Later this month, the United Nations General Assembly will vote for the 25th consecutive year on a resolution calling upon the United States to end its blockade against Cuba. Last year, the resolution was adopted by a vote of 191 in favour and just two opposed – the U.S. and its faithful ally, Israel.
To any rational observer, it seems unbelievable that the most powerful country in history continues this brutal campaign to starve a tiny socialist island into submission, yet the blockade carries on after fifty years of failure, inflicting more human damage upon the Cuban people, in violation of all moral ethics and international law. Almost two years ago, diplomatic relations resumed between the two countries, and many assumed that the blockade would soon be a relic of the past. Instead, the people of Cuba are compelled to carry on their struggle for the right to self-determination, without foreign interference. Companies and individuals which conduct business with Cuba still risk incurring the wrath of Uncle Sam, and the blockade cost Cuba an estimated $4.6 billion over the last year.
The “justification” for this inhuman and bizarre policy is the claim that Cuba violates human rights – an absurd attack levelled by the U.S., where hundreds of innocent people, mostly Black Americans, are gunned down in the streets every year by trigger-happy racist cops.
The blockade of Cuba must be lifted, and the Yankee imperialists must end their illegal occupation of Guantanamo. The western hemisphere no longer the backyard of Washington, a region for U.S. corporate interests to exploit and devastate at will without fear of resistance. Despite some temporary setbacks, Latin America and the Caribbean are standing up against foreign domination. Sooner rather than later, the U.S. will be compelled to admit defeat and back down.
