On October 30, the UN General Assembly once again convened to debate and vote on a non-binding resolution to end the US blockade against Cuba. This year, 187 countries voted in favor of the resolution. The United States and Israel were the only countries to vote against it, and only one country, Moldova, abstained.
Cuba has presented the resolution “Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba” every year since 1992 (except 2020), to the UNGA. Every year it passes in an almost unanimous vote, showcasing the international consensus against the US policy.
This year’s resolution comes as Cuba experiences a historic energy crisis and is recovering from the devastating Tropical Storm Oscar. Despite these challenges, Biden refuses to lift the blockade, take Cuba off the State Sponsors of Terrorism list, or lift Trump’s additional 243 sanctions against Cuba. US-based Cuba solidarity activists have organized a fundraiser to deliver essential humanitarian aid to Cuba as it faces these crises.
“US imperialism continues violence & genocide, but the peoples of the world have had enough and call for an end to the blockade,” writes the International Peoples’ Assembly.
Many were pleasantly surprised to see that the far-right government of Argentina supported Cuba’s resolution, abandoning its proclaimed allies Israel and the US. However, hours after the vote, Argentine President Javier Milei announced that he was firing Foreign Minister Diana Mondino because of the vote. Her replacement is Gerardo Werthein, Argentina’s current ambassador to the US who is a businessman and an ideologically committed Zionist.
It’s still worth voting to show the basically unanimous agreement. 187–2–1 (with one of the ‘Against’ being the US itself) is a clear expression of overwhelming disapproval – to an extent that even I, a US citizen who supports lifting the restrictions, didn’t know how pervasive and long-lasting it’s been until seeing this. It forecloses on any sort of bullshit argument that “that was then, this is now” or that it wasn’t like that for some period of time or whatever. And it showcases the complete abdsurdity that no country on Earth except the US itself and what’s effectively a US protectorate actually thinks there’s any merit to this policy.
For what it’s worth, it’s actively strengthened my already strong resolve that this policy is insane.
I am more results oriented. Intentions, expressions and thoughts apparently have not had much actual effect on cuba so far and by 32 times, id have expected the UN to maybe try something else
You fail to realize that this is the most meaningful action that the UN General Assembly can take against the US on this matter. The UNGA can be very effective in facilitating international cooperation and settling minor disputes but really has no tools in its arsenal to meaningfully effect action to stop something like this.
I can hopefully demonstrate this by asking you what lever(s) the UN can pull to actually directly address this. Before you say “send aid!”, they are. And before you point to something like its past military intervention in Korea, be fully aware that that’s not at all applicable here: the US has a permanent seat on the Security Council and therefore absolute veto power; the only reason the UN was able to intervene in Korea was because the USSR didn’t use their Security Council veto; and the US is not capable of being directly matched militarily by any nation on Earth, let alone in their home waters. And before you say “sanctions”, well I’ll give you one guess what organ of the UN controls sanctions.
People seem to think that the UN is a military force that is supposed to go in and secure democracy around the planet…
It’s basically a chat room for all the countries to talk for everyone to hear. That’s 99% of its job. And it does it quite well.
The problems occur when individual members decide “nah we don’t give a shit about the UN right now” and usually it’s the big ones that ignore it. Russia, US, UK, etc
Am I allowed to steal the chatroom analogy?
I encourage people to steal non-physical things all day every day.
Sail those high seas!
My point is not that what they are doing is wrong. My point is, that after 32 times, it seems to be useless.
The US is constantly repeating propaganda domestically and abroad all day every day. The least the UN can do is remain consistent in countering the narrative.
Okay cool but it still does absolutely nothing
Yeah like with how the US sanctions on Zimbabwe were forced to be removed (for the most part, anyway), this will only end by direct action and protests in the US itself.
That is, if the civil unrest in the US due to the sanctions harms profits for the capitalists more than lifting the sanctions on Cuba does, they will choose the latter.