William M. LeoGrande summarized that the embargo against Cuba is "the oldest and most comprehensive US economic sanctions regime against any country in the world. It comprises a complex patchwork of laws and presidential determinations" imposed over half a century ago, which long-time Cuban leader and former president Fidel Castro once called "a tangled ball of yarn." According to LeoGrande, "[US] Presidents have tightened or relaxed it to suit their own strategies—some seeking to overthrow or punish the Cuban regime with economic pressure, others seeking to improve relations by resorting to soft power rather than hard. The impact of US sanctions has also varied, at times inflicting serious harm on the Cuban economy and at other times being merely an expensive annoyance. But the embargo has never been effective at achieving its principal purpose: forcing Cuba's revolutionary regime out of power or bending it to Washington's will."[4]
It is cs clear to me that the US needs to do some work on this, and at the very least, make it easy for Americans to visit Cuba.
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