Cuba’s severe economic crisis is certainly a product of the global financial meltdown, but is compounded by the continued effect of the murderous U.S. economic blockade—in place since 1962—combined with brutal U.S. sanctions that affect every aspect of Cuban life. As reported by Reuters Nov. 22, several cabinet ministers have documented the impact of food and energy shortages, in particular, on this island nation that is totally dependent on these commodities. Imports have declined dramatically, due to a shortage of foreign reserves related to the collapse of the tourist industry, previously a crucial source of dollars, and overall economic dislocation.
In a 176-page document, Cuba’s Foreign Ministry has published a detailed description of how the vicious U.S. blockade has made normal functioning of the economy and foreign trade impossible, and includes horrifying details of the U.S.’s despicable behavior during the Covid-19 pandemic, during which it denied Cuba needed medical supplies, oxygen and diagnostic equipment, among other things.
Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez gave a detailed report on this in his Nov. 2 speech before the UN General Assembly, prior to its annual vote on a resolution to lift the blockade, the final result of which was 187-2 (U.S. and Israel voted against it and Ukraine abstained). The blockade, he said, is “genocide” and “an act of war in a time of peace,” noting how it “surgically” targets the most sensitive sectors of the economy “seeking to inflict the greatest possible harm on Cuban families.”
