Cuba’s official statement on the embargo, available on the “Cuba vs. Bloqueo 2009” website (here), details what it considers the direct effects of the embargo on the Cuban population. The report argues:
The economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States on Cuba for the last 50 years is the most serious kind of cruel and inhumane policy, lacking legality and legitimacy, and deliberately designed to cause hunger, illnesses and desperation in the Cuban populace. (Note: this is my own translation from Spanish)
The report goes on to call the embargo an “act of genocide” and an “act of economic war,” according to generally accepted international conventions.
The United Nations General Assembly will vote tomorrow on whether to condemn the U.S. embargo of Cuba, and the question is not whether the resolution will pass (it will), but by how much this year (last year was 185 countries for the resolution, 3 against), and whether the Obama administration will react to what will inevitably be an expression of overwhelming international opposition to the policy.
