Drop the embargo on Cuba -- why not?

[pecksniff]

Look, isn't it about time to drop the embargo? It has been in place since the Revolution and it doesn't appear to have done anything, at any point since then, to destabilize the regime.

If we drop the sanctions, Cuban tourists and businesscritters (there are some despite all the Communism) will visit the U.S. They will see how things are here. They will communicate with their relations in Miami, who will fill their ears with the praises of democracy and capitalism. When they go home, they will start asking inconvenient questions, like, "Why does this big island, the size of Florida, with lots of good land and resources and a literate population, have to be so poor?! Why are we still driving cars the Yanquis made in the 1950s?!"

That would destabilize the regime.

 

[Rightguide]

It's criminal to prop up communist dictators. It's better we take them down so their victims can try them for crimes against humanity.

 

[ll74]

Look, isn't it about time to drop the embargo? It has been in place since the Revolution and it doesn't appear to have done anything, at any point since then, to destabilize the regime.

If we drop the sanctions, Cuban tourists and businesscritters (there are some despite all the Communism) will visit the U.S. They will see how things are here. They will communicate with their relations in Miami, who will fill their ears with the praises of democracy and capitalism. When they go home, they will start asking inconvenient questions, like, "Why does this big island, the size of Florida, with lots of good land and resources and a literate population, have to be so poor?! Why are we still driving cars the Yanquis made in the 1950s?!"

That would destabilize the regime.

Wrong.

 

[pecksniff]

It's criminal to prop up communist dictators. It's better we take them down so their victims can try them for crimes against humanity.

To simply trade with a dictatorship as freely as we would with a democracy is not to "prop up" its government. To embargo it, OTOH, is to punish its people.

And throughout the Cold War, the U.S. actually did prop up a lot of dictatorships, just so long as they weren't Communist.

And we're certainly not going to "take down" the Cuban Communist government. We've had three Republican administrations since the Cold War ended, any of them could have done it without risking global thermonuclear war, and it would have been an easy enough operation in military terms, but they didn't -- apparently, nobody really wants to.

 

[pecksniff]

We trade with the People's Republic of China. We trade with Vietnam. We would trade with NK if they traded with anybody but China. What's so special about Cuba?

 

[pecksniff]

Also, if the embargo is dropped, nobody can blame the ongoing protests on it.

 

[ll74]

Also, if the embargo is dropped, nobody can blame the ongoing protests on it.

Idiotic.

 

[pecksniff]

Idiotic.

The protests, or the blame?

 

[ll74]

The protests, or the blame?

Your suggestion.

 

[RobDownSouth]

American soldiers couldn't defeat communism in Cuba...
but American capitalism could.

Just like it did in the USSR.

President Obama loosened embargo restrictions on Cuba and the demand for American goods was tremendous, further weakening the communist government. Too bad the former guy re-enabled those restrictions to appeal to the far-right Cuban ex-pat fringe in south Florida.

Cuba will see communism disappear within a generation.

 

[dan_c00000]

Let's not forget that the US has long meddled in the affairs of Cuba. Perhaps it would be a good idea not to go and mess this up. You know, like in Haiti. Another one of Bush II's great regime change ideas.

 

[pecksniff]

Your suggestion.

What's wrong with it? If the embargo were dropped, how could anybody blame it for anything?

 

[nowisthetime]

Look, isn't it about time to drop the embargo? It has been in place since the Revolution and it doesn't appear to have done anything, at any point since then, to destabilize the regime.

If we drop the sanctions, Cuban tourists and businesscritters (there are some despite all the Communism) will visit the U.S. They will see how things are here. They will communicate with their relations in Miami, who will fill their ears with the praises of democracy and capitalism. When they go home, they will start asking inconvenient questions, like, "Why does this big island, the size of Florida, with lots of good land and resources and a literate population, have to be so poor?! Why are we still driving cars the Yanquis made in the 1950s?!"

That would destabilize the regime.

It's pure vindictiveness and also ineffective. It has not boosted the opposition against communism. Furthermore, the Cuban economy hasn't really been crippled.

Definitely agree, it's time to lift this ridiculous embargo. Most of the world agrees.

 

[KeithD]

They will see how things are here. They will communicate with their relations in Miami, who will fill their ears with the praises of democracy and capitalism.

I'm not sure I want them--or anyone else--to see how things are here in the States just now, especially in terms of supporting democracy.

 

[pecksniff]

It's pure vindictiveness and also ineffective. It has not boosted the opposition against communism.

Late in WWII, the Allies massively bombed German cities in hopes that bringing the war home to the civilian populace -- hitherto largely untouched by it unless they had sons in the military -- would weaken their morale. But it worked no better in that regard than the earlier German Blitz against Britain had done. It only strengthened their resolution and their support for the war. An embargo is not a bombing, but the lesson applies: Nobody likes foreigners telling them what to do.

 

[ll74]

What's wrong with it? If the embargo were dropped, how could anybody blame it for anything?

The embargo is meant to make the corrupted regime suffer. We need other countries to join the embargo, not drop it.

 

[pecksniff]

The embargo is meant to make the corrupted regime suffer. We need other countries to join the embargo, not drop it.

See post #15.

 

[ll74]

See post #15.

Your argument is dumb. There is no reason to lift the embargo.

 

[pecksniff]

Your argument is dumb. There is no reason to lift the embargo.

There is no reason to maintain it. It won't lead to regime change, and what other purpose does it have?

 

[ll74]

There is no reason to maintain it. It won't lead to regime change, and what other purpose does it have?

It will lead to regime change, with enough support. But the main thing is that there has been no change in their government to give us any reason to drop it.

 

[pecksniff]

It will lead to regime change, with enough support. But the main thing is that there has been no change in their government to give us any reason to drop it.

Why should that be a condition?

 

[ll74]

Why should that be a condition?

Because that's how diplomacy works. You don't just randomly gift something to a dictatorship country's leadership. There is literally no reason to change the course here....your argument is shit.

 

[pecksniff]

Because that's how diplomacy works. You don't just randomly gift something to a dictatorship country's leadership.

You do if you care about its people.

 

[LincolnDuncan]

Look, isn't it about time to drop the embargo? It has been in place since the Revolution and it doesn't appear to have done anything, at any point since then, to destabilize the regime.

If we drop the sanctions, Cuban tourists and businesscritters (there are some despite all the Communism) will visit the U.S. They will see how things are here. They will communicate with their relations in Miami, who will fill their ears with the praises of democracy and capitalism. When they go home, they will start asking inconvenient questions, like, "Why does this big island, the size of Florida, with lots of good land and resources and a literate population, have to be so poor?! Why are we still driving cars the Yanquis made in the 1950s?!"

That would destabilize the regime.

The USA's Cuba policy made sense at one time but not anymore. People died and others have suffered severely from our police action in N. Vietnam while attempting to stop the domino effect of communism. How has the US been harmed by Communist Vietnam? How does the US suffer from communist Cuba?

 

[pecksniff]

How does the US suffer from communist Cuba?

It seems to be a matter of . . . unfinished business.