Om Pandya, Columnist
Ideology: Conservative | Writing from: New York University

It has been almost fifty long years since law-abiding Americans have been able to smoke Cuban cigars or drink Cuban rum. Most reasonable people would admit that those are understandable sacrifices if they resulted in the spread of freedom around the world or greater national security, but the sanctions in place in Cuba have been actually counterproductive towards those goals. We need to allow a free exchange of goods and finally admit that sanctions do not work.

Many will argue that we should keep sanction on Cuba because they have a record of oppressing dissidents, but the nation poses absolutely no threat to the United States. However horrible any Communist regime is, the only justification for a sanction is a national security threat. Otherwise, why not impose sanctions on China, a nation with similar human rights violations? Or what about Saudi Arabia, a nation that gets $40 billion per year in trade from the U.S. but still stones women to death for adultery?

The obvious argument against sanctioning those two nations is that they are trading partners that are crucial to our economy. But just a few short decades ago, Cuba was the number one importer of American rice in the world, and even today 6.6% of Cuban imports are from the United States. Also, Cubans love American cars at time when almost no one else does, but unfortunately buying parts for their classic Fords or buying a brand new Chevy has been impossible since the embargo.

Cuba also exports large amounts of sugar and pharmaceutical products, while also producing niche luxury goods such as cigars and rum that American consumers would love to get their hands on. Not to mention Americans that would love to visit Cuba as a destination unadulterated by other tourists. The general proximity of our two nations and the fact that we both love the others stuff could actually make us great trading partners, and maybe even friends some day.

Historically, sanctions have never worked. They usually only serve to attack the lower class who need food and medicine while allowing the ruling class to blame their plight on the sanctioning country and strengthen their position. We currently have sanctions against tyrants in North Korea, Iran, Zimbabwe, Syria, Burma, and Sudan stretching back for decades with absolutely no change in government in any of those states. Eleven U.S. presidents have came and gone while the Castro brothers have maintained power and we still cannot admit that sanctions are not effective tools in regime change.

Even the sanctions against South Africa under apartheid, which might be the one example of where sanctions actually might have helped change policy, had the nasty side affect of ultimately harming blacks there. The sanctions were mainly focused on labor-based industries such as textiles and agriculture, industries that hired black workers. When the sanctions were initiated in those industries in the 1980’s, thousands of black workers were laid off.

The goal of sanctions aren’t to topple regimes or encourage human rights, they are simply feel-good measures that are enacted when the general populace wants to do “something” but is not prepared for military action. While sanctions might be necessary when national security is at stake, this is a case where sanctions have been abused at great detriment to our economy and to the people of Cuba.

The Obama administration started off on the right track by cracking the door to a change in policy towards Cuba, but change has been opposed by a staunch wing of dissidents, mainly Cuban-Americans and a few tobacco state politicians. Unfortunately, electoral politics has given this small group of Cuban immigrants in the swing-state of Florida disproportionate power. With more pressing domestic issues on the table and increased antagonism from the weary Castro brothers, it seems as if the political gamble of normalizing relations with Cuba is too much of a risk to take.

The United States, Israel, and Palau are the only three nations in the world that believe that sanctions on Cuba should be continued. While everyone else enjoys the benefits of travel and trade with Cuba, American citizens are losing out on a potential market. It’s time now to give up a failed policy of sanctions.