US Blockade's Humanitarian Impact on Cuba Highlighted

Alejandro is a baby born before reaching the mature biological stage in his mother's womb. When we met him, he was at Eusebio Hernandez Perez Maternity Children's Hospital in Havana, the capital of Cuba. His weight was only 2 pounds. He was in an incubator.

At the same time, the high-capacity electronic system of the hospital where he was admitted, and across Cuba, was destroyed. No such system remained in other hospitals. The condition of the hospital became like that due to the power outage across Cuba. Due to the strong blockade imposed by the United States on Cuba, it is almost impossible to import spare parts for repairing more incubators.

During our visit to the hospital, we also saw a pregnant woman struggling to climb the stairs. She appeared to be in the final stages of childbirth. Due to the lack of electricity in the hospital, the elevators are inoperable.

Doctors and staff working in the hospital are finding it difficult to come to work due to a shortage of fuel for vehicles. During power outages, doctors sometimes save babies by manually pumping ventilators themselves.

We were shocked to see the inhumane effects of the US blockade policy on the people there.

The hospital is somehow managing to prevent the infant mortality rate from increasing through various arrangements. However, Cuba has not been able to do so in terms of other services and facilities. From 2018 to the present, the US blockade on Cuba has become even stricter. Due to all these obstacles, Cuba's infant mortality rate, once considered exemplary worldwide, has increased by 148 percent.

As members of the US Congressional Foreign Affairs Committee, we spent five days in Cuba last April. We went to understand the humanitarian impact of the energy blockade that the US had imposed on the small island nation of Cuba for months.

We were shocked to see the inhumane effects of the US blockade policy on the people there.

As US President Trump said, the objective of such a policy was clearly to crush the economy until the Cuban people were ruined and the US could dominate there.

Except for one Russian oil tanker carrying enough oil for 10 to 14 days, fuel transportation to Cuba has been halted for four months. Other countries fear that the US military will seize their ships if they send them. Consequently, Cubans face a daily life of neglect and humiliation.

We have completed our trip and returned. We are confident that if the American people fully understood what is happening in Cuba, they would demand an immediate end to the blockade.

The US ban on fuel imports to Cuba is the longest-running blockade in modern American history. Such a move is a blatant violation of international law regarding freedom of trade, non-interference in internal affairs, and state sovereignty of every country.

No one else is stopping the export of US products to Cuba, only America's own financial sanctions are doing so.

The blockade is not only economically attacking Cuba's basic infrastructure but also creating a humanitarian crisis and collectively punishing a large population. In Cuba, services in healthcare, clean water, agriculture, and transportation sectors have been disrupted due to the US blockade.

During our visit to Cuba, we spoke with many citizens there. These included those who were politically dissatisfied and in the minority, religious leaders, entrepreneurs, and members of civil society and humanitarian aid groups. We also met with the families of political prisoners there.

Everyone agreed on two points: the US blockade must end, and there should be no US aggression against Cuba.

We also saw firsthand how the US could benefit from normalizing relations with Cuba. In various contexts, Cuba can be a natural trading partner for the US. Many agricultural ministers from states won by both US parties (Democrats or Republicans) have visited Cuba seeking opportunities to export US agricultural products to Cuba.

No one else is stopping the export of US products to Cuba, only America's own financial sanctions are doing so.

The Cuban healthcare system, considered a global model for public health for decades, has made significant progress that could be extended to Americans, including potential treatments for Alzheimer's and lung cancer. Both Cuba and the US can also benefit from tourism.

The move to allow the FBI to investigate the fatal shooting involving Cuban-Americans some time ago also demonstrated transparency and goodwill.

As soon as former President Barack Obama began normalizing relations with Cuba, hotels, restaurants, and shops began to flourish around Cuba. This, in a way, liberalized the Cuban economy and encouraged the emerging civil society there.

The Cuban government has made efforts to improve political and civil rights. It can and must do more internally. This includes stopping arbitrary detentions and mistreatment of political prisoners.

We also raised this issue in our discussions with their President Miguel Diaz-Canel. The Cuban government has also taken some important steps, such as announcing the release of 2010 prisoners. Such a step has been described as a 'humanitarian and sovereign' gesture by the government's newspaper.

The move to allow the FBI to investigate the fatal shooting involving Cuban-Americans some time ago also demonstrated transparency and goodwill.

Many of the economic changes sought by Trump and his administration during the blockade have already been implemented. The government has also recently allowed Cuban-American entrepreneurs to invest in private businesses. Small and medium-sized businesses now account for a large part of the economy and workforce.

If military action is taken now, it will only bring further destruction to Cuba, along with significant economic damage, and force many Cubans to flee their homes.

However, liberalization and other reforms cannot resist the campaign deliberately initiated by the US to destroy the Cuban economy. In the past few weeks, Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have announced a wide range of new sanctions targeting Cuba's economy.

In doing so, they have used the pretext that Cuba poses a threat to US national security.

The methods used against Cuba have made it clear that the biggest obstacle to improving the daily lives of Cubans is the US's old Cold War policy of economic coercion and military pressure. As a result of such a policy, the Cuban people are suffering from isolation and pain.

If military action is taken now, it will only bring further destruction to Cuba, along with significant economic damage, and force many Cubans to flee their homes.

Many positive options exist between the US and Cuba. If they aim to benefit the people of both countries while maintaining mutual respect, they can end the current bad chapter and begin genuine discussions and negotiations.

After returning from Cuba, we are more optimistic and confident. There is a real opportunity for children like Alejandro, met at Havana Hospital, and for the future generations of the Cuban people to experience the generosity of the American people and hope for a beautiful future.

(The authors are US Congressmen.)

– From The New York Times