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Cuba says it has run out of fuel, blames U.S. embargo

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Re: Cuba says it has run out of fuel, blames U.S. embargo

#131
post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well mostly because of the direction actions of imperialism causing the needless deaths of babies but seeing how you seem to be pro-imperialism you probably see this as a good thing for American hegemony. Right up there with bombing school girls in Iran. It's just good diplomacy at that point right? Friendly reminder that the only people that majorly benefit from US foreign policy are the elites, most US citizens are…

What does US imperialism have anything to do with the fact that the Cuban government refuses to allow their citizens to buy and sell goods freely?

Even the US government doesn't allow its citizens to trade freely, so what nonsense are you complaining about...

Re: Cuba says it has run out of fuel, blames U.S. embargo

#132

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They can beat around the bush to pretend what is effectively a blockade to be anything but a blockade. Call it a de-facto blockade if you have to. You're using technicality as a crutch. Edit: corrected it to blockade

It's not a blockade. Any country around the world is free to sail their cargo ships to Cuba and trade with Cubans. This will in turn, trigger tariffs against them in the US, but if countries really want to trade with Cuba they can. A blockade is carried out through military force. Under a blockade ships are physically prevented from docking with the blockaded country, even if they're legally registered. If you want t…

It is effectively an oil blockade, and it's illegal under international law. Being this pedantic about how the US justifies its actions shows zero understanding for how these things tend to be done. The purpose of a system is what it does.

Re: Cuba says it has run out of fuel, blames U.S. embargo

#133
post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not the Cuban authorities that are impoverishing Cuba, that's just victim blaming. It is American imperialism, at least stand by your crimes.

A boycott is a crime? The US has decided not the trade with Cuba, that's it. Cuba is still free to trade with any other country that's willing to trade with them.

i remember during covid china sent its vaccine to cuba and america captured it and siezed it. that's why cuba developed their own vaccines. another point on the "maybe the cuban communist party isn't so bad" tally.

Re: Cuba says it has run out of fuel, blames U.S. embargo

#134

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you read the link closely, nowhere does it actually say the US is employing military force to stop ships from docking in Cuba - that's what a blockade is. The author of the piece is essentially trying to redefine "blockade" to mean "embargo". Again, the ships that actually were boarded were doing illegal things like flying false flags to try and continue to trade with Cuba without triggering retaliatory tariffs.

As I said in my other reply to you, if it looks like a duck and act like a duck, it's a duck. Call it a de-facto blockade if you have to. Being this pedantic only serves to protect the image of a heinous crime.

But it doesn't look like a duck? There are ships docking and departing Cuba all the time. Your speaking as though Cuba is cut off from all maritime trade, which is not the case.

Contrast that with actual blockades: like the UK blockading Germany in WW1. Even if a ship was legally registered, the Royal Navy would still board and seize it if it tried to dock on Germany.

You're trying to call this a distinction without a difference, when the differences between and embargo and a blockade are stark.

Re: Cuba says it has run out of fuel, blames U.S. embargo

#136
post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

FTA: “U.S. President Donald Trump resumed ramping up a six-decade-old American ecomonic embargo on Cuba in January after cutting off its main supply of oil from Venezuela and threatening sanctions on Mexico, its second largest supply, and any other country that provided oil to the island.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Cuban_crisis : “ The United States began blocking oil tankers heading to Cuba in February 2026…

No really, it's an embargo and a promise to tariff other countries that don't also embargo Cuba. An embargo is like boycotting a store. A blockade is like standing around the store with a bunch of batons promising to apprehend anyone who tries to shop at the store. They are not the same.

It feels like at this point you're splitting hairs on semantics when the effect is the same.

What is Cuba to do about this non-blockade, embargo?

Re: Cuba says it has run out of fuel, blames U.S. embargo

#137
post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They have been boarding ships that fly false flags. That is, they claim to be flying under the flag of some country. But when the US contacts that country to confirm that the ship is really registered there, the government of that country replies that the ship is not, in fact, registered. This is legal to do regardless of the embargo against Cuba. There are plenty of ships that move good and resources to Cuba that do…

I’m curious how it’s legal to size a ship in international waters under any circumstances? We have a word for that - piracy.

Basically stateless ships don't have any international legal protections in international waters (at least according to the US's interpretation of the law).

By the plain text of international law a state cannot commit piracy since piracy specifically only applies to private actors.

> Piracy consists of any of the following acts: (a) any illegal acts of violence or detention, or any act of depredation, committed for private ends by the crew or the passengers of a private ship or a private aircraft...

https://www.un.org/depts/los/piracy/piracy_legal_framework.h...

Re: Cuba says it has run out of fuel, blames U.S. embargo

#138
post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Communism must be absolutely incredible for such a small country to be such a threat to a superpower.

The US could not care less about Cuba being communist. They care a lot about Cuba being "open door communist bros" with the USSR, and now with China. If China moves on Taiwan, and the US moves to defend, and then a bunch of Chinese missiles hit the East Coast, people will wonder what the government was doing letting China set up camp right on our door step.

The irony of saying we should have the option to defend Taiwan but we can't tolerate China posing a threat in our backyard.

Re: Cuba says it has run out of fuel, blames U.S. embargo

#139
post #128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not a blockade. Any country around the world is free to sail their cargo ships to Cuba and trade with Cubans. This will in turn, trigger tariffs against them in the US, but if countries really want to trade with Cuba they can. A blockade is carried out through military force. Under a blockade ships are physically prevented from docking with the blockaded country, even if they're legally registered. If you want t…

Literally they are blocking tankers from other countries.

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Re: Cuba says it has run out of fuel, blames U.S. embargo

#140

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The US is not enforcing a blockade, it's an embargo. Oh, so USA is only forcing their trade partners to embargo Cuba! That makes thing better, right?

Which countries have US forced embargoes on Cuba?

Well recently Mexico and Venezuela. The rest are forced through the 1996 Helms-Burton Act, the U.S. can penalize any foreign company that does business in Cuba.
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