Commentary: Washington's perverse Cuba embargo -- a Cold-War vestige despised globally

BEIJING, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- The UN General Assembly voted overwhelmingly early this week to denounce Washington's 62-year embargo on Cuba.

This near-unanimous vote -- with 187 in favor, only two against and one abstention -- goes beyond rejecting a dated policy. For 32 years in a row, the United Nations has called for lifting the unilateral embargo, amplifying the message with each and every vote: the world has long loathed its economic stranglehold on Cuba.

The embargo is a vestige from the bygone Cold War era, an outdated ploy that Washington still resorts to as a stand for so-called "democratic principles." Yet the blockage has less to do with democracy than with systematically stemming Cuba from pursuing a different path of social development.

Since 2019, Washington has screwed up sanctions on Havana, adding economic pressure through such measures as restricting oil shipments to Cuba, and tightening limits on travel and remittances.

The chokehold's cumulative cost is staggering, with the damage over the past 62 years amounting to nearly 1.5 trillion U.S. dollars, according to Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla.

Addressing the General Assembly, Parrilla expounded on the toll of U.S. "economic warfare" on the Cuban people during October's nationwide blackout, caused by a shortage of fuel and spare parts essential for Cuba's power plants and grid.

"Many families lacked running water, hospitals work under emergency conditions, and schools and universities suspended their classes, and businesses interrupted their activity," he said.

Even during the COVID-19 pandemic when humanitarian needs should have outweighed politics, Washington still toughened up its restrictive policies against Cuba, cutting the Caribbean island off from basic medical supplies, food, and essential resources.

The U.S. policies have drawn stern international rebukes, notably those from U.S. allies. Speaking out through a Hungarian representative on Wednesday, the EU said, "The U.S. embargo and connected measures do not contribute to promoting these aims (in economic openness, human rights), they impede their achievement."

In fact, the U.S. stance toward Cuba has become a hallmark of its broader foreign policy filled with unilateralism, disregard for international norms, and a brand of exceptionalism that asserts U.S. laws should extend beyond its borders.

This annual vote is more than a policy critique. It is part of a global shift. Since 1992, the UN General Assembly has voted 32 times on resolutions demanding an end to the U.S. embargo on Cuba, with an ever-louder voice for lifting the blockade over the years.

Emerging economies and countries across the Global South are pushing for a more just and equitable world order. In contrast, the United States finds itself increasingly isolated, clinging to unilateral punitive measures rooted in Cold War hostilities.

Even within the United States, public opinion largely disapproves of the embargo, viewing it as a failed policy that merely breeds resentment. A previous survey by the Pew Research Center found that 73 percent of Americans favored normalizing relations with Cuba and lifting the trade ban.

These massive outcries notwithstanding, U.S. politicians choose to turn a deaf ear to the call from either its people or the international community.

As the international landscape is fraught with changes and turbulence, a stable global future depends ever more on peaceful development and win-win cooperation rather than outdated power play. As the General Assembly's vote shows, the world is ready to forge ahead, leaving the shadow of the Cold War behind. After all, there is nothing wrong about wishing for a better world. Washington would do well to listen.