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The Cuban Embargo Isn’t Just About the Embargo

Posted By Daniel Greenfield On December 27, 2014 @ 12:24 pm In The Point | 32 Comments

Anti-Embargoists like Obama and Rand Paul keep making the argument that the “embargo hasn’t worked”. By working they mean that it hasn’t forced the Castros out of power.

That argument is a loosely stuffed strawman. The embargo on its own wasn’t going to force the Castros out of power. It was helping to maintain conditions in which they could be forced out of power. And to weaken their ability to do regional and international harm.

The distinction between the two is as important as the difference between a serial killer in jail and a serial killer on your block. Even with the embargo, Castro managed to wedge his way into multiple wars and to harm American allies.

But let’s set aside the debate over the embargo for a moment. “What good has the embargo done” is the new “Where are the WMDs”. It’s a smug one liner used by people who don’t really want an answer.

The embargo isn’t just about the embargo. It’s also about Raul Castro declaring, “We won the war”.

It’s about the perception that the United States is weak, that it willingly cuts any deal with the enemy on any terms and is grateful to even be allowed to surrender to them.

That’s the perception that Carter created. That’s the perception that Obama creates by running around and bowing to every tyrant he can find.

You can’t fix that perception by overcompensating and then bombing someone. It doesn’t work. Everyone knows that America has lots of bombs. The question that our enemies and assorted neutral parties and allies ask is, does it have strong leaders to make the decisions.

When Obama gives Castro everything he wants on a silver platter in exchange for a few prisoners, he isn’t showing strength. He’s being Carter. The same deal could have been made while camouflaging the prisoner exchange, but that would have taken away Obama’s political cover. So instead he chose to look weak abroad to look better at home.

Even if the embargo had to end, the terms on which it ended were at least as important as the embargo because they showed our measure. There’s a big difference between withdrawing and taking the last helicopter out, between cutting an unpleasant deal and making a deal so bad that your enemy announces that he beat you after the deal is made because he knows that you are too weak to do anything about it.

 


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