Despite Washington’s return to hardline policy toward Cuba, U.S. sanctions continue to fall short of their political objectives, concludes a new Chatham House research paper on global sanctions. The study warns that economic sanctions show limited effectiveness when applied to closed authoritarian regimes, and worse, actively push them toward closer relations with each other. Over six decades, rather than weakening Cuba’s ruling class, sanctions have often strengthened the regime’s political and economic control—while harming ordinary Cubans.
This week’s newsletter highlights the paper’s key findings and recommendations. We also examine recent developments in U.S. immigration policy, Cuba-Vietnam economic ties, new Russian investments in Cuba’s automotive and technology sectors, and the latest twists in the volatile U.S.-Venezuela relationship.
