US Economic Warfare Against Cuba Constitutes Illegal Collective Punishment of Civilians
Source: Amba Guerguerian. "Washington’s War on Cuba Is Collective Punishment." February 13, 2026. jacobin.com
The Gist
The author argues that America's economic blockade of Cuba is actually illegal punishment of innocent Cuban people, not just their government. They say US officials have now openly admitted they want to make Cuban civilians suffer so much they'll overthrow their own leaders, which violates international law.
Conclusion
The US embargo and blockade against Cuba constitutes illegal collective punishment of the Cuban civilian population under international law
Premises
- US officials have explicitly stated their intention to cause suffering among Cuban civilians to force regime change, abandoning previous euphemisms
- The embargo targets the entire Cuban population rather than just government officials, affecting every Cuban citizen regardless of their relationship to the government
- Collective punishment of civilian populations is explicitly prohibited under the Fourth Geneva Convention
- The UN Security Council has never authorized sanctions against Cuba, making unilateral economic warfare illegal under international law
- The justifications for the blockade (Russian spy bases, terrorism support) are unsupported by credible evidence
- Cuba's alignment with Russia and China is a defensive response to US pressure, not ideological hostility
- The US applies different standards to Cuba than to allies with worse human rights records
Assumptions
- International law should govern state behavior and economic warfare
- Causing civilian suffering to achieve political goals is morally wrong
- US claims about Cuban threats lack credible evidence
- Economic pressure primarily harms ordinary citizens rather than government officials
- The US has alternative policy options that don't involve collective punishment