> Note that it's only the US that has an embargo against Cuba.

And that's the only embargo that matters. Given a choice between an embargo by the US or embargo by the rest of the world, cuba and every country in the world would choose 'the rest of the world'. Especially so for cuba since it's just right off the coast of florida.

> The rest of the world trades pretty freely with them.

No they do not.

> Given a choice between an embargo by the US or embargo by the rest of the world, cuba and every country in the world would choose 'the rest of the world'.

No way is this true. Look at this list of countries by biggest trade partners (import & export) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_leading_t....

You really think countries will willing choose to trade with the USA over the rest of the world when it isn't the biggest destination for their exports nor their major source of imports? Why would they do that exactly?

> You really think countries will willing choose to trade with the USA over the rest of the world when it isn't the biggest destination for their exports nor their major source of imports? Why would they do that exactly?

Yes, any day. Because US embargos prevent you from trading in USD, which is pretty much the de facto currency for any trade due to its stability and backing.

Also, even if you manage to settle your trade in say EUR, you now have to trade without using any US intermediary. Nothing related to this trade can involve a US bank, payment system, legal firm, etc.

A US embargo is pretty much the worst thing that can happen to a country. Only if your country has already strong ties to the middle east, Russia or China can you hope to do any sort of export.

Dream on, dude. Look into how the sanctions against Russia are going, not very well.

https://www.thetimes.com/article/66dfc09e-c94a-4846-a4e2-60d...

I swear some Americans seem to think the world they live in is from 1955 or 1975 or something. The US is just one player amongst many, a very important one but by no means the paramount one for every country in the world. The idea it is simply isn't backed by facts on the ground.

The sanctions also sanctions companies that trade with Cuba even from outside the US, so any company has to choose to either not trade with Cuba (which is a small market) or risk loosing the biggest market close by. So STFU.

When is the last time the US sanctioned a foreign company for trading with Cuba?

It happens all the time.

https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/canada-furious-with-u-s-...

https://www.thecasecentre.org/products/view?id=70853

All the time? Both of those are from 1996.

It seems the US in 1996-97 barred executives from at least two other companies doing business with Cuba from entering the US. I can’t seem to find any information about them having financial sanctions against them however.

Source?

That last word makes this conversation not worth continuing.

The article exactly says "US embargo".

Sure, but a lot of people seem to think Cuba is cut off from world trade. They're only cut off from one country.

Someone called it a "blockade" on this page.

Cuba’s ability to trade with the rest of the world severely impaired by the US embargo.

Most international banks get very nervous about facilitating transactions involving Cuba and even tourists who visit Cuba can have their travel to the US restricted.

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/usa/entry-requireme...

Cuba rarely stamps passports to avoid those problems. They give you a piece of paper with a stamp, that you return on your way out.

At minute 12:33 in this video it explains the 180-days rule and other details:

https://youtu.be/WgWK6_AYq_o?si=5aqdt7DW-gYd7XdN

it might not be completely cut off, but the embargo is harsh, especially for an island ot only 10M people

The US embargo includes NATO members. I don’t have the source handy at the moment but it’s clear that any current trade partners with the US would be violating the embargo if they attempt read with Cuba.

That is not true. Canada trades with Cuba and has done so for decades.

This is very misleading.

From Wikipedia:

”The United States has threatened to stop financial aid to other countries if they trade non-food items with Cuba.”

"While the US measures against Cuba do not amount to a blockade in a technical or formal sense, their cumulative effect is to put an economic stranglehold on the island, which not only prevents the United States intercourse but also effectively blocks commerce with other states, their citizens and companies."

”Despite the existence of the embargo, Cuba can, and does, conduct international trade with many countries, including many US allies; however, US-based companies, and companies that do business with the US, which trade in Cuba do so at the risk of US sanctions.”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_embargo_against_...

My friend's father can't travel to the US anymore (including transfer flights through) because he is higher up in a nickel mining company that does a lot of business in Cuba. Bank accounts, trading accounts, wire transfers, etc.. nothing can go through the US. Ships that dock in Cuban ports can't then go on to dock in US ports. etc. etc. etc

It's a kind of blockade

US embargos are much, much more than just preventing Country <-> US trades.

- The US applies embargo transitively. That means any movement of fund related to an embargoed country and transiting to the US is illegal. In other words, you cannot use a US bank, mortgage, funding, accounting firm, etc for these trades.

- The US applies extra territotial rules to USD. Any trade involving USD, even if completely remote to the US, is under US jurisdiction.

These constraints make a US embargo a very, very high bar to do any kind of trade.

Sounds like you deeply misunderstand how US embargo works.

I'm repeating what I've read in many places, but I don't know much detail myself.

So that could be true.

If you have a link explaining how it actually works, I'd appreciate it!

Don't know much about embargoes but at least with GPUs it's much more evil

Even if GPU manufacturer sells GPUs to a company which is not in embargo list they usually have agreements in place about not reselling them to the companies in embargo list