Cheers for Obama’s abstain vote on Cuba

Wheat-Growers-National-AssociationBy National Association of Wheat Growers

The U.S. abstained from the 25th consecutive United Nations General Assembly Resolution condemning the Cuban Embargo. The U.S.’s abstaining from the vote is a departure from the last 24 years, as the U.S. has given an opposition vote to the resolution each year in the past. In opposing the resolution, past Administrations have supported the embargo which has been in practice for over 50 years. The Obama Administration’s move to abstain from the vote rather than outright opposing it demonstrates the Obama Administration’s new approach to Cuba and Obama’s goals of normalizing trade with Cuba. Ending the embargo would reopen Cuba as a viable market for American growers, who miss out on a substantial portion of market share due to barriers to successful trade with Cuba. Other countries with less restrictive regulations can take advantage of the Cuban market, to the detriment of American growers. NAWG welcomes the Obama Administration’s shift in practice by abstaining from the U.N.’s vote condemning the embargo, and encourages the path towards normalizing trade with Cuba to continue.


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