The United States embargo on Cuba, called "el bloqueo" in Cuba, is about just as old as the Castro regime in Cuba. Ever since Fidel Castro took over, the United States has had a travel ban and a trade embargo with Cuba until the Castro regime improves its human rights record. President Obama relaxed many of the regulations placed onto Cuba and even met with Raul Castro. However, Trump has decided to scale back many of the reforms that Obama put into place, further setting back relations between the two countries.
The embargo exists due to Castro's poor record with human rights, yet several human rights groups have condemned the US trade embargo with Cuba. Over 50 years of an embargo hasn't toppled the Castro regime, nor has it improved lives for the Cuban people. In fact, these policies do much more harm to the Cuban people than they do to the Cuban government. Without a strong trading partner, it is hard for the Cuban goods to get anywhere outside Cuba, thus making harder for the Cuban people to profit. If the United States apparently cares for the Cuban people, then it should enact policies that actually benefit them.
The crimes of the Castro regime are numerous, but if the United States wants to be the harbinger of human rights in the world, then it should actually care about human rights. Guantanamo Bay is in Cuba, but is owned by the United States, and it has seen many human rights violations committed by the United States. By our own standard, we couldn't trade with ourselves.
The United States claims that the trade embargo exists due to Castro's human rights record. However, the United States has no problem in engaging in trade with the Saudis, who have one of the worst records on human rights. The big crime of the Castro regime was not its human rights violations, it was not being an economic partner of the United States. Violators of human rights who don't partner with the United States, like Muammar Gaddafi, face regime change, while those who ally with the United States get benefits. Of course, the US attempts at regime change in Cuba have always failed. Fulgencio Batista was also terrible for Cuba, but because he allowed American corporations to use Cuba as playground for their own profit, he's apparently better in the eyes of the American government.
Donald Trump should not scale back the reforms of President Obama. He should instead pursue a policy that will actually help the Cuban people. The United States should still condemn human rights violations (including those of its close allies and itself), but if the United States wants to help the Cuban people, then bringing trade to Cuba is the best way to do it.
