This letter is in response to Dayme Sanchez’s recent opinion piece, “Cuban embargo should remain in place.”
While Sanchez’s historical facts are well-documented, her support for the Cuban embargo draws upon questionable analysis.
First off, Sanchez argues that lifting the embargo would be the equivalent of supporting Cuba’s numerous human rights violations.
However, as can be seen in the case of U.S. diplomatic overtures to China and the former Soviet Union, simply opening diplomatic and economic channels with another country does not mean the United States supports said country’s ethical shortcomings. If the United States were to base all of its foreign policy prerogatives on a regime’s adherence to moral principles, our nation might as well slap embargos on 80 percent of its trade partners.
We must also pay attention to the fact that the Castro regime has lasted long after the collapse of its largest benefactor, the Soviet Union. While Cuba’s economy has undoubtedly suffered as a result, the continued persistence of the Castro regime is a testament to its ability to draw upon the strong feelings of anti-Americanism that run deep in the minds of Cuba’s population.
So long as the embargo is in place, the United States cannot expect Cuba to change its opinion.
Only through a policy of engagement can the United States hope to foster better relations with its island neighbor. Consistently ignoring more than 11 million Cuban citizens right on our doorstep is a fallacy that has persisted for far too long.
Recognizing the Castro regime’s existence as the current authority in Cuba is the first step to acknowledging a hard-to-swallow, but nonetheless present, reality. That acknowledgment, however, does not imply moral callousness on our part. We remain committed to our principles, but we cannot hope to spread those values by overlooking every nation that has slighted us in the past. The United States, after all, is too mature to cut off relations with another country just because it doesn’t like that country’s government.
Ultimately, supporters of the Cuban embargo want it both ways. They wish to see domestic change within Cuba, yet at the same time they are unwilling to acknowledge the necessary steps the United States must take to help foster that goal.
So long as we treat diplomatic recognition of Cuba as anathema, then Cuba’s unfavorable opinion of the United States will continue in perpetuity. So long as that feeling survives, Cuba will never see any need for reform, and any progress we may hope to have with our neighbor will remain in stasis.
