Isle of Misfit Ploys: The Cuban Embargo

Abstract

The U.S.’s stance towards Cuba has historically used rhetoric about the lack of civil liberties, dictatorship, and security to defend the embargo put in place during the 1960s. Politicians of the era viewed communism in Cuba as an immediate threat that had to be snuffed out before it could infect the entire hemisphere. Their hope was that by isolating the island, Cuba’s citizens would be compelled to fight for reform and institute their own democracy. That approach, however, has backfired entirely. Neither government is innocent — Cuba’s human rights record remains as poor as ever and the U.S. has almost singlehandedly destroyed the country’s economy and health system. Though guilt is shared, the U.S. alone controls the relationship’s future. Reforms are in their infancy, but in light of the turbulent past, there has been progress.