 April 2014.
Peksen, Dursun. “Better or Worse? The effects of Economic Sanctions on Human Rights.” Journal of people Research 46.1 (2009):59-77 Print.
Sanchez, Omar. “The Sanctions Malaise: The Case of Cuba.” International Journal 58.2 (2003):
347-372 Web. 14 April 2014.
Weisberg, Jacob. “Thanks for the Sanctions.” Practical Argument: A Text and Anthology. Eds.
Laurie G. Kirszner and Sthephen R. Mandell. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2011.
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