uba on Monday marked 60 years of living under a US economic blockade which has led to soaring prices of essential items and affected its economic growth. The blockade – a result of the Cold War era – was imposed by former US president John F Kennedy citing threat to the US due to its neighbours close relations with communist USSR and other Communist regimes in Latin and South America.
Six decades later the economic blockade continues to deal deadly blows to the nation’s $150 billion economy, according to the nation’s politicians. “The blockade has evolved to become the most complex, prolonged and inhumane act of economic warfare committed against any nation,” the Cuban government said in a statement accessed by Cuban news agency Granma.
“Its impact has limited the possibilities of economic development, being designed to prevent trade relations with third countries, hinder banking and financial operations as much as possible, limit foreign investment and cut off all sources of income,” it further added. The statement was released on February 3. Kennedy announced the blockade on February 3, 1960 but it came into effect four days later.
Cuba is experiencing a severe economic crisis. Long lines in front of essential items’ stores in Havana and other Cuban cities is nothing new to its citizens. There were protests in July as well over soaring food prices. Inflation in Cuba is currently at 70%. The government has pledged reforms but Covid-19 deals blows to the tourism sector which was at one point a source of revenue.
Some Cubans have chosen to point the finger at their own nation for its economic woes. Rosa Maria Paya, member of Cubadecide, told news agency AFP that the Cuban state itself has imposed a blockade by not transitioning to representative democracy. Cuba does not have much productive capacity and imports 80% of all its food items. The US removed the blockade on food imports in the year 2000.
The blockade, even to some US former government officials and experts, are counterproductive and only risks sending its neighbour close to Russia and China, especially at a time when both nations try to form another group of allies as tensions brew in Indo-Pacific and in Ukraine.
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