Why Can’t I Go to Cuba?
Well, I can, but not for a vacation. It would have to be for one of the twelve reasons designated by the U.S. government, as a result of its embargo on Cuba, and none of them involve leisure travel.
An embargo is a type of sanction restricting trade with a certain country. In the height of the Cold War, the U.S. placed an embargo on the nation of Cuba that, with the exception of a brief release in President Obama’s second term, remains in place today. The embargo was a punishment for Cuba’s involvement with the Soviet Union, made with the hope of persuading Cuba to revert to democracy. It included a limitation on all types of trade, but over time has relaxed to allow the import of certain agricultural and medicinal products, as long as they are paid for in cash.
As a result of the embargo, Cuba has somewhat remained in the twentieth century. The banning of major imports have left them with vintage cars, buildings and somewhat strained technological advancements. Cuba’s GDP for 2023 is projected to be around $97.2 billion dollars. This aligns with a trend of the nation’s GDP growing steadily slow throughout the past decade, with the exception of significant decreases in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid-19 Pandemic. Additionally, as of 2015 the Washington Post found that at least 79% of Cubans were dissatisfied with their economy. And while their economy does mainly rely on trade, research shows that they’re importing goods while exporting a disproportionate amount of services. Unfortunately for the U.S., the embargo has had lasting effects on America as well. The US Chamber of Commerce estimates an annual loss of $1.2 billion dollars at the hands of this embargo. Maintaining it also prevents the creation of more jobs in the U.S. and gives foreign competitors an advantage to widen their market share.
There’s no question whether trade embargoes are impactful, but living in a globalized economy makes it difficult to see if they’re really effective for either country involved, especially in the long term. Either way, examining how the embargo has affected Cuba’s economic growth over time shows how integral global trade is to building and maintaining a strong economy in today’s world.
When I think of trade I mostly focus on goods and services, economic growth, and competition for world domination. I rarely think of the secondary effects which often shape how society progresses in a variety of ways.
