Near-Unanimous UN Call to End Cuba Blockade
Consortium NewsDec 23, 2022
The Facts
On Thursday, the UN General Assembly voted for the 30th year in a row to condemn the US economic embargo on Cuba. 185 countries voted in favor of the motion with only the US and Israel opposing it, and Brazil and Ukraine abstaining.
UN General Assembly resolutions are neither binding nor enforceable, but they reflect global perspectives and have given Cuba an annual platform to highlight the isolation of the US in its decades-long efforts to punish the island.
The Spin
Establishment-critical narrative
In the name of promoting human rights, the US has blocked the Cuban economy from generating billions of dollars, which is why the entire world voted for this resolution. If the US cared about Cubans and their prosperity, it would open economic relations with Havana just as it does with other countries with poor human rights records.
Pro-establishment narrative
The US embargo on Cuba is a reasonable response to one of the most brutal regimes in the world, which has constantly violated human rights. Unlike critics' claims, the embargo doesn't affect Cuba's freedom to trade with the rest of the world nor does it prevent Cuba from importing goods from the US. Cuba's tragedy stems from its dictatorship, not from US trade restrictions.