Biden Removal of Cuba from the SSOT—Five Minutes Before he’s Out the Door

In his last week in office, the outgoing administration of President Biden made the correct decision to remove Cuba from its arbitrary list of State Sponsors of Terrorism (SSOT). The designation, not a fact-based decision, blocked Cuba from accessing most of the global financial system. It further extended the reach of extra-territorial US sanctions by threatening and punishing individuals, international business, and countries who trade or do business with Cuba. It also drastically increased sanction over-compliance by international banks and corporations.

The SSOT designation contributed to the economic crisis that Cuba is currently facing. In the context of these harsh sanctions by the previous Trump and then Biden administrations, Cuba also lost a year of tourism because of the pandemic. It is still recovering from this. The applications of the additional sanctions fueled an emigration crisis because of the serious economic hardships the Cubans face because of the unrelenting economic pressure by the United States.

While the world welcomes this long overdue removal of Cuba from the SSOT list. Cuba should never have been there in the first place. Biden could have kept his campaign promises to remove Cuba in the early days of 2021. Not only is there a complete lack of evidence that Cuba provides support for terrorism, there are countless examples of Cuba cooperating in the fight against terrorism and for international peace and justice.

The application of the SSOT list designation on Cuba was nothing more than arbitrary political fodder. It was significantly a means by which the United States put maximum pressure on the Cubans. It has asphyxiated the economy, creating an inhumane suffering to the Cuban people because of the resulting severe shortages of necessities such as fuel, food, medicine, and spare parts for critical infrastructure.

The decision to remove Cuba from the SSOT list is, of course, a significant step towards justice for the people, and reflects their years of struggle against these punitive policies. However, the illegal and coercive blockade against the Cubans remains in force: merchant ships still face threats and restrictions by the US, a lack of access to the international banking system, credit, and foreign investment, as well as the ridiculous campaign to sabotage Cuba’s international medical cooperation. And, the recent attacks by the US mainstream against the tourism industry are ongoing. Cuban families still bear the full weight of the punitive measures applied by the United States, as they have for over six decades.

While Cuba’s removal from the SSOT list is a step in the right direction, political forces in the United States are already preparing to manufacture a new context to re-add these same cruel sanctions against Cuba. Biden’s move to remove Cuba’s designation from the list, five minutes before he leaves office, is a little bit late by far. What did his staff think they would accomplish at this late moment in time? It demonstrates just how much Cuba is a propaganda toy for the US. That it has harmed the Cuban people cannot be denied. Much more should have been done a few years back. In the meantime, Cuba, as always, remains determined to pursue its rights to assert its sovereignty, economic development, and self-determination.