by Mike Kilgore

Created on: June 20, 2007   Last Updated: October 24, 2009

Trade boycotts have never proved to be an effective means of controlling any sovereign entity's internal policies. This trade ban is an ineffective holdover from the 1960's that does little to handicap the Cuban government as most of the rest of the world continues to trade with them. Haven't we been told for years that the reason we are a trading partner with Red China is that shared economic interests naturally lead to greater influence on internal policies? Wouldn't we be able to better affect Cuba's internal policies if they had a greater economic stake in the USA? The philosophy of capitalism and free trade would say yes.

Rarely have we seen any real effect of boycotts on governments. Its the working class citizens of Cuba that suffer the most from this American policy. Cuba will always support its government and its armed forces first and worry about the welfare of its people second. Their record on human rights is abysmal. Nothing seems to create more real change than economic opportunity. The entrepreneur is one of the most effective catalysts for real change anywhere in the world. Ask some of the former Republics of the Soviet Union. Freedom, and freedom defined by economic opportunity, will do more to destroy communism than ill conceived blackmail schemes ever will.

Cuba is a beautiful island country and their economy would benefit from an influx of US tourist dollars. Famous for their tobacco exports, they also export sugar, coffee and nickel. One of their biggest import items are equipment and machinery. Currently, China and Canada are their biggest trading partners, accounting for over 50% of Cuba's internation business. The USA could benefit from that flow of dollars while positioning ourselves to have a greater influence on the ongoing security and human rights issues we have with this close neighbor.

Cuban prosperity from tourism and trade will liberate the people of Cuba and remove a major threat to USA security. Americans talk about free and fair trade and allowing the forces of the marketplace to solve problems in society, so we should allow them to work here. The Castro brothers are in their final days as the oppressors of the Cuban people and we need to be in position to help them when their regime falls from power. The best way for us to accomplish this is to be a strong trading partner with Cuba once again.

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