Skip to content
October 1, 2023
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Reddit
  • Telegram
  • TikTok
  • LinkedIn
  • Discord
Orinoco Tribune – News and opinion pieces about Venezuela and beyond

Orinoco Tribune – News and opinion pieces about Venezuela and beyond

From Venezuela and made by Venezuelan Chavistas

Primary Menu
  • News
  • Opinion
  • About us
    • About us
    • Who we are – Becoming a Volunteer
    • Editorial guidelines for contributors
    • Our Sources
      • Venezuelan Sources
      • International Sources
    • Contact us
  • Categories
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Security and Defense
    • International
      • Africa
      • Asia
      • Europe
      • Oceania
      • US/Canada
    • Latin America and ALBA-TCP
      • South America
      • Central America and the Caribbean (+Mexico)
    • Ideology-Commune-Labor
    • Health-Education-Sport-Culture-Technology
    • Solidarity and Social Movements
    • OT Specials
  • Support Us
Light/Dark Button
YouTube Channel
  • Home
  • Opinion
  • Another Vile Lie from the United States
  • International
  • Opinion
  • US/Canada

Another Vile Lie from the United States

June 25, 2021

By Angel Guerra Cabrera  – Jun 18, 2021

The fondness of the rulers of the United States for the use of lies to justify their actions in the world, constituting, as a general rule, flagrant violations of international law and elementary humanist principles, is well known.

But rarely have the hypocrisy and cynicism of the empire of the North gone as far as when its spokesmen claim that the unduly named economic “sanctions” against countries such as Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Syria, Iran and North Korea seek to punish their leaders and not their populations.

I corroborate this when I read the very well documented and detailed annual report of the Cuban government to the UN on the damage caused to its people by the blockade. By the way, it is time to recall that Washington euphemistically calls this punitive measure of force an embargo or sanctions, arrogating to itself the right, which no one has conferred on it, to decide who are the good and the bad in the world. I am not going to stop now to explain why it is a blockade and not an embargo. It would be like explaining why bread is called bread. But the term “sanctions” encompasses arrogance, haughtiness and Washington’s obsessive penchant for lies, when it tries to cover up serious violations of international law and human rights under that term, which have no other name than unilateral coercive measures. They are coercive because they are applied by means of force and they are unilateral because they are applied contrary to the UN Charter and other international instruments, in disregard of multilateral organizations—such as the UN Security Council—the only ones empowered to adopt sanctions against third countries in accordance with international norms.

RELATED CONTENT: US Sanctions on Cuba and Venezuela Hamper the Global Fight Against COVID-19

But let us return to what lies at the heart of this allegation: the US lie that sanctions are directed against the rulers and not against the peoples. It was noted that in the period analyzed by the aforementioned report of the Cuban government, between March 2019 and April 2020, for the first time since the report has been debated at the UN in 1993, the impact caused by the blockade on the Cuban economy exceeded $5 billion in one year, and reached $5,570,300,000, an increase of about $1.2 billion over the previous period, a very high figure for a small economy. This increase reflects the boundless hostility and hatred displayed against Cuba by the Trump administration, and is evidence, due to its extraordinary magnitude, of the deliberate objective of causing the greatest possible discomfort, not to the leaders, but to the Cuban people.

The order of magnitude of this figure and the picture of blatant threats and punishments to anyone in the world who dares to do business with Cuba or grant it credit reveals the perverse intention of the measure: to cause hunger, generalized shortages—even of essential medicines—and long lines to buy the most elementary things, with the purpose of provoking a social outburst among the Cuban people and the longed-for change of “regime.” This is accompanied, of course, by destabilization plans, including the attempt of a soft coup, as has been seen in the last few months. They have been at it for more than six decades, if we count from the time they adopted the first measures against the island’s economy, even though the blockade had not yet been formally decreed.

RELATED CONTENT: Biden Should Agree to Request from Rep. McGovern, To End US Sanctions Against Venezuela

The international economic crisis and its notable aggravation due to the pandemic have hurt Cuba, as well as the whole world, but it is amazing the degree to which the blockade can make this situation more painful, especially due to the ferocity that the United States has imbued it with in times of pandemic. Take one example: the Finlay Vaccine Institute had to turn to suppliers in third countries to purchase US-made products. To do so, it paid $894,693, whereas it could have saved $178,938 if it had purchased them in the United States.

This is just one case, since Cuba’s efforts to combat the pandemic have been significantly limited due to the provisions of the blockade, especially the extraterritorial ones, which have allowed Washington to deliberately deprive Cuba of mechanical ventilators, masks, diagnostic kits, glasses, suits, gloves, reagents, and many other supplies needed to deal with COVID-19.

Under these adverse conditions, Cuba not only has the lowest COVID mortality rate in the region, but also provides mass vaccination to its population with products created by its own scientists—in addition to providing the support of its doctors to more than 50 nations to fight the disease. In a few days, the United States will once again receive at the UN the world’s rejection of this policy, which it classifies as genocidal under the Geneva Convention of 1948, and as a crime against humanity under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Yes, Mr. Biden.

 

 

Featured image:  File Photo

(Resumen Latinoamericano-English)

SL

Don't want to be a victim of the Algorithm?

SIGN UP TO RECEIVE OUR WEEKLY DIGEST WITH ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT VENEZUELA AND BEYOND

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

Angel Guerra Cabrera
Website | + posts

Journalist and Cuban political analyst. He was director of the Juventud Rebelde newspaper (1968-1971), Bohemia magazine (1971-1980) and other Cuban publications. He has worked as a journalist in countries in Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America and the USA. In Mexico he is a columnist on international issues of the newspapers La Jornada and Excelsior. He is coordinator of the Mexico and the Current World Political Reflection Forum, jointly organized by Casa Lam and La Jornada.

  • Angel Guerra Cabrera
    #molongui-disabled-link
    Peruvians stay mobilized. Photo: Aldair Mejia/EPA.
    January 30, 2023
    CELAC and the Peruvian Rebellion
  • Angel Guerra Cabrera
    #molongui-disabled-link
    “No to unemployment, yes to work, workers in Santa Cruz protest bosses strike. Photo: AFPPIX.
    November 1, 2022
    Bolivia: Elitist Coup Attempt in Santa Cruz
  • Angel Guerra Cabrera
    #molongui-disabled-link
    Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel speaks in the National Assembly of Cuba. Photo: PCC.
    July 27, 2022
    Cuba Facing Hybrid Warfare
  • Angel Guerra Cabrera
    #molongui-disabled-link
    August 17, 2021
    Peru: A Coup Brewing
Tags: Blockade COVID-19 Cuba Human Rights Iran Nicaragua North Korea Syria US Imperialism Venezuela violations of international law

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)

Continue Reading

Previous Previous post:

US Doubles Down on Venezuela Sanctions as Guaidó Tours Europe Touting Penalties as Leverage Tool

Next Next post:

ECOWAS Court Dismissed Cape Verde’s Motion to Set Aside Judgment for Release of Alex Saab

Subscribe to Weekly Digest

We keep your data private and share your data only with third parties that make this service possible. Read our Privacy Policy.

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

NEWS: MOST POPULAR

Calendar

October 2023
M T W T F S S
 1
2345678
9101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
3031  
« Sep    

Categories

OPINION: MOST POPULAR

We are on Telegram


Receive our news directly in your cell phone or PC, join us on our TELEGRAM channel.

 

We are on Discord


Join our Discord server to check our content without algorithms and to interact directly with our team.

The original content by Orinoco Tribune is free to share and it is licensed under CC BY 4.0

We are on Reddit

If you are more into REDDIT, join our Orinoco Tribune subreddit.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Reddit
  • Telegram
  • TikTok
  • LinkedIn
  • Discord
Copyleft, No rights reserved.

W E    N E E D    Y O U R    S U P P O R T

Orinoco Tribune operates without any advertising. We are not funded by any governments, think tanks, or large institutions. Our operations are entirely funded by readers like you. Our most generous donors have been targeted by the US for supporting socialist causes or are financially struggling. As a result, their accounts have been frozen, cutting off a significant revenue stream and severely threatening the sustainability of Orinoco Tribune.

We urge our readers and supporters, especially those not currently doing so, to help us with small donation (such as US $5 or $10/month) via Patreon, via Paypal/Credit-Card/crypto or via paper checks. Readers and supporters like you will allow us to continue bringing you progressive and hard-hitting news from Latin America, the Global South, and the world.

Help us reach our goal of $650 in monthly Patreon donations. We are counting on you as our only source of financial support!