U.S. embargo against Cuba has failed to achieve regime change and only causes humanitarian suffering
Source: The American Conservative. "Trump’s Cuba Policy Is a Humanitarian Disaster - The American Conservative." February 13, 2026. www.theamericanconservative.com
The Gist
The author argues that America's 65-year economic embargo against Cuba has completely failed to remove the communist government while causing massive suffering for ordinary Cubans. Since there's no realistic way to force regime change and tightening sanctions will only make things worse for Cuban people, the U.S. should abandon this failed policy.
Conclusion
The U.S. embargo policy against Cuba should be abandoned because it has failed to achieve regime change after 65+ years while causing immense humanitarian suffering
Premises
- The U.S. embargo has imposed massive economic costs on Cuba ($130 billion by 2018, potentially $1.337 trillion over 60 years) without achieving regime change
- Cuba lacks the internal conditions necessary for regime change - no organized opposition, no potential insider allies, and no possibility of popular uprising
- The Trump administration has no concrete plan for achieving regime change beyond intensifying the failed embargo strategy
- Military options (decapitation strikes, invasion) would either fail to achieve desired outcomes or require costly occupation
- Intensifying the embargo by cutting off oil supplies will create a humanitarian crisis and mass starvation without changing the regime
- Studies show unilateral sanctions cause death tolls similar to armed conflict, making this policy morally unjustifiable
Assumptions
- Regime change in Cuba is not a legitimate or achievable U.S. foreign policy goal
- Humanitarian consequences should be a primary consideration in foreign policy decisions
- Past policy failure is a strong indicator that intensifying the same policy will also fail
- The Cuban government has sufficient control and legitimacy to resist external pressure indefinitely