Should the US continue the Cuban trade boycott?

Yes

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by Patrick Henningsen

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Neither United States, nor Cuba, are really ready to change the current economic and political deadlock which exists between them. Normally one would look at a question like this and return with a typical liberal knee-jerk reaction, which in this case would have been a resounding 'NO'. But at closer viewing, this issue is far from black and white. Its complex nature has been spun, and re-spun constantly on both sides since Cuba's famous revolution 50 years ago. Unfortunately today, the answer to the embargo would be 'YES', because neither the United States or Cuba are yet ready for full, liberal trade and foreign relations with each other.

If the US boycott were to end today, it would surely spell disaster for Cuba. The embargo which the United States has imposed on its Caribbean neighbor is as much a genuine aspect of that island country as is the Revolutionary Spirit itself- in short, its arch-enemy(U.S. foreign policy) has not just fueled, but maintained the Castro regime we see today. This deadlock has been allowed to continue simply because it suits both sides and you can bet that 50 long years of status quo is evidence to that point.

With the 'War On Terror' in full swing, the communist "evil empire" and the Cold War are mere distant nightmares for the American public. But for the US power structure, Cuba is still an absolute essential set-piece in its back garden war shed, an idealogical 'rabid dog' whose very existence within the US foreign policy matrix feeds a compartment the US industrial military complex- still running on full alert(at least during 35 years of cold war action). And there are large political ramifications too: if relations were to be relaxed today with Cuba, then certainly the world would be involved in a much tighter discussion with the Washington regarding its 'mini-pogrom', the remote torture project site in Guantanamo Bay. Expect that the Cuban government would most certainly use this embarrassment as a bargaining chip in the global game of 'truth and reconciliation'. Guantanamo Bay is a key piece in Washington chessboard of oppression, and one it will not give up now, but may have to, should Cuban relations become normalized.

For Cuba, the US trade blockade provides it with the essential adversary which a revolution needs to maintain its own shape, and let's face it- this has been one of the most successful and long-running revolutions ever. A country as large and as powerful as the US flexing its muscles at a humble and economically disabled island like Cuba, will surely stir red blood in the hearts of almost anyone who supports the underdog. To relax trade barriers would mean that the political barrier would fall too, then the US military barrier. In time we might see Cuba descend into an ugly hybrid of a Third World dictatorship like what has become of Haiti or the Dominican Republic, both of which have been socially and economically pulverized by US interventionism and the ascendancy of corporate interests there. Both are a disaster on the doorstep of the United States. Cuba would not only be hit with a barrage of land legal claims, but also aggressive corporate moves which it may not be ready for yet. Before the Castro's coup, Cuba was the playground of the Mafia, the off-shore whorehouse of Washington and a physical clearing house for an untold amount dirty money and Columbian merchandise. Crime operated with impunity there- corruption and social inequality ensured that this country suffered one of the worst wealth and education gaps in the Western Hemisphere at the time. The revolution has simply reversed this with Cuba sporting the highest literacy rate in the world, the highest level of affordable medical care and the most gold medals per capita of any country since its inception. Not a bad showing for Cuba considering, but it is likely that much of this social progress would disappear over time should the pure capitalist glove be allowed to work its tricks again in Cuba.

Besides this, public sympathy towards Cuba continues to grow. Cuba's resilience has inspired a left-wing resurgence throughout South America today... it's like the Coca Cola of Left-wing Revolutions, and its face, the 'Che' brand is now a mulit-million pound business, worn everywhere around the globe.

Regardless of what you think about US foreign policy or about Communist Social philosophy, you cannot argue the current "cold-war retro-fit" which exists between the United States and Cuba seems to serve and protect both side's interests pretty well. So... one day perhaps things will evolve, but convenient the status quo will not change just yet.

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