Led by the United States in 1962 the US-Cuba trade embargo has limited virtually all American companies from any trade connections with Cuba.
On Tuesday 13th September, President Obama once more renewed the US imposed sanctions on Cuba stating “I hereby determine that the continuation for 1 year of the exercise of those authorities with respect to Cuba is in the national interest of the United States.”
The move by the Obama administration to continue sanctions against Cuba was strongly criticised by many pro-Cuban supporters. In 2009 the administration eased the rules on Cuban-Americans travelling to Cuba from the USA and removed restrictions for money transfers between Cuba and the USA. Earlier this year there was talk of lifting the trade embargo altogether as a vast oil reserve of between five and 20 billion barrels was discovered off the north coast of Cuba.
To critics of Obama the continuation of the embargo is no surprise. Earlier this week in an interview Obama stated: “They (Cuba) certainly have not been aggressive enough when it comes to liberating political prisoners and giving people the opportunity to speak their minds." The renewal of the embargo was seen as a political move. With the presidential election in just over a year Obama’s move to allow the embargo to continue was seen as an effort to gain him support in Florida which has a strong anti-Cuban community. Politically, many Cubans travelled to the US in the first few years after Fidel Castro came to power, and still have hatred towards the Cuban leadership.
As the world’s longest standing trade embargo, Cuba will see economic sanctions in place until at least the 14th of September 2012, when the issue is once more up for review by the US President. This comes as Cuba’s Deputy Foreign Minister Abelardo Moreno appealed to the United Nations on the 14th of September to end the embargo, stating its effects had cost the Cuban economy $975 billion since 1962.
Since the introduction of the embargo Cuba has struggled to strive economically with the removal of American businesses and later the withdrawal of Soviet aid following the collapse of the USSR. Whilst Cuba’s government has introduced some progressive schemes to aid growth in the development which include the implementation of new farming methods and the development of tourism, the reality is the effects of the embargo are hitting harder than ever before.
With the economic crisis hitting hard, in mid 2010 Cuba was forced to begin a programme which saw one million jobs cut from the communist run public sector. Consequently, the Cuban regime tried to encourage the creation and development of private enterprise, something that was previously heavily restricted and taxed by the government. To many, this was seen as Cuba’s first steps towards political reform.
Regardless of the embargo and despite struggling at times it is clear that Cuba has managed to cope with the prospect of self-reliance over the last five decades. Through a combination of US aid, foreign aid and forward-thinking governmental policy, Cuba has managed to provide free healthcare and universal education for its citizens, while employing rigorous farming methods to aid the survival of the island's citizens, partly aided by the embargo which made pesticides too expensive for Cuban farmers.
Given the economic and social changes currently sweeping Cuba only time will tell how the Cubans will deal with the future challenges that will face them.
