Sixty years of the proclamation that formalized the criminal US economic blockade against Cuba

Many people do not give importance to this issue because they are not affected by it, but as a Cuban I am going to talk about it

The Revolutionary Government denounces the validity for more than 60 years of the economic, commercial and financial blockade formally imposed by the United States on February 3, 1962. On that date, then President John F. Kennedy issued Proclamation 3447, which decreed a total “embargo” on trade with our country under section 620(a) of the Foreign Assistance Act. In this way, the aggressive and unilateral economic actions that had been applied against Cuba since the revolutionary triumph were conferred an official character.

From then on, the policy of siege and economic suffocation was consolidated as the central axis of the strategy aimed at restricting the legitimate right of Cubans to defend their sovereignty and forge an emancipatory project, alien to imperialist domination.

The main justification then used by the US to apply this measure was Cuba's relationship with the socialist countries, which allegedly undermined "the principles of the inter-American system" and US and hemispheric security. Over time, the pretexts have varied, but the purposes have remained the same.

 The most exact definition of the real objectives of the policy towards Cuba had already been enunciated in the memorandum of the Undersecretary of State, Lester D. Mallory, of April 6, 1960: "provoking disappointment and discouragement through economic dissatisfaction and hardship (...) weaken economic life by denying Cuba money and supplies in order to reduce nominal and real wages, cause hunger, despair and the overthrow of the government”.

The blockade has evolved into the most complex, prolonged and inhumane act of economic warfare committed against any nation. Its effects have limited the possibilities of economic development, as it is designed to impede commercial relations with third countries, hinder banking-financial operations to the maximum, curb foreign investment and cut off all sources of income.

 It is an essentially extraterritorial policy, in violation of International Law, which seeks, through pressure, blackmail and penalties, to isolate Cuba and punish those who establish any economic, commercial and financial link with the country. It is the practical expression of the Monroe Doctrine in the 21st century, which looks at Latin America and the Caribbean from the position of owner, be it "front or backyard."

 The blockade has never had the slightest hint of legitimacy or moral justification.

 It constitutes a massive, flagrant and systematic violation of the human rights of all Cuban men and women. It qualifies as an act of genocide under the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

 To justify it, the US government feels compelled to use lies and to hide its criminal effect it promotes a campaign financed from Washington, aimed at sowing the idea that the effects of the blockade are not real, that they do not really harm the Cuban economy, that they are not a significant problem for our development and our economic stability. It is a falsehood that is spread through the powerful media at the service of imperialism and digital networks designed to influence the thinking of many, including some compatriots.

 The accumulated damages in these six decades exceed 144 thousand 413.4 million dollars at current prices.

Since 2019, the measures of economic coercion reach a qualitatively higher aggressiveness. Unconventional warfare measures, inappropriate for times of peace, are applied in an effort to deprive Cuba of fuel supplies.

 In the context of the confrontation with COVID-19, the reinforcement of the blockade reaches unsuspected limits of cruelty, by hindering solidarity donations, trying to hinder the development of Cuban vaccines and limiting the possibilities of accessing medicines and basic supplies. During the pandemic, and throughout these 60 years, the blockade has had an incalculable human cost and several generations have felt it firsthand.

 The strengths of the Cuban socialist system and the unity of the people have made it possible, despite the blockade, to avoid the economic and social collapse that it pursues, to achieve outstanding human development, according to the indices recognized by the United Nations, to guarantee indisputable advances in justice and generate a gradual transformation of the economic and productive structure in search of sustainable development. One wonders how many small and underdeveloped economies could have survived an aggression of such proportions.

 This policy of economic siege arouses practically unanimous and universal rejection. In addition to the overwhelming support for the resolution that the United Nations General Assembly approves each year, there are constant claims and actions of denunciation by people, organizations and institutions around the world, including within the United States.

 Since 1959, thirteen presidents have occupied the White House. With certain nuances, in all cases the commitment to cause economic collapse and the unsustainability of the revolutionary project through the strict application of the blockade has been permanent. It would seem that 60 years have not been enough to understand that it has not met, nor will it meet, the objectives of its promoters.

 The Revolutionary Government, on behalf of the people of Cuba, emphatically and energetically demands, once again, the end of the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States. Our denunciation will remain firm and invariable until it ceases in its entirety. this inhumane and illegal policy.

In conclusion, Cuba never loses hope that one day the cruel blockade imposed on the island will be lifted and people will be able to enjoy the privileges that it takes away from the people.