Massive UN vote in support of lifting US embargo on Cuba

Yes shutting Cuba out of US goods really solved the problem...

If anything the US saved them which allowed them to understand that having everything wasn't what was in the best interest of the people. Look at us and the shape of our country and that typical American Value of working two and maybe three jobs to make ends meet.

Build the bridge and lets put this embarrassing situation behind us.

wow, I'm so shocked Israel voted with the US...to be fair, Cuba aren't a threat to America, they're just pissed they couldn't invade the tiny little island. It's pretty lame of them to vote against, but of course, a vote counts for very little to the US government, doesn't it?

Up with cane sugar! Down with high fructose corn syrup!

I love Cuba & Number One Cuban Cigars in the Worlds.

Cuba is a beautiful country from what I've seen of it. The sailors and marines would certainly appreciate being able to get off base and do the tourista. Gitmo was not always associated with unlawfull detention. They have some of the most pristine waters in the caribbean. Not to mention crazy good rock lobster. All it would take is a little open discussion and it there goes one more foe transformed into a friend, or who knows, an allie.

it all has to do with investment return.
our relationship with China has huge economic benefits for the US, but a relationship with Cuba will not be anywhere near as profitable, unless that is, if there really is oil in cuba's possession.
I'm half cuban myself, my dad was born in Havana in 1954, and he speculates that there are still Soviet nuclear weapons there.
who knows?

WHILE CUBA IS COZY WITH CHAVEZ, DO NOT REWARD THIS KIND OF BEHAVIOR. I REALIZE THE PEOPLE NEED IT, BUT EVEN IF WE SEND THEM GOODS, THE GOVERNMENT WILL CONTROL THEM AND KEEP MOST FOR THEMSELVES!!

Many Cuban's are jaded and tired of the counterproductive Communism on the island. All they hear and see are stories from the more materialistic 'Miami Dream' coming home.

The main reason this needs lifting is for MEDICINE. I spent eight months living in Havana back in 2003, not even those of the dollar side of the duo-economy can afford medicine. This has to change in order for the country to prosper.

I did get to go to Cuba. While in grad school, I went on a humanitarian trip through the Jewish student group on campus (even though I'm not Jewish) - we took medical supplies to hospitals and local clinics, as well as baseballs and gloves to a youth organization.

It was an amazing trip - Cuba is such a fascinating place. I do wonder though, if the embargo is lifted, if the country might lose a bit of its charm - the old cars they're driving and the buildings that appear frozen in time. So many Latin American countries have become so modern with so many US chains that they lose some of their own identity, in my opinion at least.

america is in no position to snub other nations over political ideology. i say lift the embargo; we need as many allies as we can get.

"I want Cuban Cigars!"

Lift the embargo!!! I've always really wanted to travel to Cuba, and while I considered going from Argentina while I lived there, I was too chicken and did not do so. But I still want to go. Lift the embargo and let me go!

I'm Cuban and I'm for lifting the embargo as well. The majority of Cubans are far-right conservatives who despise anything that even remotely is tied with the left.

Recently the Cuban American Foundation, and its president Jorge Mascanosa announced that they were supporting Obama because they thought that it was time to change the policy towards Cuba. Mascanosa was promptly labeled a communist by the far-right old guard of the exile community. But second generation Cubans who grew up in Miami are more open to change and aren't so entrenched in the old ideas that have failed to bring any change in regime in Cuba.

I'm a Democrat (unlike the majority of my countrymen) and I'm glad to see that there is a growing group of Cubans that are starting to identify with the Democratic party and with the new policy of reconciliation with Cuba...

More than anything else I want to see Cuba free of tyranny again. Isolation as it has been practiced for the last 50 years does not work. Open relations with Cuba and the regime will begin to weaken...

Do you think this approach to U.S. / Cube relations could have anything to do with the recently discovered oil off of the Cuban coast?

What is the point of having a UN General Assembly vote on ending the trade embargo, if the US will continually ignore the outcome and continue the ban anyway?

yeah the embargo is outdated, id love to see renewed us-cuba relations.

One can only dream...
Vote Obama in hopes of seeing a change in US-Cuba relations. My grandmother will thank us.

Would love to go to a local smoke shop and pick up a Monte Cristo cigar!!!

Dmitri_Molotov!

YES! Sugar!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethanol_fuel_in_Brazil

"Since the second half of the 70's, and as a response to the 1973 oil crisis, the Brazilian government has been promoting ethanol as a fuel. The National Alcohol Program -Pró-Álcool- (Portuguese: 'Programa Nacional do Álcool'), launched in 1975, was a nation-wide program financed by the government to phase out automobile fuels derived from fossil fuels, such as gasoline, in favour of ethanol produced from sugar cane."

"Presently, it is economically viable to extract about 288 MJ of electricity from the residues of one tonne of sugarcane, of which about 180 MJ are used in the plant itself. Thus a medium-size distillery processing 1 million tonnes of sugarcane per year could sell about 5 MW of surplus electricity. At current prices, it would earn US$ 18 million from sugar and ethanol sales, and about US$ 1 million from surplus electricity sales. With advanced boiler and turbine technology, the electricity yield could be increased to 648 MJ per tonne of sugarcane, but current electricity prices do not justify the necessary investment. (According to one report, the World Bank would only finance investments in bagasse power generation if the price were at least US$19/GJ or US$0.068/kWh.)
Bagasse burning is environmentally friendly compared to other fuels like oil and coal. Its ash content is only 2.5% (against 30-50% of coal), and it contains no sulfur. Since it burns at relatively low temperatures, it produces little nitrous oxides. Moreover, bagasse is being sold for use as a fuel (replacing heavy fuel oil) in various industries, including citrus juice concentrate, vegetable oil, ceramics, and tyre recycling. The state of São Paulo alone used 2 million tonnes, saving about US$ 35 million in fuel oil imports.
Researchers working with cellulosic ethanol are trying to make the extraction of ethanol from sugarcane bagasse and other plants viable on an industrial scale."

Yay! Cane sugar, coffee and cigars and um... what else does Cuba produce exactly?

Finally I will have real cane sugar in my Coke! F**K corn syrup! yeeeah!

the writing's on the wall, the embargo on cuba is an idiotic piece of foreign policy perpetrated by the united states on regular cuban and american people.

This policy is certainly antiquated and unnecessary. However, the UN making resolutions about the foreign policy oddities of the U.S. is an interesting development. Hopefully it can hold some credence up to whether or not the U.S. actually eliminates the embargo.

I don't know of one thing that is bad there except what we do in gitmo.

We trade with communist China, so whats wrong with our Cuban brothers and sisters?

Cuban Sandwichs are so good. We make the authentic kinda here in Ybor CIty. Can't wait to see Cuba though, one of my greatest mentor's parents are both from Cuba and Cubans are some of the coolest people on earth, seriously, it will be awesome to have open trade with them again.

I support lifting the embargo on Cuba and I support reopening tourist travel directly from the US to Cuba.

Can't wait to see the country, I love Cuban Salsa music, Cuban food, and Cuban culture.

17th year in a row. The only reason that the US has tried so hard to starve the people of Cuba is because they dare to feed everyone and shelter everyone and offer free medical care and education. What a crime.

The US is the real criminal in the world. We torture, we make war on people who are not a threat to us, we abuse, jail and oppress the people of the world for our own imperialist purposes without a care about human rights.

We should be ashamed.

This is a very interesting developement. This could be a very benficial relationship economically for the US. It's a starving, yet untapped, market. I am interested to learn more about Cuba. I wonder if all the things I have heard are true. Such as, Cuba has a 100% literacy rate and very high quality medical schools. But, the don't have toilet seats or American cars older than 1950. The live in crappy houses, but they have lots of time to spend with family and friends. Exercise is a social activity that promotes good health through prevention. Most of that excercise is dancing. They play lots of music and are well versed in the literary classics. They talk about, discuss, debate the issues of history and philosophy skillfully. I would love it if we got along with all of our neighbors. I'll go check it out as soon as I'm allowed.