If Cuba ever mattered geopolitically it was only during the Cold War as a potential Soviet base. Today the Castro regime is a human tragedy, not a security threat. Even if the embargo was worth trying a half century ago, it makes no sense today. The embargo has failed. It further impoverished Cuban citizens, but the government has survived. After the collapse of the U.S.S.R. and end of Soviet subsidies for Havana many people hoped for -- and even predicted -- the imminent collapse of the Castro dictatorship. But the regime only tightened its grip.
Yet embargo advocates continue to sound like a broken record, declaring that the sanctions failed because they weren't tough enough. So successive Congresses and presidents tightened restrictions on Cuba. As Washington tried harder, it lost support elsewhere in the world. Americans cannot travel to or invest in Cuba, but Europeans have enthusiastically filled the void.
If you can't lick 'em, join 'em says Doug Bandow. We tend to punish countries with leaders we don't think well of, but we only empower those leaders and punish their citizens when we impose economic sanctions. Obama seems to be inclined to try a different approach with Cuba. I hope we can start importing those Cuban cigars again.
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