Originally published in the Autumn 2024 edition of the Virginia Defender, issue 75, printed November 6. Reproduced here for accessibility and archival purposes. To find other stories in the Autumn 2024 issue or to download the full PDF, see this post. For other issues dating back to 2012, see the Full Issues page.

Staff Report

Once again, the United Nations General Assembly has overwhelmingly voted to condemn the U.S. blockade of Cuba, first imposed in 1960 after the Cuban Revolution overthrew the U.S.-backed dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista.

The vote was 187 for the annual resolution condemning the blockade, with only the U.S and Israel opposing. The Eastern European country Moldova abstained.

The Biden/Harris administration has kept the additional Trump-imposed measures that block the supply of fuel and spare parts needed to maintain Cuba’s power plants and electric grid. This was a major reason for the recent island-wide power failures, which the U.S. blamed on “socialist mismanagement.”

The U.N. has held a vote on the blockade every year since 1992, with the majority of members each time condemning the blockade. Israel has consistently voted with the U.S