The United Nations Fails Cuba, Again by Ramona Wadi!
(2021-06-27 at 17:59:54 )

The United Nations Fails Cuba, Again by Ramona Wadi!

The United Nations wants Cubas freedom to occur only on United States terms - through foreign intervention and against the will of the Cuban people.

The United Nations proves itself more farcical with every passing year, particularly through its non-binding resolutions. For the 29th year, the international community has voted to lift the illegal United States blockade on Cuba, with 184 countries voting in favour while the two allies - the United States and Israel - voted against, as expected.

According to Rodney Hunter, the Political Coordinator for the United States Mission at the United Nations, the blockade is "one set of tools in Washington,D.C.s broader effort toward Cuba to advance democracy, promote respect for human rights, and help the Cuban people exercise fundamental freedoms." Needless to say, there is not a single shard of democracy in the United States approach to Cuba.

Decades since the blockade was put into effect by J.F. Kennedy, the United Nations has normalised the United States punitive measures through its non-binding United Nations General Assembly Resolutions.

All the international community needs to showcase as a purported political effort is a vote that translates into nothing other than futile diplomatic niceties. Away from this show of pretending to supporting Cuba, the truth is that Cuba stood by the international community in times of need, and not vice versa. And despite this truth, there is not a single country with the political will to step away from the charades instigated by the United Nations and demand political action against United States coercion.

Cubas Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla declared the embargo "an economic war of extraterritorial scope against a country already affected in the recent period by the economic crisis derived from the pandemic."

When in January, the Biden Administration declared it would review former United States President Donald Trumps policies on Cuba, many assumed a reversal of the restrictions would ensue, followed by a possible thaw in relations.

During his campaign, the current United States President Joe Biden declared a prompt reversal of Donald Trumps policies "that have inflicted harm on the Cuban people."

However, President Biden has adopted a passive stance when it comes to Cuba - one in which democracy is served rhetorically and only on United States terms which, in practice, is merely a veneer for oppression. In May this year, United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken overtly upheld Donald Trumps foreign policy on Cuba when he listed the island as not cooperating with United States anti-terrorism efforts.

Meanwhile, despite the blockade and shortage of medical supplies, Cuba achieved yet another milestone in medicine with the success of its Abdala vaccine which shows 92.28% effectiveness in three doses. The Soberana 02 achievde an efficacy of 62% in two doses. Cubas vaccines are the first in the region to be manufactured and are perceived as a possibility for immunisation in Latin America.

Not to mention the fact that since the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, it was the Cuban medical brigades that brought relief to 40 countries, despite the adversities the island faces. A nation which the United States placed on its state sponsors of terrorism list was unique in its internationalist approach during the pandemic, while the West squabbled over vaccine production and distribution.

So when will the United Nations abandon its farce of pretending to support Cubas freedom??

When compared to the United Nations fast tracking approval for military intervention, for example, the institution definitely lags behind on the human rights agenda it claims, but yet fails, to support and implement. Cuba has not embarked on aggression against any country in the world, unlike the United States track record for foreign interference and overthrowing democratically elected governments.

Despite this discrepancy between both countries, the illegal blockade remains on the agenda - maybe permanently - because the United Nations is steeped in colonialism and neoliberalism.

Possibly, the rationale behind the non-binding resolutions and refusal to act politically lies in the fact that the United Nations wants Cubas freedom to occur only on United States terms - through foreign intervention and against the will of the Cuban people.

Reprinted here from the "Strategic Culture Foundation" provides a platform for exclusive analysis, research and policy comment on Eurasian and global affairs. We are covering political, economic, social and security issues worldwide. Since 2005 our journal has published thousands of analytical briefs and commentaries with the unique perspective of independent contributors. SCF works to broaden and diversify expert discussion by focusing on hidden aspects of international politics and unconventional thinking. Benefiting from the expanding power of the Internet, we work to spread reliable information, critical thought and progressive ideas.