Brazil Votes against U.N. Condemnation of U.S. Embargo

U.S. President Donald Trump convened with the General Assembly earlier this year. (Flickr)

Brazil voted alongside the United States to reject an annual United Nations resolution that condemns the U.S. economic, commercial, and financial embargo on Cuba for the first time on November 7.

The vote, in its 28th consecutive year, passed at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City. Of the 193 General Assembly members, 187 voted in favor of the resolution, while the U.S., its ally Israel, and Brazil voted against it. Colombia and Ukraine abstained and Moldova did not vote.

The U.S. voted against the resolution for 24 consecutive years until the Obama administration abstained in 2016. Under President Donald Trump, the U.S. has not remained passive. Last year, no members abstained, and the resolution passed with sole objections by the U.S. and Israel.

General Assembly resolutions are unenforceable, but they reflect the world opinion, especially by supporting Cuba and isolating the U.S. on the world stage. Only the U.S. Congress can act upon its embargo, but the repeated resolution has aimed to politically influence American actions nonetheless. 

Brazil’s vote reflects a shift in policy by conservative President Jair Bolsonaro, who took office in January of this past year. The country has traditionally objected to U.S. punishment of countries who trade with or invest in Cuba, as large Brazilian firms such as Souza Cruz Ltda makes most of its cigarettes in Cuba. The recent vote indicates an attempt to improve relations with the United States.

Oliver Stuenkel, an expert at the Getulio Vargas Foundation in Sao Paulo, admits that the vote demonstrates “being close to the United States” is a “key priority,” even if that entails “stand[ing] alone” in Latin America by not voting alongside its neighbors.

Colombia has cited Cuba’s “hostile attitude” as the reason for its abstention after peace talks between Colombia and Cuba’s National Liberation Army (ELN) rebel group over the extradition of three guerrilla commanders collapsed in January 2019. Colombia’s Foreign Minister Carlos Holmes Trujillo admonished Cuba for acting as a refuge for “confessed terrorists,” and said its support of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s regime “represents a threat to national and regional security.”

The U.S. continues to enforce its embargo, especially as a means of promoting human rights in Cuba. U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Kelly Craft reminded the General Assembly ahead of the vote that the United States bears no responsibility for “the Cuban regime’s endless abuses of its people.”

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez criticized the U.S., saying "The U.S. government does not have the slightest moral authority to criticise Cuba or any other country when it comes to human rights," referring to the opioid crisis, gun violence, poverty, and unemployment in the U.S.