The Economic War Against Cuba: A Historical and Legal Perspective on the U.S. Blockade by Salim Lamrani
Pub. 2013, Monthly Review Press ISBN 978-1-58367-340-9. CSC price: £10.95 +£1.50 p&p
[Note: Salim Lamrani is on tour in the UK, sponsored by the Cuba Solidarity Campaign]
Salim Lamrani presents a comprehensive and systematic study of the United States’ economic sanctions against Cuba and the harm they cause the Cuban people. Lamrani delicately combines a heartrending catalogue of human suffering with robust analysis—including the examination of official U.S. government documentation—as he considers the origins, provisions and legality of the blockade.
He exposes the farcical nature of blockade legislation, one example being that the export of pianos to Cuba was deemed detrimental to the interests and security of the United States.
The introduction expertly shows that the blockade is unique in terms of its length, thoroughness and sophistication. Whilst Washington has nonnalised relations with China and Vietnam, the blockade has been strengthened and applied retroactively and extra-territorially.
Lamrani exposes the ideological nature of the blockade and demonstrates how it originates from the United States’ historical desire to subjugate Cuba. The blockade’s initial justification was a dispute over compensation following the nationalisation of US multi-national corporations after the triumph of the Revolution.
Cuba agreed compensation with France, the UK, Canada and Spain—only the US rejected the compensation process which adhered to all international standards and laws.
Throughout its fifty-year history, the validation for the blockade has changed. Reasons cited include: issues over compensation, Cuba’s alliance with the Soviet Union, Cuban intervention in African 1iberation movements and fabricated concerns over democracy and human rights. The chapter on economic sanctions from Eisenhower to Obama—which considers each President’s tenure individually—skilfully shows how the blockade has evolved and multi-layered sanctions have been imposed
despite growing international condemnation…
Read the entire review in the Spring 2013 issue of Cuba Si, published by the Cuba Solidarity Campaign
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