“Revolution is not a bed of roses. A revolution is a struggle between the future and the past.” ― Fidel Castro
International affairs are not the World Cup where there are rules and despite claims to the contrary the favoured team did not win. In defiance of the United Nations and international law the United States has expanded its sanctions against Cuba, targeting the country’s Ministry of Tourism and nine other state-linked entities in a fresh escalation of Washington’s 70 year long economic sanctions campaign to starve the Cuban Revolution,
The latest measures, announced by the U.S. State Department, add 10 Cuban entities to Washington’s sanctions list, extending restrictions to organisations involved in tourism, fuel imports, exports and foreign trade operations.
Among those sanctioned are ENETEC S.A., Coreydan S.A. and the Foreign Trade Business Group (GECOMEX), all of which play roles in Cuba’s international commercial and energy sectors.
The move marks another step in the Trump administration’s already tight economic restrictions on Havana, with the Ministry of Tourism—one of Cuba’s most important foreign exchange earners—becoming a key target.
The sanctions were imposed by Trump decree on May 1, broadening the administration’s authority to increase pressure on the Cuban government.
U.S. Secretary of State and Florida’s Cuba hater Marco Rubio said Washington would continue deploying economic and diplomatic measures as part of his personal mission to crush the Cuban people, despite United Nations disapproval reflected in the recent vote to lift the blockade.
The Cuban people condemn the latest restrictions, the government describing them as an attempt to deepen the country’s economic crisis and intensify the U.S. economic, commercial and financial blockade that has been in place for more than six decades.
These new sanctions seek to discourage foreign companies and investors from doing business with Cuban state institutions, particularly those linked to strategic sectors such as tourism and energy.
The sanctions come at a time when Cuba is grappling with one of its worst economic crises in decades, characterised by persistent shortages of fuel, electricity, food and medicines, soaring inflation producing a new wave of economic refugees.
Cuban authorities have blame the U.S. embargo for worsening the country’s economic hardship, while Washington claims that Cuba’s centrally planned economy and government policies are responsible for the crisis.
The latest U.S. action follows renewed international criticism of the embargo at the United Nations.
Earlier this month, the UN General Assembly overwhelmingly adopted a resolution calling for an end to the U.S. embargo against Cuba, with 136 member states voting in favour, nine—including the United States and Israel—voting against, and 30 abstaining.
The General Assembly has adopted similar resolutions annually since 1996 with only a few countries like Australia caving into pressure by the United States and ignoring broad international opposition to the embargo.
Even if the resolutions were legally binding, and despite diplomatic isolation of the United States on the issue the United States makes up its own rules knee deep in the blood of Palestinians Iranians Lebanese Yemenis and other points of resistance to Empire.
Relations between Washington and Havana have remained non-existent since the United States attempts at decapitation of the 1959 Cuban Revolution led by Fidel Castro.
While some restrictions were eased during the Barack Obama administration, relations deteriorated again under President Donald Trump, who reinstated and expanded sanctions aimed at limiting Cuba’s access to foreign currency and international financing.
The Biden administration retained many of those restrictions, and Trump’s return to office has been accompanied by a renewed commitment to intensify pressure on Havana.
Cuban officials warned the expanded sanctions would further strain the country’s fragile economy and increase hardship for ordinary citizens, accusing Washington of pursuing a policy designed to force political change on the island.
The United States has consistently aimed its sanctions at the Cuban people and entities linked to it.
The latest measures are expected to further complicate Cuba’s efforts to attract foreign investment and revive its tourism industry, one of the country’s principal sources of revenue as it struggles to recover from years of economic contraction and declining international visitor arrivals.
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