Voting in New York
It’s that time of the year again.
Every year for the past 14 years, the United Nations has had a debate at about this time on the US commercial embargo against the Castro regime.
And every year, a huge majority of UN members votes in favour of lifting the embargo, which has been in place since the early 1960s.
Last year, for instance, the resolution to lift the embargo was approved by a 182 votes to four. Only the US, Israel, the Marshall Islands and Palau, a small Pacific island-nation, voted against the resolution.
As you can read in this piece from the Associated Press, U.S. officials defend the embargo - which allows the sale of some U.S. food and medicine to Cuba - saying unfettered trade and travel to the island would prop up Castro's communist government.
They say Cuba's imprisonment of dissidents and restrictions on economic and political freedoms justify the policy.
On the other hand, critics say the embargo is outdated and has not worked, given that Castro's government remains in power and the nation is still communist. They also point out that the United States trades with other communist countries such as China and Vietnam.
This time around, the UN vote is likely to be overwhelmingly in favour of lifting the embargo. Again.
And once that happens, you can expect the regime’s propaganda machine in Havana to go into over-drive, hailing the vote as a huge political and moral victory for Cuba and a defeat for those evil Americans, etc, etc.
Then it’s back to normal, as you can read here.
Every year for the past 14 years, the United Nations has had a debate at about this time on the US commercial embargo against the Castro regime.
And every year, a huge majority of UN members votes in favour of lifting the embargo, which has been in place since the early 1960s.
Last year, for instance, the resolution to lift the embargo was approved by a 182 votes to four. Only the US, Israel, the Marshall Islands and Palau, a small Pacific island-nation, voted against the resolution.
As you can read in this piece from the Associated Press, U.S. officials defend the embargo - which allows the sale of some U.S. food and medicine to Cuba - saying unfettered trade and travel to the island would prop up Castro's communist government.
They say Cuba's imprisonment of dissidents and restrictions on economic and political freedoms justify the policy.
On the other hand, critics say the embargo is outdated and has not worked, given that Castro's government remains in power and the nation is still communist. They also point out that the United States trades with other communist countries such as China and Vietnam.
This time around, the UN vote is likely to be overwhelmingly in favour of lifting the embargo. Again.
And once that happens, you can expect the regime’s propaganda machine in Havana to go into over-drive, hailing the vote as a huge political and moral victory for Cuba and a defeat for those evil Americans, etc, etc.
Then it’s back to normal, as you can read here.
posted by Luis M Garcia at 9:05 am
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