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short paragraphUsing information from this text and online sources, take the position that the United States should or should not remove its trade embargo against Cuba. Consider the possible economic and political effects on the governments and citizens of both countries. Write a letter to the U.S. president summarizing current relations between the U.S. and Cuba. State your opinion and give supporting evidence.
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Short paragraph (position):
The United States should remove the trade embargo against Cuba. Decades of sanctions have failed to produce democratic reforms and have primarily harmed ordinary Cubans while limiting U.S. economic opportunities. Normalizing trade and travel—paired with targeted human-rights conditions and support for independent civil society—would expand markets for U.S. exporters and tourism, increase remittances and business opportunities for Cuban entrepreneurs, reduce incentives for irregular migration, and create stronger channels for the spread of ideas and information that support long-term political change.
Letter to the President:
Mr. President,
I write to urge you to move promptly toward removing the U.S. trade embargo on Cuba and to outline a practical, principled path for doing so.
Current relations: Since the restoration of diplomatic relations in 2015–2016, followed by the reimposition of many restrictions after 2017, U.S.–Cuba relations remain stalled. The embargo—codified in law by measures such as the Helms-Burton Act—continues to constrain bilateral trade, travel, and financial flows even as Cuba’s economy faces sustained hardship from internal economic problems, the loss of Venezuelan subsidies, the COVID-19 shock, and periodic shortages of food, fuel, and medicine. Repeated United Nations General Assembly votes have condemned the embargo as counterproductive, and many U.S. businesses, humanitarian groups, and Cuban civil-society actors have argued that engagement, not isolation, is more likely to improve outcomes for both peoples.
Why lift the embargo: Economic evidence and practical experience from the partial thaw show that easing restrictions benefits ordinary citizens and U.S. interests. Greater trade and legal remittances support private-sector Cubans and nascent entrepreneurs more directly than blanket restrictions; U.S. companies (agriculture, aviation, telecommunications, renewable energy) would gain new export markets; and increased people-to-people ties and information exchange strengthen civil society and open channels that contribute to long-term political liberalization. History indicates the embargo has not achieved its stated goal of forcing regime change; instead, it has tended to entrench the Cuban government while isolating its citizens from contact with U.S. society and markets.
Addressing legitimate concerns: Critics correctly note that unrestricted trade could provide revenue to an undemocratic government. That is why I recommend a phased, conditional approach: (1) Use executive authority now to lift travel and trade restrictions that most directly benefit Cuban citizens and U.S. small businesses (e.g., agricultural and telecommunications exports, remittance channels). (2) Remove statutory trade barriers over time through engagement with Congress—seeking a legislative end to the embargo—while retaining targeted sanctions and visa restrictions for individuals and entities credibly implicated in human-rights abuses or corruption. (3) Expand support for Cuban independent media, civil-society groups, and internet access, tied to benchmarks for civic freedoms and transparency. (4) Coordinate these steps with allies and multilateral institutions to ensure consistent pressure on human-rights improvements while maximizing economic and humanitarian relief.
Conclusion: The goal should be to promote the welfare and freedoms of the Cuban people while protecting U.S. national interests. Ending the embargo, implemented carefully and conditionally, is the most effective policy to advance those aims: it would open markets for American businesses, increase the flow of information and capital to ordinary Cubans, and create enduring incentives for political and economic reform.
Respectfully,
[Your name]
The United States should remove the trade embargo against Cuba. Decades of sanctions have failed to produce democratic reforms and have primarily harmed ordinary Cubans while limiting U.S. economic opportunities. Normalizing trade and travel—paired with targeted human-rights conditions and support for independent civil society—would expand markets for U.S. exporters and tourism, increase remittances and business opportunities for Cuban entrepreneurs, reduce incentives for irregular migration, and create stronger channels for the spread of ideas and information that support long-term political change.
Letter to the President:
Mr. President,
I write to urge you to move promptly toward removing the U.S. trade embargo on Cuba and to outline a practical, principled path for doing so.
Current relations: Since the restoration of diplomatic relations in 2015–2016, followed by the reimposition of many restrictions after 2017, U.S.–Cuba relations remain stalled. The embargo—codified in law by measures such as the Helms-Burton Act—continues to constrain bilateral trade, travel, and financial flows even as Cuba’s economy faces sustained hardship from internal economic problems, the loss of Venezuelan subsidies, the COVID-19 shock, and periodic shortages of food, fuel, and medicine. Repeated United Nations General Assembly votes have condemned the embargo as counterproductive, and many U.S. businesses, humanitarian groups, and Cuban civil-society actors have argued that engagement, not isolation, is more likely to improve outcomes for both peoples.
Why lift the embargo: Economic evidence and practical experience from the partial thaw show that easing restrictions benefits ordinary citizens and U.S. interests. Greater trade and legal remittances support private-sector Cubans and nascent entrepreneurs more directly than blanket restrictions; U.S. companies (agriculture, aviation, telecommunications, renewable energy) would gain new export markets; and increased people-to-people ties and information exchange strengthen civil society and open channels that contribute to long-term political liberalization. History indicates the embargo has not achieved its stated goal of forcing regime change; instead, it has tended to entrench the Cuban government while isolating its citizens from contact with U.S. society and markets.
Addressing legitimate concerns: Critics correctly note that unrestricted trade could provide revenue to an undemocratic government. That is why I recommend a phased, conditional approach: (1) Use executive authority now to lift travel and trade restrictions that most directly benefit Cuban citizens and U.S. small businesses (e.g., agricultural and telecommunications exports, remittance channels). (2) Remove statutory trade barriers over time through engagement with Congress—seeking a legislative end to the embargo—while retaining targeted sanctions and visa restrictions for individuals and entities credibly implicated in human-rights abuses or corruption. (3) Expand support for Cuban independent media, civil-society groups, and internet access, tied to benchmarks for civic freedoms and transparency. (4) Coordinate these steps with allies and multilateral institutions to ensure consistent pressure on human-rights improvements while maximizing economic and humanitarian relief.
Conclusion: The goal should be to promote the welfare and freedoms of the Cuban people while protecting U.S. national interests. Ending the embargo, implemented carefully and conditionally, is the most effective policy to advance those aims: it would open markets for American businesses, increase the flow of information and capital to ordinary Cubans, and create enduring incentives for political and economic reform.
Respectfully,
[Your name]
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