UN votes to lift Cuban embargo...again

[Bardo]

Vote on Ending United States Embargo against Cuba


The draft resolution on the Necessity of Ending the Economic, Commercial and Financial Embargo Imposed by the United States against Cuba (document A/66/L.4) was adopted by a recorded vote of 186 in favour to 2 against, with 3 abstentions, as follows:


In favour: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea‑Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Timor‑Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.


Against: Israel, United States.


Abstain: Marshall Islands, Micronesia (Federated States of), Palau.


Absent: Libya, Sweden.

For the 20th consecutive year, the UN has voted overwhelmingly in favor of lifting the commercial and financial embargo against Cuba.

Link to the full report (http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2011/ga11162.doc.htm)

[Smyg]

Absent? My country and the NTC are the only ones who don't give a fuck. Wonderful.

[El Louton]

What have Israel got against Cuba exactly?

[Smyg]

They happen to be American puppets.

[Revy]

I doubt anything will come of it. The UN is useless.

[RadioRaheem84]

How exactly does the embargo hinge on the US's stubborness?

[R_P_A_S]

How exactly does the embargo hinge on the US's stubborness?


Majority does not rule when the UN vote? 2 countries can't impede resolutions from happening?

REALLY?

[Bardo]

I doubt anything will come of it. The UN is useless.

Seeing that this has happened in 20 of the last 20 years, you're probably right.

[GatesofLenin]

Incredible the US still holds a grudge against Castro defeating that sellout Batista.

[Os Cangaceiros]

nations who voted against the embargo:


Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea‑Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Timor‑Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

nations who's vote is actually relevant to changing the situation:


United States

[Ocean Seal]

Explosive Situation makes an important point, why isn't it that a random state can impede a motion to do something, and yet the United States always can.

[X5N]

And this is all because the Democrats and Republicans do not want to lose favor with Cuban expatriates in what happens to be a major swing state.

And also perhaps because some people can't get over the stupid Cold War mentality.

[Nicolai]

I thought Obama lifted the embargo somewhat, so now the Cuban people at least can connect to the Internet via the fiber-line to the U.S..`?

[Grigori]

I thought he did that for propagand a puroses?

[RadioRaheem84]

I still don't understand just what muscle the US has to actually enforce the embargo.

What would happen if Cuba and all the nations voted against it just started trading?

I mean this is just fucked up, right wing Cubans even think the embargo is shit.

[rundontwalk]

It's telling when even the de facto US States of Palau and Micronesia opt to abstain rather than vote against.

[xub3rn00dlex]

Explosive Situation makes an important point, why isn't it that a random state can impede a motion to do something, and yet the United States always can.

'Cause this is 'Murika son.

[KurtFF8]

I still don't understand just what muscle the US has to actually enforce the embargo.

What would happen if Cuba and all the nations voted against it just started trading?

I mean this is just fucked up, right wing Cubans even think the embargo is shit.

Cuba does likely trade with a lot of those countries. I believe the US is the only country to actually have an embargo on Cuba. That is the embargo. It is not a UN embargo against Cuba but a "unilateral" embargo against Cuba.

So it is simply the US imposing a trade ban on Cuba (i.e. US is refusing to trade with Cuba).

Well at least it seems that way. The US has actually intensified it recently (at least within the past 10-15 years) and has imposed sanctions on other countries who trade with Cuba. So if say a French ship is at a Cuban port trading with Cuba, that ship is banned from trading with/entering a US port for about 6 months I believe. I believe the US also tries to enforce its own embargo on other countries through other means as well.

Aka economic warfare

[RED DAVE]

Cuba does likely trade with a lot of those countries. I believe the US is the only country to actually have an embargo on Cuba. That is the embargo. It is not a UN embargo against Cuba but a "unilateral" embargo against Cuba.

So it is simply the US imposing a trade ban on Cuba (i.e. US is refusing to trade with Cuba).

Well at least it seems that way. The US has actually intensified it recently (at least within the past 10-15 years) and has imposed sanctions on other countries who trade with Cuba. So if say a French ship is at a Cuban port trading with Cuba, that ship is banned from trading with/entering a US port for about 6 months I believe. I believe the US also tries to enforce its own embargo on other countries through other means as well.

Aka economic warfareThis is the point: It's a US embargo against US companies and individuals trading with Cuba. The net effect on other countries is trivial.

RED DAVE

[KurtFF8]

Except that the US tries to enforce its embargo on other countries that do not have an embargo against Cuba

[Vladimir Innit Lenin]

The US stops any company from abroad that trades with the US from bringing goods into the US for 6 months via ship, IIRC.

Trade with US > Trade with Cuba, in most instances, in money-value terms. So there you have teh stick, and no carrot.

Fuck this bullshit. It's a hideous mis-representation of democracy.

[Tommy4ever]

Majority does not rule when the UN vote? 2 countries can't impede resolutions from happening?

REALLY?

Ever heard of the Veto?

[RED DAVE]

Except that the US tries to enforce its embargo on other countries that do not have an embargo against CubaBut, again, this attempt is largely ineffectual.

It's all kind of academic anyway as it's obvious that Cuba is going down the standard state capitalist road to private capitalism.

RED DAVE

[KurtFF8]

But, again, this attempt is largely ineffectual.

It's all kind of academic anyway as it's obvious that Cuba is going down the standard state capitalist road to private capitalism.

RED DAVE

Well regardless of if Cuba is doing that or not, the embargo really affects the people of Cuba, so I wouldn't describe that as an academic question but an economic question of geopolitical relations between the US and Cuba and the US and the "international community."

Cuba must trade with someone, I don't think it could successfully implement Juche, or if that would be desirable for the folks there. Whether that will inevitably lead to a form of capitalist development increasing there or not is another question.


Ever heard of the Veto?

I don't think that the US or Israel have veto power over the General Assembly.

The US does have that power in the Security Council though.

[La Comédie Noire]

How exactly does the embargo hinge on the US's stubborness?

I think it's because the United States sits on the UN security council which grants them veto power on proposals.

EDIT:

This is what wikipedia has to say:



The United Nations Security Council "power of veto" refers to the veto (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veto) power wielded solely by the five permanent members of the United Nations (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations) Security Council (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Security_Council) (China (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People%27s_Republic_of_China), France (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/France), Russia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russia), United Kingdom (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom), and United States (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States)), enabling them to prevent the adoption of any "substantive" draft Council resolution, regardless of the level of international support for the draft. The veto does not apply to procedural votes, which is significant in that the Security Council's permanent membership can vote against a "procedural" draft resolution, without necessarily blocking its adoption by the Council.

[El Louton]

But America will never budge on that! That Embargo will never be lifted.

[RedAnarchist]

What have Israel got against Cuba exactly?

Whilst I agree with Smyg that they are American puppets, it's probably also a "back scratch" in return for the US opposing any and every attempt by Palestine to join the UN.

[El Louton]

Whilst I agree with Smyg that they are American puppets, it's probably also a "back scratch" in return for the US opposing any and every attempt by Palestine to join the UN.

Thanks, I suppose most countries do roll over to America most of the time. EG:
Israel as show .United Kingdom in Iraq and Afghanistan and the whole of the 'West' against Communism

[Void]

In Soviet Russia embargo lifts you

[rundontwalk]

The reason this hasn't been lifted yet is because Florida is a swing state and thus every American presidential candidate has to suck up to Cuban exiles there every 4 years.

[Vladimir Innit Lenin]

But, again, this attempt is largely ineffectual.

It's all kind of academic anyway as it's obvious that Cuba is going down the standard state capitalist road to private capitalism.

RED DAVE

No, it's not academic.

By reducing this very real issue of global imperialism to an 'academic issue', you are trivialising one of the most grotesque crimes against human living standards in modern times.

Whilst I don't strive for an economic or political model like the Cuban one, it has, over the years - and obviously with heavy subsidies from the fUSSR -, improved a great number of peoples' living standards in Cuba to a level not comparable to many other third world nations; yet, because of this horrendous embargo, Cuba - a country which has given the world some of the greatest medical advances ever seen - cannot import some vital products, so you have a population that is as advanced as any first world one, that has to get by on 1 bar of soap per month, and similar good-scarcity problems.