Cuba reporter says country 'can't do business' internationally due to US sanctions

[Judi Lynn]

7/14/2021

Reed Lindsay, director of the U.S.-Cuba centered news outlet Belly of the Beast, on Wednesday said the protests on the island nation should force people to consider how U.S. sanctions have limited the country's ability to “do business” with companies across the world.

In an interview on Hill.TV’s “Rising,” Lindsay responded to recent comments from White House press secretary Jen Psaki, in which she denied claims that the U.S. has blocked humanitarian aid to Cuba.

Lindsay said Psaki’s response “begs the question: Why does Cuba need humanitarian supplies at all?”

“It’s because it’s in the midst of a devastating economic crisis brought about in large part by U.S. sanctions,” Lindsay said, noting that various restrictions have limited the ability of Cuba to import ventilators during the coronavirus pandemic, forcing the country to develop its own technology.

“It’s not so much the question of humanitarian aid, it’s the fact that Cuba just can’t do business, not only with the United States, but with other companies across the world because of the U.S. sanctions,” Lindsay added.

Watch part of Lindsay’s interview above.

https://thehill.com/hilltv/rising/562977-cuba-reporter-says-country-cant-do-business-internationally-due-to-us-sanctions

Also posted in Editorials and other articles:
https://www.democraticunderground.com/1016297077

[Budi]

1. FALSE: US Embargo Does Not prevent Cuba from trading with other countries

Fact check: US embargo doesn't prevent Cuba from trading with other countries

Mr Lindsey is not exactly accurate.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.usatoday.com/amp/7954883002


The claim: The U.S. 'blockade' of Cuba means the island nation can't trade with any country or company

In Cuba, protests against food and medicine shortages amid the coronavirus pandemic have sparked online misinformation about the country's relationship with the United States.

"People are either unaware or being purposely obtuse about the U.S. blockade on Cuba," reads text in a July 12 Facebook post.
"Do you realize it doesn't just mean they can't trade with the U.S.? Cuba can't trade with ANY country or ANY company whatsoever, threatening other people who may want to help."

The post, which has more than 3,900 shares, is a screenshot of a tweet from Alexis Isabel, a socialist activist. Isabel's post has more than 560 retweets.

But the U.S. embargo against Cuba, which has been in place for decades, isn't technically a "blockade," as the post claims. And it doesn't prevent the island nation from trading with other countries or non-American companies.

"That is a false claim," Lillian Guerra, a professor who specializes in Cuban and Caribbean history at the University of Florida, said in an email.


Embargo doesn't apply to all countries, companies
The U.S. has maintained a comprehensive economic embargo on Cuba since the 1960s, preventing most American companies from doing business on the island and vice versa. The sanctions do not force other countries and non-U.S. companies to cut ties with Cuba, although they incentivize it.

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[EX500rider]

2. Indeed, they obviously trade with these countries:

Lots of other countries to trade with. The issue is communist countries never produce either quality or quantity of goods for trade.