Embargo? What Embargo?

[danielpalos]

apples and oranges. even remote villages have cell phones.

 

[Sandokan]

apples and oranges. even remote villages have cell phones.

Not only apples and orange (oysters*), but potatoes, rice, maize and wheat. Even the most remote villages have mobile phone service. But a large part of the population is still illiterate.

*This metaphor for dissimilarity began as ‘apples and oysters’, which appeared in a collection of proverbs by John Ray in 1670. These items are in reality in different categories. Apples can be compared with oranges fairly easily. The different between apple and oranges is apparent since both are fruits, they are sweet, similar in size, weight and shape.

 

[Fearandloathing]

Why don't you comment about the article? Your question is irrelevant, nothing to do with the Thread.

Cuba imports ketchup, mostly from Spain (that is a long way to ship what are basically tomatoes with water and a little salt) and some from Mexico. Can’t these Socialist Genius figure out how to make ketchup? To me it sums it all up in a nutshell, and exposes the complete and utter failure of the Socialist system in even the most basic of industries, and their inability to feed their own population on a tropical island with more land mass than all other Caribbean islands combined.

What have you got against Cuba?

And, by the way...everyone eats sea food in Cuba.

 

[Sandokan]

CUBA The Fastest Growing Remittances Market in Latin America
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By Emilio Morales
23 June 2016

For close to half a century, the Cuban remittances market was buffeted by U.S. embargo legislation and restrictions from Cuban socialism. No other remittances market in Latin America suffered so many limitations. Today, the situation is quite different: sending remittances to the island is one of the sectors that has been most favorably affected by the rapprochement policies pursued by President Obama's Administration since his arrival at the White House in 2008. In 2015, remittances sent to the island reached a record level of 3,354.1 million dollars[1].

From 2008 to 2015, Cuban remittances grew by an astronomical 1,907.1 million dollars, for an average annual increase of 238.3 million dollars, an unprecedented growth performance since the receipt of remittances became legal in 1993.

The Cuban remittances market recorded the highest growth in Latin America from 2008 to 2014, growing by 1,681.9 million dollars, surpassing the growth recorded by the Dominican Republic (1,423.0 million) and Guatemala (1,085.0)[2], the two other fast growing remittances markets in Latin America.
Click link above for full article.

Already in 2015 cash remittances to the island reached $3.354 billion. Adding the merchandise remittances the total reach $$6.634 billion, and outstanding figure. This income surpasses the $5.169 billion income obtained from the export of nickel, sugar, tobacco, medicines and income from tourism.

The policies carries on by the Obama Administration eliminated the Cuban American restrictions of travel to the island only once every three years and of sending only $300 every three months to first degree relatives. These changes substantially increased the remittances and travel to the island by Cubans Americans. You don’t undermine the regime by assisting them economically from imploding.

 

[Sandokan]

What have you got against Cuba?

And, by the way...everyone eats sea food in Cuba.

I have nothing against Cuba. It is a common mistake by many people to confuse Cuba with the Castroit regime. Castro is not Cuba, instead Cuba is the people.

Most Cubans eat very little seafood, it is very expensive. Seafood is mainly eaten by tourist and the regime higher-ups. According to the FAO, per-capita consumption of fish and seafood in Cuba plummeted from 21.8 kilograms during the 1985-87 period to 5.8 kilograms during the 2010-13 period. Most of the seafood is exported. In 2015 exports of fish and seafood products account for $70 million. Cuba rank in 114th place among 160 countries in fish consumption.

Fish Consumption Per Capita in Cuba - Fish Consumption Per Capita in Cuba | Helgi Library

 

[danielpalos]

The Obama administration removed the travel restriction imposed by the first Bush administration on Cuban Americans traveling to Cuba, and authorized licenses for travel to more than 250 Cuba travel agents and allowed more airports to provide charter service between the two countries.

The Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces through the tourist company Gaviota hold by the conglomerate Grupo GAESA, led by Raul Castro son in law, runs the Cuba’s tourist industry. Revenues from tourist industry benefit the Castroit regime, not the Cuban people.

Lifting the travel ban now will amount to giving away future leverage for nothing in return. An end to the travel ban should be used as leverage in support of a future transitional regime.

Will tourists be free to roam around or will they need to be escorted everywhere?

And, You have a Constitution.

Insist on new cities for social justice purposes.

 

[Sandokan]

The Castroit regimen economic and social polices had transformed the island into a hell hole. The economy is in shambles in a country with plentiful natural resources. Cuba is a vivid example of the economic and social failures of the Communist system.

 

[Sandokan]

Cuba’s Economic Sanctions and Property Rights
https://panampost.com/jose-azel/2013/07/23/cubas-economic-sanctions-and-property-rights/

BY: JOSÉ AZEL - JUL 23, 2013

Libertarians hold that the fundamental reason for the existence of governments is to protect life, liberty, and property. These are the principles articulated by John Locke (1632-1704), regarded as the principal architect of liberal thought (in the historical European use of the term) and who deeply influenced our own Declaration of Independence.

Within a democratic realm, citizens are expected to rely on our domestic institutions for the protection of these rights. For instance, an independent judiciary is essential for the resolution of property claims and other matters. But what is a citizen to do when his property rights are violated by a foreign totalitarian regime where no recourse to the rule of law is available?

It would seem that, when a US citizen’s property is expropriated by a foreign country, the property rights principle, so dear to libertarians, would take center stage. And yet, paradoxically, libertarian thinkers often argue against economic sanctions with nary a word about property rights.
Click link above for full article.

The purpose of the embargo was not to overthrow the Castroit regime. It was established in retaliation for the confiscation of American properties without compensation. It is as simple as that. For over 30 years the embargo was a non-issue. In December 1975, Fidel Castro in a speech at the First Congress of the Cuban Communist Party said: “Happily, we depend on the U.S. for nothing. No trade, no food, nothing.”

 

[Sandokan]

The mainstream media won't tell the truth about uncompensated confiscation of American properties. The main reason that the embargo was established because of the confiscation without compensation of the U.S. citizens and companies. One of the prerequisites to lift the embargo is the settlement of compensation of the confiscated properties.

 

[Sandokan]

From 1961 to 1990 Cuba received an average of four billion dollars a year in subsidies from the Soviet Union. With the disappearance of the socialist camp and the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early nineties, the Cuban economy suffered a severe blow giving origin to the establishment of the Special Period, which is still in force.

 

[Sandokan]

As we can see the Castroit regime uses the embargo for propaganda purposes. The purpose of the embargo is to keep U.S. hard currency out of the hands of the regime by restricting most trade and travel. Since the military controls all tourism-related business ventures in Cuba, lifting the U.S. travel embargo would put billions of dollars directly into the Castroit regime hands.

Lifting the embargo will not topple the Castroit regime, but it would constitute the final step to legitimize the corrupt, incompetent and cruel system it has imposed on the Cuban people.

 

[Sandokan]

Communist countries like China and Vietnam, with whom US has trade agreements, settled the claims that US citizens have with regards to the expropriation of their properties, in order to reestablish commercial relationships. The Cuban military regime has no intention in settling those claims. By the way, the Castroit regime has settled expropriation claims with the governments of France, Canada, Switzerland and Spain.

 

[Sandokan]

The Castroit regime has settled expropriation claims with the governments of four countries (France, Canada, Switzerland and Spain). In some cases, like with Spain, part of the payment was in trading goods. The regime is unlikely to have the means to make cash payments to the U.S. that would come close to the principal alone, without interest and inflation included.

Besides the settlement of the claims will not be possible until the military tyranny is removed from power. So far the regime hasn’t given any indication to negotiate without preconditions a settlement of the claims. Until the problem of expropriation claims is solve, there should not be changes in the US and the Cuban regime relationship.

 

[Sandokan]

There are thousands of Cuban nationals expropriation claims that have never been addressed. Until there is transition to a democratic system, there is no way to resolve the problem of those whose property was seized by the military regime. These claims according to Alonso and Lago have “an approximated value of 7 billion U.S. dollars. Considering 6% annual simple interest over 47 years, the amount of these claims raises to 26.740 billion U.S. dollars”

 

[Sandokan]

One option, after a democratic government is in power, would be to go after the stolen assets and acquired properties by the Castro clan and the power elite around the world. Those whose claims are recognized should be compensated with restitution or monetary compensation, while the interest of third parties in Cuba should be also recognized and protected. Nobody in Cuba should be evicted of their homes without having a place to go.

 

[Sandokan]

Remittances to Cuba in 2016 grow by 2.7%.
Remittances to Cuba in 2016 grow by 2.7%.

By Emilio Morales
20 July 2017

In 2016 cash remittances to Cuba set a record of 3,444.68 million dollars, for a growth of 2.7% compared to 2015. Of this amount, 55.82% is estimated to have arrived by formal means, and 44.18% by informal means.

The rise in remittances was mainly due to the increase in Cuban migration to the US, principally through informal routes, through which 50,082 Cubans left the island in 2016. That year, a total of 80,082 Cubans left the island.
Click link above for full article.

By 2011 the Obama administration eased restrictions on travel and remittances, allowing most U.S. citizens to travel to Cuba and any U.S. person to send remittances to the island. These new policies provided the Castroit regime with more hard currency, propping its economy that was facing a serious economic crisis due to the fact that Venezuela is facing a desperate financial situation. The new policies have been a failure. You don’t undermine the regime by assisting them economically from imploding.

 

[Sandokan]

The remittance business in Cuba is control by the regime military. The Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (MINFAR), through the “Grupo de Administración Empresarial SA” (GAESA), headed by Raul Castro son in law, an army general, operates state-owned companies and hold the tourist company Gaviota in charge of the tourist industry, which account for most of the business revenues in the island. This Castro family mafia firms owns the whole country.

 

[Checkerboard Strangler]

Why don't you comment about the article? Your question is irrelevant, nothing to do with the Thread.

Cuba imports ketchup, mostly from Spain (that is a long way to ship what are basically tomatoes with water and a little salt) and some from Mexico. Can’t these Socialist Genius figure out how to make ketchup? To me it sums it all up in a nutshell, and exposes the complete and utter failure of the Socialist system in even the most basic of industries, and their inability to feed their own population on a tropical island with more land mass than all other Caribbean islands combined.

Just answer the ****ing question, there's nothing wrong with asking, are you a Cuban expatriate or not?
People just want to know, that's all.

 

[Sandokan]

Just answer the ****ing question, there's nothing wrong with asking, are you a Cuban expatriate or not?
People just want to know, that's all.

Your question is irrelevant. All that you need to know about me is in my profile.

 

[Sandokan]

In 2016 the cash remittances to the island reached $3.445 billion. This income surpasses the $2.32 billion income obtained from the export of nickel, sugar, tobacco, medicines and income from tourism.

The lifting of the embargo would allow the Castroit regime access to money provided by the International Development Bank (IMF) and private institutions, which will make possible for the regimen to remain in power for many years.

 

[1751Texan]

It is often said that the trade and investment embargo on Cuba be lifted because it has “failed.” But what is meant by this?


Measured by those parameters, U.S. sanctions have been successful in Cuba, and should be maintained. U.S. policy shouldn’t be used to bail out a failed dictatorship and help it survive.

Ridiculous. Sanctions would have been a success if they caused the regime change as intended.

The Castros will be long dead and gone before America wakes up.

The US could have eased Cuba out of Communism after the collapse of the USSR. Unfortunately the Cubans in Fla have more say about Cuba than the Cubans in Cuba.

 

[Sandokan]

Ridiculous. Sanctions would have been a success if they caused the regime change as intended.

The Castros will be long dead and gone before America wakes up.

The US could have eased Cuba out of Communism after the collapse of the USSR. Unfortunately the Cubans in Fla have more say about Cuba than the Cubans in Cuba.

Post#10 on page 1 shows the real meaning of the quotes:

Originally Posted by Hoplite
Rabid anti-Communism aside, you still haven't answered my question; if the embargo isnt working, why keep it up?

It is often said that the trade and investment embargo on Cuba be lifted because it has “failed.” But what is meant by this?

The effect of the embargo on Cuba has partially fulfilled its objectives. It prevented Castro from obtaining loans and lines of credit that would allow him to finance his permanence in power and avoiding the growth of the indebtedness of Cuba without benefit for the population. Presently the Cuban regime’s debt has risen to $22 billion with the countries of the old socialist campus, $29.7 billion with the European Union [5], plus other $8 billions to Japan, Venezuela, Argentina and other countries. This accounts for a staggering debt of $60 billions. Cuba: Lift the Cuba Embargo?

With respect to regime change, post #333 established that was not the purpose.

The purpose of the embargo was not to overthrow the Castroit regime. It was established in retaliation for the confiscation of American properties without compensation. It is as simple as that. For over 30 years the embargo was a non-issue. In December 1975, Fidel Castro in a speech at the First Congress of the Cuban Communist Party said: “Happily, we depend on the U.S. for nothing. No trade, no food, nothing.”

 

[SDET]

Post#10 on page 1 shows the real meaning of the quotes:


It is often said that the trade and investment embargo on Cuba be lifted because it has “failed.” But what is meant by this?

The effect of the embargo on Cuba has partially fulfilled its objectives. It prevented Castro from obtaining loans and lines of credit that would allow him to finance his permanence in power and avoiding the growth of the indebtedness of Cuba without benefit for the population. Presently the Cuban regime’s debt has risen to $22 billion with the countries of the old socialist campus, $29.7 billion with the European Union [5], plus other $8 billions to Japan, Venezuela, Argentina and other countries. This accounts for a staggering debt of $60 billions. Cuba: Lift the Cuba Embargo?

With respect to regime change, post #333 established that was not the purpose.

One of my big concerns about lifting the embargo is that some "too big to fail" bank will give regime a line of credit and the US taxpayer will be on the hook when the regime doesn't pay.

 

[Sandokan]

One of my big concerns about lifting the embargo is that some "too big to fail" bank will give regime a line of credit and the US taxpayer will be on the hook when the regime doesn't pay.

You are absolutely right. Here is what I wrote in post #310 on page 31 that back up your concern.

Agribusinesses have no problem in selling on credit, since the U.S. Treasury Department guarantee their repayment to them in the event of a default. These credits will not be paid and the American taxpayers will be the losers, the ones to pick up the debt, as it happens at the present time with the taxpayers of many countries.

By 2014 the Castroit regime’s foreign debt amounted to $35 billion with The Paris Club, $35 billion to Russia, 10 billion to China, 25 billion to Venezuela, 3.5 billion to Japan and another 8.5 billion with other countries, for a total staggering debt of $117 billion.

Subcommittee Hearing: Agricultural Trade with Cuba
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hauSv0f9FFI&app=desktop

 

[Sandokan]

Tightening the Screws on Cuba
https://www.cfr.org/blog/tightening-screws-cuba

Blog Post by Elliott Abrams
April 25, 2018

Several weeks ago I wrote an "Expert Brief" for the Council on Foreign Relations titled "Time to Tighten the Screws on Cuba?" There I argued that the one-sided and unfortunate concessions the Obama administration made to Cuba had helped the regime but not the Cuban people, and urged the Trump administration to go even further than it has already gone in reversing those concessions.

Americans' travel to Cuba was one of the topics I covered:

The Trump administration has left most of Obama’s major changes intact, despite the new president’s tough rhetoric. “The previous administration’s easing of restrictions on travel and trade does not help the Cuban people—they only enrich the Cuban regime,” President Trump said in June 2017.
Click link above for full article.

Trump administration has partially rollback some of Obama administration that lifted all restrictions on family travel and remittances, and eased restrictions on other types of travel, including people-to-people exchanges, and allowed any U.S. person to send remittances to individuals in Cuba. These rollbacks include the elimination of individual people-to-people travel and restrictions on financial transactions with companies controlled by the Cuban military, intelligence, or security services or personnel. On September 2018 President Trump signed a degree extending the 1962 trade embargo against the Castroit regime for one more year.