Cuban Trade Embargo
In the summer of 1960, the United States set in motion a process that has gradually grown stronger ever since. This process was the Cuban Trade Embargo. The process began when the Cuban government ordered two U.S. oil companies, Standard and Texaco, to refine Soviet crude oil at their Cuban refineries. The two companies refused, and to no one's surprise, the Cuban response, on July 1 of that year, was to nationalize both the companies' holdings in Cuba. This, though, was only one of the three main factors that led to the Cuban Trade Embargo. The second reason was to raise the costs to the Soviets, and to the Cubans, of maintaining their alliance and pursuing policies detrimental to U.S. interests. Third, to reduce the resources Cuba could pour into assistance to revolutionary movements, especially in Latin America. At the time all of these objectives were considered completely rational. They were, after all, formulated against the backdrop of the Cold War and Castro's vows to spark revolution throughout the southern hemisphere. But this was 1960, a time of crisis and uncertainty among the nation. In today's world, revolution amidst a country is almost unheard of, the Soviet Union has fallen, and we still
Another of the many reasons why the U.S. should end the 40-year-old Cuban trade embargo is shown in a recent study. The study was performed by a leading anti-embargo group that describes itself as a unbiased organization who believes changing America's Cold War era policies toward Cuba are in both nations' best interests. According to the study, American farmers are losing an estimated $1.24 billion dollars a year by not being allowed to export food to the communist nation. In an industry where entire families often lose everything because of lack of sales or bad seasons, a lift on the Cuban embargo could help fuel the farming industry. "Isolation has not led to reform and it's costing farmers that want to do business," said Sally Grooms Cowal, a former U.S. diplomat. Earlier this year, arrivals of ships filled with wheat, corn, rice, and poultry whetted the appetites of U.S. farm groups for increased agricultural trade. Cuba agreed to buy the American food only to replace its reserves that were lost after Hurricane Michelle hit the island in November, 2001. "If the embargo were lifted, the average American farmer would feel a difference in his or her life within two to three years," reported Dr. Parr Ronson, professor of agricultural economics at Texas A&M University. This information should encourage the U.S. to take new steps toward lifting the embargo, if only to help out the American farming industry. On Wednesday, November 28, 2001, the United Nations held a vote on whether they were for or against the United States concerning t
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1043
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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