A/T: Soft power is decreasing due to the embargo

A/T: Ending the embargo is what the internat’l community wants

A/T: Prevents a Cuban pivot towards US adversaries
A/T: Relieves hardships related to food/medical care
A/T: Embargo entrenches Castro’s power
A/T: Rewards the new Cuban administration
A/T: Would help US agriculture
A/T: Would help Cuban agriculture
A/T: The embargo harms the Cuban economy
A/T: Would benefit US economy
A/T: Removes the scapegoat
A/T: Improves preparedness for natural disasters
A/T: Helps US-Cuban biotechnology

A/T: Soft power is decreasing due to the embargo

1. Correlation, not causation- the decline in soft power is due to other factors. First,
through the NSA
Migranyan, Andranik. "Scandals harm U.S. soft power." The National Interest., July.
2013. Web. 29 Jan. 2017. <http://nationalinterest.org/commentary/scandals-harm- us-
soft-power-8695>.

“On a practical geopolitical level, the spying scandals have seriously

tarnished the reputation of the United States. They have
circumscribed its ability to exert soft power; the same influence that made
the U.S. model very attractive to the rest of the world. This former lustre is now
diminished. The blatant everyday intrusions into the private lives of Americans, and
violations of individual rights and liberties by runaway, unaccountable U.S. government
agencies, have deprived the United States of its authority to dictate how others must
live and what others must do. Washington can no longer lecture others when its very
foundational institutions and values are being discredited capabilities”

2. The decline in soft power is also due to America’s fiscal situation

Neu, C. Richard. “U.S. 'Soft Power' Abroad Is Losing Its Punch”, RAND Corporation. 8
Feb. 2013. Web. 29 Jan 2017, <http://www.rand.org/blog/2013/02/us-soft-power-
abroad-is-losing-its-punch.html>.

But the United States was conspicuously absent. A pledge from the United States
requires congressional authorization. In the midst of last spring's contentious debate
over U.S. government deficits and debts, support for an international body was a
political nonstarter. Where the United States had previously demonstrated international
leadership, other countries—some of them America's rivals for international influence—
now make the running. This is a small example of what may be a troubling trend:
America's fiscal predicament and the seeming inability of its political
system to resolve these matters may be taking a toll on the
instruments of U.S. “soft power” and on the country's ability to shape
international developments in ways that serve American interests. The most potent
instrument of U.S. soft power is probably the simple size of the U.S. economy. As the
biggest economy in the world, America has a lot to say about how the world works
3. Trump undermines soft power

Farshneshani, Beheshta. "The End of U.S. Soft Power?" Project-Syndicate, 11 Nov.

2016. Web. 29 Jan. 2017. <https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/us-
presidential-election-soft-power-by-shashi-tharoor-2016-11>.

One major casualty of Donald Trump’s victory in the bruising US

presidential election is, without a doubt, America’s soft power around the
world. It is a development that will be difficult – perhaps even impossible – to reverse,
especially for Trump. Traditionally, countries’ global political power was assessed
according to military might: the one with the largest army had the most power. But that
logic was not always reflected in reality. The US lost the Vietnam War; the Soviet Union
was defeated in Afghanistan. In its first few years in Iraq, the US discovered the wisdom
of Talleyrand’s adage that the one thing you cannot do with a bayonet is sit on it.

The decline in U.S. soft power and international influence is non-unique.

A/T: Ending the embargo is what internat’l community wants

1. The US needs the embargo to stay in place

"Editorial: The last leverage with Cuba." Center for American Progress. 30 Sept. 2016.
Web. 02 Jan. 2017. <http://www.dailycommercial.com/news/20160928/editorial- last-
leverage-with-cuba>.

In Cuba, the Castro regime remains mired in its worn rhetoric tied more to the bygone
era of the Cold War, unwilling to make concessions and, frankly, reaping rewards
without having to do so. Though the shift in Cuban-American sentiment against the U.S.
embargo of Cuba is an intriguing sign of the times, the shift that really matters here is
the one that the Castro regime has yet to make. And that, alone, mandates that the
embargo remain in place. It's the only leverage the United States has left.

The embargo is the only tool the U.S. has left to make change in Cuba.

Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart. “Embargo Creates Leverage” USA Today. 20 May 2002.
<http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/comment/2002/05/21/ncoppf.htm>

Why do we deny the U.S. market (including the billions of dollars that U.S. tourists
would immediately provide the dictatorship) to Cuba? Because we insist on three steps
that we believe all peoples are entitled to in an otherwise democratic Western
Hemisphere: freedom for political prisoners, freedom of speech and free elections. Just
as in numerous other cases of external solidarity with peoples oppressed by tyranny,
the U.S. embargo is not meant to "overthrow Castro." Rather, it constitutes
indispensable leverage for a democratic transition to take place as
soon as the dictator in that totally personalized dictatorship is no
longer on the scene”

2. The embargo upholds American interests

Fabian, Jordan. "US abstains on UN resolution against Cuban embargo for the first
time.” The Hill. 26 October 2016. Web. 8 Jan. 2017.
<http://thehill.com/policy/international/302881-us-abstains-from-un-resolution-on- cuba-
embargo-for-first-time>

The U.N. resolution is largely symbolic and does not carry the force of law. But it has
served as an annual opportunity for Cuba and its Latin American allies to blast U.S.
policy on the world stage. The decision to abstain, instead of voting no, will likely revive
a long-running conflict between the White House and Republicans in Congress, who
back the 55-year-old embargo. Republicans, and some Democrats, in Congress argue
that Obama’s decision to pursue closer ties with Cuba only rewards President Raúl
Castro, whose government still maintains strict controls over the economy and carries
out human-rights abuses against its citizens. “This is long-standing, bipartisan, human
rights- based US law that the Administration is choosing not to defend,” Sen. Bob
Menendez (D- N.J.), a Cuban-American member of the Foreign Relations panel,
tweeted Wednesday. “That is shameful.” Senate Foreign Relations Committee member
Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) said in a statement "is shameful for the Obama
administration to refuse to abide by existing U.S. law and to dismiss the will of
the American people, as expressed through their elected
representatives of Congress." Power used her remarks Wednesday to press the
Cuban government to improve conditions for its citizens.

One of the reasons why the UN resolution exists is so that Cuba could blast United
States policy.

For the U.S. to bend to the will of Cuba means that we are giving them the upper hand
in the situation, and losing the negotiating position that we had.

3. The U.N. resolution is largely symbolic and does not carry the force of law.

A/T: Prevents a Cuban pivot towards US adversaries

1. TURN: Lifting the embargo actually makes us lose our leverage over Cuba

Carol E. Lee “U.S. Competes With China for Influence in Cuba” Wall Street Journal. 18
March 2016. < http://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-competes-with-china-for- influence-in-
cuba-1458293405>
“Though China is Cuba’s second largest trading partner, it is far behind Venezuela,
illustrating the limited business opportunities for most countries under Cuba’s current
system. Joint ventures and foreign direct investments from China are relatively small—
though plans for a cluster of resort properties are estimated to be worth $460 million,
including a luxury housing project near the Marina Hemingway that will house Chinese
tourists.But China’s investments in Cuba are likely to grow , said Xu
Shicheng, a leading Chinese expert on Cuba at the state-backed Chinese Academy of
Social Sciences, as a loosening of U.S. restrictions opens Cuba’s access
to the broader, global economy. “This improvement in relations between Cuba
and the U.S., if it brings about a relaxing of restrictions, would benefit future Chinese
investment in Cuba,” he said.”

If the U.S. lifts its embargo it will make trading with Cuba less complicated for countries
like China, unlike what the affirmative says about what’s happening in the status quo.

2. Even if Cuba can pivot, the embargo has still achieved its goal of damaging the
Cuban economy.

Daniel Trotta “Cuba estimates total damage of U.S. embargo at $116.8 billion.” Reuters.
09 September 2014. <http://www.reuters.com/article/us-cuba-usa-
idUSKBN0H422Y20140909>

“U.S. economic sanctions against Cuba have cost the island nation
$3.9 billion in foreign trade over the past year, helping to raise the overall
estimate of economic damage to $116.8 billion over the past 55 years, Cuba said on
Tuesday. The figures were published in a report that Cuba prepares for
the United Nations each year in requesting a resolution urging an end
to the comprehensive U.S. economic embargo and other sanctions against
Cuba's Communist government. The United Nations has passed the resolution for 22
straight years with overwhelming support. Last year the vote was 188 to 2, with only the
United States and Israel voting against the resolution. Although many U.S. allies join
Washington in criticizing Cuba's one-party system and repression of political opponents,
the Americans have lost nearly all international support for the embargo since the
collapse of the Soviet Union. No other nation besides the United States has an
economic embargo against Cuba.

-The US still has leverage over Cuba

-The embargo has severely damaged the Cuban economy and even with the possibility
to trade with other nations, the Cuban government is still inquiring about the embargo
being lifted.

3. There’s no way the Cuban gov’t can have leverage over the U.S.

Leogrande, William M. “Normalizing Relations with Cuba: The Unfinished Agenda.”

Newsweek. 30 January 2015. <http://www.newsweek.com/normalizing-relations- cuba-
unfinished-agenda-303232>.

As the two sides embark on what promises to be a long series of meetings to carry the
normalization process forward, the guide below offers a capsule sketch of the issues in
conflict that will comprise the toughest part of the negotiating agenda. The list is lop-
sided, mostly involving programs and policies that are vestiges of the old U.S. policy of
hostility. For its part, Cuba doesn't have any sanctions against the United
States that it can offer [in exchange]. There are, however, a number of things
that Washington will be seeking from Havana.”

Even if Cuba can turn to other nations for trade partnerships, the fact of the matter is
that they want to have a secure relationship with the United States and we should wait
until more concessions are granted to lift the embargo.

A/T: Relieves hardships related to food/medical care

1. False: Cuba has continually prioritized access to doctors and provided free
medical services.

“Myths and Facts About the U.S. Embargo on Medicine and Medical Supplies.” Oxfam
America and the Washington Office on Latin America. October 1997. Web.
<https://www.wola.org/sites/default/files/downloadable/Cuba/past/cuba_myths_fa
cts.pdf>

According to UNICEF, the Cuban healthcare system provides medical

services free- of-charge to 98 percent of the population, surpassing
health care coverage in both the United States and the rest of Latin
America. Health services are widely available to the population, without regard to
economic status, politics, race or religion. Over 95 percent of the public is attended by
local family practitioners, each serving approximately 150 families in their
neighborhoods. Washington Office on Latin America 5 Cuba has one of the
highest doctor/patient ratios in the world: by 1996, there were 60,129
physicians in Cuba, half of these specialists, for a ratio of one physician for every 183
inhabitants. Problems in the Cuban healthcare system are not an inaccessibility to
physicians but the unavailability of medicine and medical supplies as result of economic
shortages and the embargo. The health budget has increased its share of
the national budget. Cuban healthcare spending was at 905 million pesos in 1989
but grew to 1.2 billion by 1996. This is the opposite of defense spending: in 1989, 1.3
billion pesos were spent on defense. In 1995 this amount had decreased to 602 million.
In fact, according to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Cuba spends a
greater percent of its GDP on healthcare than any other government in Latin America.
In comparison to 7 percent spent by Cuba, Bolivia spends .6 percent, Costa Rica
spends 1.27 percent; Dominican Republic spends 1.12 percent; and Brazil spends 0.64
percent.

Entirely false, Cuba has created one of the world’s best healthcare systems.

2. Cuba also develops its own vaccines

“Myths and Facts About the U.S. Embargo on Medicine and Medical Supplies.” Oxfam
America and the Washington Office on Latin America. October 1997. Web.
<https://www.wola.org/sites/default/files/downloadable/Cuba/past/cuba_myths_fa
cts.pdf>

The portion of funds contributed to the national health care budget is used exclusively
for purchase of medications, ambulances, equipment and supplies for medical services
to the population. Hard currency earned from treating and selling medications to foreign
patients is used to purchase medicines for Cuban patients who receive them free in
hospitals and at subsidized prices in pharmacies. Cuba's biomedical research
primarily benefits Cubans by producing vaccines domestically that
Cuba would otherwise be unable to import. For example, the hepatitis-b
recombinant vaccine, developed through genetic engineering, has made it possible for
Cubans to be immunized against this strain of hepatitis, reducing the otherwise
prohibitive cost of importing the vaccine from international manufacturers. Another
example is that of recombinant streptokinase - the life-saving "clot-buster" administered
to heart attack victims - which is available in hospital emergency rooms, due to
biomedical research. If imported, this product would cost over $150 per dose.

-Entirely false: The Cuban government has managed to create their own system without
the embargo stepping on their research.
-They have their own vaccines and produce them for even cheaper than it would have
cost to import them.

A/T: Embargo entrenches Castro’s power

1. False: sanctions empirically lead to reductions in authoritarianism

"The Underestimated Effect of Democratic Sanctions." E-International Relations. 26

Apr. 2014. Web. 04 Jan. 2017. <http://www.e-ir.info/2014/04/26/the- underestimated-
effect-of-democratic-sanctions/>.

And there is more bad news. Academic research has shown that sanctions are not only
ineffective, but even counterproductive. It has been argued that authoritarian countries
do not become more, but less democratic when targeted by sanctions (Peksen & Drury
2010; Wood 2008). In a recently published article in the journal Democratization, we
reinvestigate the effect of democratic sanctions, i.e. those which explicitly aim at
improving the level of democracy, using new data and statistical analysis, to see if
democratic sanctions really are as bad as their reputation. Perhaps surprisingly, our
findings are rather optimistic. Our study shows that sanctions are not always effective,
sometimes they may even be counterproductive, and all types of sanctions are not
equally likely to lead to positive outcomes, but on average, democratic sanctions
are, in fact, associated with higher levels of democracy in the targeted
state. We also show that democratic sanctions have other more profound effects on
the targeted state. In authoritarian states targeted by democratic sanctions,
authoritarian leaders are more likely to lose power and countries are
more likely to change their basic political institutions. Such institutional
changes do not necessarily lead to a fully- fledged liberal democracy, but often open up
to increased civilian political control or multiparty elections.

2. We have already seen similar reforms to this in Cuba

"Factsheet: Reforms in 21st Century Cuba." WOLA (Advocacy for Human Rights in the
Americas). 14 Mar. 2016. Web. 04 Jan. 2017. <https://www.wola.org/analysis/factsheet-
reforms-in-21st-century-cuba/>.

Over the past few years, the Cuban government has initiated a gradual but important
process of reform. This includes economic changes that are moving a significant portion
of the population out of the public sector and towards private employment. At the same
time, Cuba has made a number of modest social and political reforms, including
loosening restrictions on travel abroad, releasing political prisoners,
and allowing religious and civil society groups to carry out previously
prohibited activities.

Below is detailed list of some of the many ways in which Cuba today is home to a
changing society. While some of these may not seem dramatic to those outside the
country, they are highly significant to those living in Cuba. In fact, the island is
currently witnessing the most ambitious expansion of the boundaries
of economic activity and political liberty in decades.

3. The US government can make small concessions to garner change without

eliminating the entire embargo.

"Obama Chips Away at Cuba Embargo, Discusses Efforts with Raul Castro." Reuters.
Thomson Reuters, 18 Sept. 2015. Web. 04 Jan. 2017.
<http://www.reuters.com/article/us-cuba-usa-trade-idUSKCN0RI1EF20150918>.

Aides to Obama touted the latest steps, which he implemented with his executive
powers in defiance of critics in Congress, as a way to boost business and promote
economic and political reform in Cuba. They also mark Obama's continuing effort to chip
away at the embargo since a thaw.

U.S. officials said the full impact of the eased restrictions will depend on whether
Cuba makes economic reforms of its own. Some White House aides have privately
accused Havana of dragging its feet on such changes for fear of losing its grip on the
state-run economy and Cuban society.

A/T: Rewards the new Cuban administration

1. There is no guarantee that there will be drastic enough changes

Whitefield, Mimi. “Raul Castro follows his own path.” Miami Herald. 26 November 2016.
Web. <http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation- world/world/americas/fidel-castro-
en/article117200653.html>

But despite the more market-oriented reforms, Raúl [Castro] has steadfastly
said Cuba’s political model will remain intact. “We shouldn’t expect
that in order for relations to improve with the United States, Cuba is
renouncing the ideas for which we have fought for more than a
century and for which our people have spilled so much blood and run
such great risks,” he said at the closing session of the National Assembly in
December 2014. Despite the diplomatic breakthrough two years ago, Raúl has kept up
a steady drumbeat against the U.S. embargo, which although weakened, still remains in
effect and can only be swept away by an act of Congress. When it comes to economic
change, Raúl catch phrase has been “sin prisa per sin pausa” (without haste but without
pause). He “likes to experiment before moving forward and measure the results of the
repercussions,” said Domingo Amuchastegui, a former Cuban intelligence analyst.

Raul Castro is not completely altering the political climate.

2. Raul Castro still is a Castro that rules with an iron fist.

Johnson, Bridget. "Senate Dem: Raul Castro has more blood on his hands than Fidel.”
PJ Media. 27 November 2016. Web. <https://pjmedia.com/news-and-
politics/2016/11/27/senate-dem-raul-castro-has-more-blood-on-his-hands-than- fidel/>

Surrounded by members of the Union of Cuban Ex-Political Prisoners, Sen. Bob

Menendez (D-N.J.) warned that Cuban President Raul Castro is not the softer Castro
brother that some make him out to be but has "more blood on his hands" than Fidel.
Menendez spoke Saturday in Union City, N.J., in front of walls filled with framed photos
of people detained, tortured and killed by the Castro regime. The senator said the
images "remind us of what Fidel Castro's legacy is truly all about." Menendez said he
woke up to hundreds of emails from friends and Castro opponents expressing joy at the
death of Castro, 90, "and I understand what they meant -- but today I find no real joy."
"Too many families have been torn apart, too many killed and imprisoned, too many
tortured, too many hungry, a nation destroyed and millions enslaved. And a Castro still
rules 11 million Cubans with an iron fist," he said. "Time has made Americans numb to
those harsh realities. But for the people of Cuba, they are the nightmare they live every
day. Time weakened our resolve and so the Obama administration two years
ago made enormous one-sided concessions to the Castro regime
only to see two years of greater repression instead of greater
freedom."

We must keep the embargo until Raul can definitely prove that he will not be as
destructive as Fidel.

A/T: Would help US agriculture

1. In the long term the Cuban economy will suffer

Ming Chun Tang “Could U.S. Trade Threaten Sustainable Agriculture in Cuba?” North
American Congress on Latin America. 2 May 2016.
<http://nacla.org/news/2016/05/02/could-us-trade-threaten- sustainable-agriculture-
cuba>

“The other main risk, especially given the considerable U.S. agribusiness interest in
exporting to Cuba, is increased competition from U.S. imports. Despite being
partially sheltered from U.S. competition by the trade embargo, agroecological and
organic farms already struggle to compete against their conventional counterparts.
Aside from the challenges facing Cuban agriculture in general, including labor
shortages, red tape and limited access to machinery and irrigation systems, these farms
face their own unique obstacles, such as difficulty in obtaining natural inputs like
compost, microorganisms and earthworms. Existing government policies create
additional hurdles, as the state distributes agrochemicals along with improved seeds for
cash crops such as corn, beans and taro, allowing conventional farmers to achieve the
same results with less labor input.”

2. Large agricultural organizations will displace small Cuban farms, hurting

sustainable agriculture in Cuba

Miguel Alteiri – UC Berkeley Agroecology professor “Cuba’s sustainable agriculture at

risk in U.S. thaw” The Conversation. 25 March 2016.
<http://theconversation.com/cubas-sustainable-agriculture-at-risk-in-u-s-thaw- 56773>

“When agribusinesses invest in developing countries, they seek economies of scale.

This encourages concentration of land in the hands of a few corporations and
standardization of small-scale production systems. In turn, these changes force small
farmers off of their lands and lead to the abandonment of local crops and traditional
farming ways. The expansion of transgenic crops and agrofuels in Brazil, Paraguay and
Bolivia since the 1990s are examples of this process. If U.S. industrial
agriculture expands into Cuba, there is a risk that it could destroy the
complex social network of agroecological small farms that more than
300,000 campesinos have built up over the past several decades through farmer-to-
farmer horizontal exchanges of knowledge. This would reduce the diversity of
crops that Cuba produces and harm local economies and food
security. If large businesses displace small-scale farmers, agriculture
will move toward export crops, increasing the ranks of unemployed.
There is nothing wrong with small farmers capturing a share of export markets, as long
as it does not mean neglecting their roles as local food producers. The Cuban
government thus will have to protect campesinos by not importing food products that
peasants produce.”

Lifting the embargo hurts the Cuban economy, leaving the government less
economically able to be a strong trading partner with the U.S.

A/T: Would help Cuban agriculture

1. The Cuban government will likely reject increased U.S. food exports.

Danny Vinick “Cuba to US: We don’t want your food.” Politico. 05 October 2016
<http://www.politico.com/agenda/story/2015/10/cuba-to-us-we-dont-want-your- food-
000263>.

“The U.S. can do what it can do,” said David Salmonsen, the senior director for
congressional relations at the American Farm Bureau Federation. “Fully having normal
trade relations will help. But the focus at the same time is on what does Cuba want to
do.” Despite the Obama administration’s desire to renew diplomatic relations with the
Cuban government, increased trade still requires cooperation on the part
of the Cubans. Pritzker’s visit to Havana this week is intended to push Cuba towards
a more open business climate. But if President Raul Castro intends to restrict purchases
of U.S. agricultural products as leverage to pressure American politicians into repealing
the embargo entirely—a job that falls to Congress—the White House is stuck. As for
Patrick Wallesen, he’s not confident that the Cuban government will be interested in his
company’s beans anytime soon. But he’s hopeful that someday, that will change. “If
they would allow me to lease a warehouse and import product into Cuba,” he said, “I
would be there tomorrow.”

2. Cuban agriculture doesn’t need our help

Carolyn Beeler The US has a lot to learn from Cuba about sustainable agriculture” PRI
(Public Radio International). 15 March 2016. <http://www.pri.org/stories/2016- 03-15/us-
has-lot-learn-cuba-about-sustainable-agriculture>

“When the Soviet bloc collapsed in 1991, Cuba lost most of its imports and its access to
petroleum, chemical fertilizers and pesticides. “To avoid starvation, [farmers] were
forced to figure out how they could grow food without the use of those chemical inputs,”
Watson says. Those more traditional farming techniques have largely
endured, Watson says, because of a strong network of peasant farmers
established in Cuba. Watson estimates about a quarter of Cuban farms are
organic, compared to about .2 percent of the farms in the US. “They’ve integrated
everything they possibly could to create a system that was independent of chemical
inputs,” Watson said. Cuba still imports most of its food, raising the question of just how
replicable its sustainable agriculture models are. But Watson says much of what’s
imported can’t be grown in Cuba’s climate anyway “Most of the things they are capable
of producing, they are,” Watson said. “So [sustainability] is a matter of degree and
nuance.".”

-Cuban farmers are successfully meeting demand to the necessary degree

-Food that needs to be imported is already being imported without increased U.S.
involvement.

A/T: The embargo harms the Cuban economy

1. The embargo is not the cause of Cuba’s economic hardships

Talley, Ian. "5 Things You Need to Know About Cuba’s Economy." The Wall Street
Journal. Dow Jones & Company, 18 Dec. 2014. Web. 07 Jan. 2017.
<http://blogs.wsj.com/briefly/2014/12/17/5-things-you-need-to-know-about- cubas-
economy/>.

The country has largely been a controlled economy depending on the

largesse of benefactors such as Russia and Venezuela. The U.S. first
levied sanctions against Cuba in 1960 as part of its larger Cold War against
communism and the former Soviet Union after Fidel Castro’s revolution turned the
Caribbean country into Moscow’s client state. The Castro regime has managed to
subsist as a communist frontier despite the rest of the region largely having turned to
free markets. As a measure of its economic isolation, Cuba has rejected
relationships with the International Monetary Fund and the World
Bank, unlike almost all of the world’s 196 countries. The country has
been hit by economic crises in its major patrons, Venezuela and
Russia. The net oil importer has depended heavily on subsidized energy imports from
Caracas. But Venezuela’s economic turmoil is deepening, making it increasingly unable
to afford its subsidy of Cuba. Russia, as one of the country’s largest creditors, is facing
its own financing problems. And Europe, whose open trade with Cuba made it the
second-largest export market for the country, has struggled to avert a third recession in
five years.

Cuba has made many decisions on its own that contributed to its economic hardships.
 2. Castro’s policies have also been the reason for the lack of economic growth

Worstall, Tim. "Fidel Castro's Economic Disaster In Cuba." Forbes. Forbes Magazine,
26 Nov. 2016. Web. 07 Jan. 2017.
<http://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2016/11/26/fidel-castros-economic- disaster-in-
cuba/#12077c64668e>.

Fidel Castro, the Communist Dictator of Cuba, has died at the age of 90. There have
been those, over the decades, who have held him up as some paragon of a new world
order, one in which people will not be subservient to either America nor capitalism. The
truth is that he visited an economic disaster upon the island nation of
Cuba. No, it was not the US, it was not any blockade or embargo, not
anything external to Cuba that caused this, it was quite simply the idiocy of
the economic policy followed, that socialism, which led to there being near no economic
growth at all over the 55 years or so of his rule. What little that did occur happening
when the strictest of his rules were relaxed.

The Cuban government is the root cause of this suffering.

A/T: Would benefit US economy

1. Lifting the embargo only harms the US economy.

Meyers, Jim. “10 Reasons Why the Cuban Embargo Should Not Be Lifted” Newsmax.
13 Jan. 2015. <http://www.newsmax.com/TheWire/reasons-cuban-embargo-
not/2015/01/13/id/618267/>

“Opening up trade with Cuba would lead the United States into dealings with a
"deadbeat" nation that refuses to honor its commitments. Cuba has defaulted on
its estimated $37 billion debt to the Paris Club of nations. Russia has been forced
to write off Cuba's $32 billion debt, and Mexico wrote off $340 million of Cuba's
debt.”

-Cuba’s trading partners already have to shoulder the burden of the Cuba’s debt.

-If the United States gets involved it will only help to diversify risk.

2. Cuba’s economy is not in a position to trade with the US

Warrant: The state controlled system is highly inefficient and would not be able to
succeed at large scale trade.

"Cuba's Problems Beyond the Embargo." Stratfor. 28 July 2015. Web. 07 Jan. 2017.
<https://www.stratfor.com/geopolitical-diary/cubas-problems-beyond-embargo>.

Even if Congress begins serious deliberations on lifting the embargo

after its August recess, the main impediments to Cuba expanding
trade ties with the United States are mostly internal economic
considerations. Despite Havana's greater attempts to spur the national economy,
starting with the legalization of Cuba's informal business activity in 2010, the
imbalances created by five decades of economic isolation will remain
the principal constraints on Cuba's economic growth. The Cuban
government is by far the largest employer on the island, and state-owned exporting
businesses (as well as limited joint ventures with foreign firms) are highly inefficient
compared to foreign competitors. Cuba's two-tiered currency exchange rate also
creates significant distortions and dissuades foreign investment. Moreover, the country's
restrictive foreign investment law, which taxes foreign-owned firms heavily and limits
international arbitration to settle disputes, is a major drag on foreign investment. If
Congress lifts the embargo and travel ban in the near term, Cuba's elites will still benefit
from increased tourism (already a multi-billion dollar industry controlled by Cuban
military firms), although they likely will continue missing out on potentially higher-value
economic activity for years.

The Cuban government and low performing economy will get in the way of trade.

3. Cuba’s poverty and repressive government will prevent these economic benefits

Warrant: If Cuba was such an untapped growth market, other countries would have
easily stepped in to fill it.

O'Grady, Mary Anastasia. "Who Benefits If the Embargo Is Lifted?" The Wall Street
Journal. Dow Jones & Company, 21 Dec. 2014. Web. 07 Jan. 2017.
<http://www.wsj.com/articles/mary-ogrady-who-benefits-if-the-embargo-is-lifted-
1419205562>.

The isolation (news flash Rand Paul) is caused by the police state, which controls and
surveils foreigners’ movements, herding most visitors into resort enclaves. Foreign
journalists who vocally oppose the Communist Party line are not allowed into the
country. U.S. telecom companies are lobbying Washington to be able to do business
with the dictator. So to peddle the idea to the rest of us, Mr. Obama claims that this
small, backward Caribbean country is a huge untapped export market. Question: How
come the likes of Mexico and Spain haven’t flooded the virgin paradise for capitalists
and turbocharged the Cuban middle class? Maybe because a couple of hoodlums have
rigged the game. They decide who and what enters the country, treat
Cubans like slaves, and arbitrarily jail foreign entrepreneurs and take
property when it suits them.

Cuba is a poor and repressed country that lacks the economic strength to truly benefit
the US economy.

A/T: Removes the scapegoat

1. Giving the regime a win means harming American values and hegemony.

Benitez, Jorge. "Lining a Dictator’s Pocket.” US News. 27 November 2014. Web.

<http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/world-report/2014/02/27/lifting-the-us- embargo-
on-castros-cuba-would-be-a-mistake>

This is why decades of trade between Cuba and market economies in Europe, Canada
and Latin America have only lined the pockets of the Castro government and not
produced any of the promised political or economic benefits for the people of Cuba. This
is what “normalized” relations with Cuba looks like. If the U.S. dropped the
embargo, our companies would join those from around the world that
pay dearly to the Castro regime as it exploits the Cuban people. It is this
corrupt system, not the embargo, which deprives the people of Cuba of the benefits of
trade and the skill of their labor. As the U.S. argued in the United Nations, “the Cuban
Government’s own policy was the largest obstacle to the country’s own development,
concentrating political and economic decisions in the hands of the few and stifling
economic growth.” Ending the embargo on the Castro regime would be a
blow not only to American wallets, but also to American values. The
American people want “free trade with free people,” not manipulated trade that
strengthens an authoritarian government’s oppression of its people. The Castro regime
is on its last few breaths and the Cuban Spring will soon come to millions who will
remember that for decades the U.S. chose solidarity with the Cuban people instead of
business partnerships with the dictator in Havana.

Lifting the embargo proves to the people that we believe it is a failed policy, and it gives
the Castro regime a win.
A/T: Improves preparedness for natural disasters

1. The United States doesn’t want Cuba’s help

Murray, Mary. “Katrina aid from Cuba? No thanks, says U.S.” NBC News. 14
September 2005. Web. 29 Jan. 2017.
<http://www.nbcnews.com/id/9311876/ns/us_news-
katrina_the_long_road_back/t/katrina-aid-cuba-no-thanks-says-us/>

In separate Washington press briefings, both the White House and State Department
spokesmen this week downplayed the Cuban government’s offer to send some 1,600
medics, field hospitals and 83 tons of medical supplies to ease the humanitarian
disaster. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack asserted last week that the
Cuban medical brigade would probably not be needed since there has been a “robust
response from the American medical community.” White House spokesman Scott
McClellan scorned the Cuban proposal last Thursday when asked if the president would
consider accepting the Cuban help. “When it comes to Cuba,” said
McClellan, “we have one message for Fidel Castro: He needs to offer
the people of Cuba their freedom.” Sauchay and the other Cuban physicians
don’t seem to be taking the hint their services may not be wanted.

The United States won’t tolerate Cuba’s policies.

2. Cuba has also rejected U.S. aid that was offered.

Martin, Michael. "Cuba Pounded by Ike, Rejects U.S. Aid.” NPR. 8 September 2008.
Web. 29 Jan. 2017. <http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94379104>

Well, as you said, Michel, they offered - the initial aid offer was in the context
in response to the Gustav Hurricane last week. Not very much, just a hundred
thousand dollars, which, you know, compared to the billions of dollars that the Cuban
authorities say was the amount of damage, that doesn't amount to much now. The
United States - the United States also said that that aid had to go through private relief
groups. It would not go through the Cuban government. And that - and the Cuban
government has already rejected that condition. United States also offered
to send down a disaster assessment team. The United States has some very good
expertise in this regard, but the Cubans said that that was not necessary. They said
they're perfectly capable of assessing the disaster themselves. So it
doesn't appear that there was - that the Cuban government is going to respond to that.
Mindset of the US and Cuba is the problem, won’t necessarily change if embargo lifted

A/T: Helps US-Cuban biotechnology

1. Cuba isn’t ready to become a technologically advanced society.

Sara Reardon “Can Cuban Science Go Global?” The Nature Journal. 28 September
2016. <http://www.nature.com/news/can-cuban-science-go-global-1.20694>

Lee, an immunologist at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, New York, is

organizing the first US clinical trial of a Cuban vaccine. Yet the success stories don’t
outweigh the profound challenges facing scientists in Cuba. Research jobs pay
poorly, and the number of students getting science doctorates has
not risen in the past decade. Internet access is scarce, and those who
have it find the service so sluggish that it can be next-to-impossible
to e-mail a scientific paper. An energy shortage this summer forced government
buildings to shut off their electricity for large portions of the week. During a temporary
ban on air conditioning, scientists at the University of Havana sweltered over their
laptops in 35 °C temperatures.”

2. Many Cuban doctors are also leaving the country

Josh Friedman “Cuba's health system: an eyewitness report” Physicians for a National
Health Program. 23 February 2015. <http://www.pnhp.org/news/2015/february/cubas-
health-system-an-eyewitness- report>.

“The system is free, but it is neither fast nor efficient for two important reasons. One is
obviously the lack of financial resources, and the other - which is related to the first - is
the "export" of doctors, nurses and dentists in exchange for hard currency.
Thousands of Cuban doctors go to Venezuela to provide primary
healthcare there. Their tour of duty lasts a minimum of two years and they are paid
approximately $50 a month, plus expenses. In exchange, Hugo Chavez, Venezuela's
president, sends Cuba petrol, part of which can be sold for hard currency. When a
friend of mine was unable to be operated on as scheduled, because there was no
anesthesiologist available, "they are all in Venezuela" was a complaint I regularly heard.
Another way the country is attempting to obtain hard currency is to offer health services
to foreigners - something that has been dubbed "health tourism". But some question
whether visitors really get what they pay for.”
The U.S. would not benefit from a country that has a failing healthcare system.