Sanctions Against Cuba: A Flawed U.S. Policy
Abstract
The U.S. sanctions against Cuba have been in place for nearly four decades. Few today think Cuba poses any real threat to the security of the United States, or to any of its neighbors. Its infrastructure is falling apart, the capability and morale of its military has significantly deteriorated, and the nation struggles just to feed itself. With the end of Soviet influence and subsidies on the island in 1991, any vital interests the U.S. had in Cuba ended as well. U.S. concerns in Cuba are peripheral at best. So why are sanctions the dominate instrument of U.S. foreign policy toward Cuba? Are these sanctions still valid, especially considering the U.S. has ended them in other communist countries, such as China and Vietnam? Absent any vital U.S. interests in Cuba, or any external threat to the U.S. from this agrarian nation, it would seem logical that sanctions would have been lifted long ago. This project examines the genesis of sanctions, U.S. interests, U.S. policy, and recent legislation driving sanctions in Cuba today. Also considered is the role domestic politics play in maintaining sanctions, the validity of such sanctions, and a more effective and coherent U.S. foreign policy strategy towards Cuba.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 04, 2000
- Accession Number
- ADA377581
Entities
People
- David L. Mitchell
Organizations
- United States Army War College