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The Economic War Against Cuba: A Historical and Legal Perspective on the U.S. Blockade
It is impossible to fully understand Cuba today without also understanding the economic sanctions levied against it by the United States. For over fifty years, these sanctions have been upheld by every presidential administration, and at times intensified by individual presidents and acts of Congress. They are a key part of the U.S. government’s ongoing campaign to undermine the Cuban Revolution, and stand in egregious violation of international law. Most importantly, the sanctions are cruelly designed for their harmful impact on the Cuban people.
In this concise and sober account, Salim Lamrani explains everything you need to know about U.S. economic sanctions against Cuba: their origins, their provisions, how they contravene international law, and how they affect the lives of Cubans. He examines the U.S. government’s own official documents to expose what is hiding in plain sight: an indefensible, vicious, and wasteful blockade that has been roundly condemned by citizens around the world.
In this concise and sober account, Salim Lamrani explains everything you need to know about U.S. economic sanctions against Cuba: their origins, their provisions, how they contravene international law, and how they affect the lives of Cubans. He examines the U.S. government’s own official documents to expose what is hiding in plain sight: an indefensible, vicious, and wasteful blockade that has been roundly condemned by citizens around the world.
144 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2013
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About the author
Salim Lamrani
24 books5 followersSalim Lamrani is a doctor in Iberian and Latin American Studies (Paris-Sorbonne University) and a professor at the University of La Réunion, specialising in relations between Cuba and the United States.
He was Marcelo Bielsa's interpreter from 2017 to 2019 and also served as discipline coach with Leeds United, where he was in charge of conflict prevention and imparting values.
He was Marcelo Bielsa's interpreter from 2017 to 2019 and also served as discipline coach with Leeds United, where he was in charge of conflict prevention and imparting values.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
October 5, 2024
Great book, strict to the point, shows you the problem without emotional language just facts
February 25, 2025
This is a must-read! Excellent and brief introduction to US sanctions on Cuba
July 22, 2021
Really concise and informative dive into the economic war the U.S. has launched against Cuba. It covers every administration from Eisenhower to Obama and looks at every facet of the illegal economic subversion. It's a really quick read and it's important to understand exactly how sanctions and the blockade affect daily life on the island, from healthcare to trade and manufacturing.
December 26, 2023
A very concise and accessible book on the economic tactics and blockade the U.S. has implemented against Cuba since the 1959 revolution. It goes through each president's policy with Cuba - from Eisenhower to Obama. The book goes on to discuss the effects the blockade has on the Cuban healthcare system, which I thought was very informative. Very good book if one wants to understand more about the blockade and its effects.
February 13, 2014
“The Economic War Against Cuba: A Historical and Legal Perspective on the U.S. Blockade” by Salim Lamrani is an overtly partisan account of the economic “siege” of Cuba by the U.S. and the affect this has had on the development of the Cuban population. The author’s primary beef is how U.S. sanctions have continued even after the fall of the Soviet Union and the normalization of relations between the U.S. and other communist states such as China and Vietnam.
Lamrani begins by describing the chronology of events that unfolded after the 1959 revolution claiming that every subsequent action taken toward the U.S. by Cuba has been in response to some form of U.S. aggression.
When pre-revolution dictator Fulgencia Batista knew his position was no longer tenable, he fled the island with $424 million from the government coffer. Feeling the pinch, the new dictatorial regime under Fidel Castro asked the U.S. for a loan to stabilize their currency and was rejected. According to Lamrani, this rejection was grounds for the initial nationalization of U.S. assets under the Agrarian Reform Act. Lamrani then attempted to justify subsequent nationalizations by claiming how U.S. multinationals had a “stranglehold” over the Cuban economy, and because they repatriated profits back to the U.S., it was okay for Cuba to continue to nationalize U.S. assets based on international sovereignty rights.
The U.S. response to the first nationalization was to dramatically reduce their purchases of Cuba’s sugar exports, the revenue from which constituted much of Cuba’s economy. Fidel’s response was to nationalize the country’s remaining U.S. assets and businesses, which in today’s dollars translated into billions of dollars. This was when the U.S. broke off all diplomatic relations and restricted travel for U.S. citizens.
Lamrani claimed these sanctions and restrictions left the Castro regime with little choice but to develop a political and economic alliance with the Soviets that once in place were used as justification by U.S. Republican administrations to tighten the noose on Cuba and any other country it traded with. Lamrani suggested these “extra-territorial” intrusions flouted international law and eliminated any headway in U.S./Cuban relations advanced by Democratic presidents.
What Lamrani fails to acknowledge is the extent to which Cuba’s historical overlords have provided the economic foundation essential to increasing Cuban prosperity, whether it was the deregulation imposed by the British in the 18th century or the neo-colonial imposition of investments footed by the U.S. government in the early 20th century. Lamrani also ignores the extent to which Fidel’s unilateralism and sudden adherence to communist ideals frayed relations.
Fidel’s stridence in repressing free speech and civil liberties was responsible for the exodus of Cuba’s educated and professional elite—not the U.S. And while this flight stagnated the economy, it didn’t do near the damage that nationalizing U.S. assets did in terms of slowing investment and development. That Lamrani conveniently overlooks how Castro stole billions of dollars from U.S. investors is weak. So, in case Lamrani doesn’t know, this “theft” is what has been primarily responsible for the ongoing embargo; more than ideology, more than human rights and more than the fact the Castros’ remain dictators. These omissions undermine the author’s concluding point that “[m]ore than a half century after their imposition, the U.S. economic sanctions have cost Cuba more than $751 billion”.
First, this dollar figure is hypothetical and is based on the author’s preferred ideological vision for Cuba, the fruition of which would have depended on a host of variables that may or may not have happened. Second, nowhere does Lamrani mention how unproductive uncompetitive socialist markets are or the extent to which moral versus material incentives in the work place are unsustainable. One must wonder if Lamrani would have ever written this narrative had the ideologically based capital infusions provided by Russia continued since it would have left no one to blame for the Castro regimes intransigence and poor economic choices.
At the end of the day, Lamrani spends far too much time lambasting the U.S. for all of Cuba’s socio-political and economic woes. The book is unabashedly “left” and uses inflammatory language accordingly without any mention of how undemocratic and damaging Fidel’s strategies have been making it hard to take any of what he claims seriously including his stats.
This book definitely provides some historical perspective on Cuba, as well as some insights into Cuba’s prospects, but falls dreadfully short on the promised legal perspective, the bulk of which was based on the idealism set forth through international law. Otherwise, this is mostly a far left bitch session, the likes of which are typically low on balance and high on omissions.
Perhaps the U.S. will normalize relations with Cuba when they, like China and Vietnam, experience a liberalized change in their leadership. But until then, Cuba and Lamrani should expect the status quo.
As the maxim goes, “change comes from within”…
2out of 5 stars for Lamrani!
Lamrani begins by describing the chronology of events that unfolded after the 1959 revolution claiming that every subsequent action taken toward the U.S. by Cuba has been in response to some form of U.S. aggression.
When pre-revolution dictator Fulgencia Batista knew his position was no longer tenable, he fled the island with $424 million from the government coffer. Feeling the pinch, the new dictatorial regime under Fidel Castro asked the U.S. for a loan to stabilize their currency and was rejected. According to Lamrani, this rejection was grounds for the initial nationalization of U.S. assets under the Agrarian Reform Act. Lamrani then attempted to justify subsequent nationalizations by claiming how U.S. multinationals had a “stranglehold” over the Cuban economy, and because they repatriated profits back to the U.S., it was okay for Cuba to continue to nationalize U.S. assets based on international sovereignty rights.
The U.S. response to the first nationalization was to dramatically reduce their purchases of Cuba’s sugar exports, the revenue from which constituted much of Cuba’s economy. Fidel’s response was to nationalize the country’s remaining U.S. assets and businesses, which in today’s dollars translated into billions of dollars. This was when the U.S. broke off all diplomatic relations and restricted travel for U.S. citizens.
Lamrani claimed these sanctions and restrictions left the Castro regime with little choice but to develop a political and economic alliance with the Soviets that once in place were used as justification by U.S. Republican administrations to tighten the noose on Cuba and any other country it traded with. Lamrani suggested these “extra-territorial” intrusions flouted international law and eliminated any headway in U.S./Cuban relations advanced by Democratic presidents.
What Lamrani fails to acknowledge is the extent to which Cuba’s historical overlords have provided the economic foundation essential to increasing Cuban prosperity, whether it was the deregulation imposed by the British in the 18th century or the neo-colonial imposition of investments footed by the U.S. government in the early 20th century. Lamrani also ignores the extent to which Fidel’s unilateralism and sudden adherence to communist ideals frayed relations.
Fidel’s stridence in repressing free speech and civil liberties was responsible for the exodus of Cuba’s educated and professional elite—not the U.S. And while this flight stagnated the economy, it didn’t do near the damage that nationalizing U.S. assets did in terms of slowing investment and development. That Lamrani conveniently overlooks how Castro stole billions of dollars from U.S. investors is weak. So, in case Lamrani doesn’t know, this “theft” is what has been primarily responsible for the ongoing embargo; more than ideology, more than human rights and more than the fact the Castros’ remain dictators. These omissions undermine the author’s concluding point that “[m]ore than a half century after their imposition, the U.S. economic sanctions have cost Cuba more than $751 billion”.
First, this dollar figure is hypothetical and is based on the author’s preferred ideological vision for Cuba, the fruition of which would have depended on a host of variables that may or may not have happened. Second, nowhere does Lamrani mention how unproductive uncompetitive socialist markets are or the extent to which moral versus material incentives in the work place are unsustainable. One must wonder if Lamrani would have ever written this narrative had the ideologically based capital infusions provided by Russia continued since it would have left no one to blame for the Castro regimes intransigence and poor economic choices.
At the end of the day, Lamrani spends far too much time lambasting the U.S. for all of Cuba’s socio-political and economic woes. The book is unabashedly “left” and uses inflammatory language accordingly without any mention of how undemocratic and damaging Fidel’s strategies have been making it hard to take any of what he claims seriously including his stats.
This book definitely provides some historical perspective on Cuba, as well as some insights into Cuba’s prospects, but falls dreadfully short on the promised legal perspective, the bulk of which was based on the idealism set forth through international law. Otherwise, this is mostly a far left bitch session, the likes of which are typically low on balance and high on omissions.
Perhaps the U.S. will normalize relations with Cuba when they, like China and Vietnam, experience a liberalized change in their leadership. But until then, Cuba and Lamrani should expect the status quo.
As the maxim goes, “change comes from within”…
2out of 5 stars for Lamrani!
May 26, 2023
This book provides a brief, but potent, overview of the embargo. It outlines its origin and absurdity with incredible brevity. The book covers the long history of the embargo through every major president that has overseen the measure, and it puts on full display the absurdity of the relic of the Cold War.
April 18, 2025
This was a great overview of the several illegal policies the us has leveraged against Cuba for no reason other than their fear of a successful communist country.
July 19, 2018
Essential reading for anybody at all interested in any facet of Cuba. Short, straightforward. Read it.
January 24, 2025
The United States cannot handle a "communist" nation in the West, and its embargo/blockade against Cuba showcases that. Despite what some Americans spout, the United States is surely the aggressor when it comes to US-Cuba Relations. The embargo has continued for 32 years at this point, and hopefully, it will end in my lifetime.
I learned a good bit from this book, which was impressive as its quite short. It showcases the information quite matter-of-factly. Some of the book's highlights were how much the US blockade affects Cuba (both domestically and internationally through US legislation like the Helms-Burton Act) and how little the US cares about international law to begin with.
The book is a bit dated as the US has gone through three presidential terms since Obama. At the end of 2024, Biden recently got Cuba off the US terror list. As of three days ago, Trump got Cuba back on the list.
I learned a good bit from this book, which was impressive as its quite short. It showcases the information quite matter-of-factly. Some of the book's highlights were how much the US blockade affects Cuba (both domestically and internationally through US legislation like the Helms-Burton Act) and how little the US cares about international law to begin with.
The book is a bit dated as the US has gone through three presidential terms since Obama. At the end of 2024, Biden recently got Cuba off the US terror list. As of three days ago, Trump got Cuba back on the list.
February 10, 2025
Great book. Straight forward and clear. Read it in two days. For new readers and people trying to get a basic understanding of the Economic War on Cuba it is great. Also people who are doing research there is a lengthy appendix at the end.
Keep in mind that this book was written in 2010 and also I think should be coupled with a book on the history of Cuba leading up to the revolution. I wish it was a little more clear just how exploited the Cuban people were as an American protectorate. But alas that is not the purpose of this book and it achieved its purpose which is to teach about the economic war against independent Cuba
Keep in mind that this book was written in 2010 and also I think should be coupled with a book on the history of Cuba leading up to the revolution. I wish it was a little more clear just how exploited the Cuban people were as an American protectorate. But alas that is not the purpose of this book and it achieved its purpose which is to teach about the economic war against independent Cuba
October 24, 2024
Super effective + straight to the point. Learned a lot, but not enough. This was surely meant to be very high-level. Felt like Lamrani was just fact spitting at some points but overall it was quite well-structured. I really liked how he went through every administration’s stance on Cuba + properly explained the policies they’ve implemented.
My mind continues to be boggled at the evil that is the United States.
My mind continues to be boggled at the evil that is the United States.
January 29, 2021
(read in Koh Samui, Thailand)
July 20, 2021
me quedó mucho más clarito todo.
Que se acabe el bloqueo.
Que se acabe el bloqueo.
February 26, 2025
Fascinating and short read
It’s a like 2 hour read, the last 54% is just primary sources and it’s short AF anyway.
The history of the US and Cuba is wayyyy wilder than you think it is
It’s a like 2 hour read, the last 54% is just primary sources and it’s short AF anyway.
The history of the US and Cuba is wayyyy wilder than you think it is
April 5, 2025
A solid and succinct primer on the US’ economic blockade of Cuba up to the book’s publication a decade ago
November 20, 2013
This is a quick read, a slim volume packed with a thorough summary of the economic sanctions the United States has imposed on Cuba, its political history and an overview of the legal implications of U.S. policy.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews