In Time, Rand Paul has written on the Cuban embargo, largely in response to Marco Rubio.
He puts his finger on an interesting contradiction. Those who so busily go around deriding non-interventionists as supposed “isolationists”, when it comes to the subject of Cuba, suddenly become actual isolationists (no trade, no diplomacy, etc.) and scoff at those who want to “appease Cuba”.
Whatever one thinks about him in general, Rand does a good job of bringing out the problems and contradictions in the thinking of the pro-embargo people. Here are some quotes from Rand:
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“The supporters of the embargo against Cuba speak with heated passion but fall strangely silent when asked how trade with Cuba is so different than trade with Russia or China or Vietnam. It is an inconsistent and incoherent position to support trade with other communist countries, but not communist Cuba.”
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“My family’s opposition to communism was so fierce that when Nixon said the U.S. would trade with Red China our response was heated and passionately opposed. But over time my family and many conservatives came to believe that trade was better than war and more effective. While China’s human rights record leaves much to be desired, our engagement and trade has without question helped to open Chinese society.”
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“The 50-year embargo against Cuba has not worked. If the goal was regime change, then it sure does not seem to be working. It also hurts the people more than the regime, because the regime can blame the embargo for hardship.”