From July 1960 to July 1963 the United States imposed a series of controls on trade with Cuba culminating in the imposition of what has been called the Cuba embargo. This unilateral economic sanction is still in place...From July 1960 to July 1963 the United States imposed a series of controls on trade with Cuba culminating in the imposition of what has been called the Cuba embargo. This unilateral economic sanction is still in place more than 50 years later. There is a widespread view among Cuba scholars （Kaplowitz, 1998, P^rez Jr., 2002）, sanctions experts （Doxey, 1975） and even former diplomats such as Wayne S. Smith （2008） that the Cuba embargo is at best a failure and at worst counterproductive. These views are based almost solely on the assumption that the US goal in imposing the embargo was to overthrow the Castro regime. However, they tend to overlook the fact that while US policy may be to ultimately overthrow the regime, the embargo was adopted to achieve other significant objectives. From this point of view it is therefore possible to argue that the embargo has been a success and that this might in some way help to explain why it has not been abandoned. This paper examines the fluctuating nature of the US embargo of Cuba and the ways in which it can be seen to have served US policy goals. It concludes with some pointers as to how it might change in the future.展开更多
文摘From July 1960 to July 1963 the United States imposed a series of controls on trade with Cuba culminating in the imposition of what has been called the Cuba embargo. This unilateral economic sanction is still in place more than 50 years later. There is a widespread view among Cuba scholars （Kaplowitz, 1998, P^rez Jr., 2002）, sanctions experts （Doxey, 1975） and even former diplomats such as Wayne S. Smith （2008） that the Cuba embargo is at best a failure and at worst counterproductive. These views are based almost solely on the assumption that the US goal in imposing the embargo was to overthrow the Castro regime. However, they tend to overlook the fact that while US policy may be to ultimately overthrow the regime, the embargo was adopted to achieve other significant objectives. From this point of view it is therefore possible to argue that the embargo has been a success and that this might in some way help to explain why it has not been abandoned. This paper examines the fluctuating nature of the US embargo of Cuba and the ways in which it can be seen to have served US policy goals. It concludes with some pointers as to how it might change in the future.
