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In reply to the discussion: Cuba promotes homeopathy as effective 'weapon' against the coronavirus [View all]Judi Lynn
(160,655 posts)93. Covid-19: Cuba Deserves Relief From US Sanctions Humanitarian deterrence of the virus, not Cold War-
Humanitarian deterrence of the virus, not Cold Warera regime change, should be the top priority of US foreign policy.
By Peter KornbluhTwitter
MARCH 31, 2020
Doctors and nurses of Cubas Henry Reeve International Medical Brigade prepare to travel to Italy to help in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. (Yamil Lage / AFP via Getty Images)
EDITORS NOTE: The Nation believes that helping readers stay informed about the impact of the coronavirus crisis is a form of public service. For that reason, this article, and all of our coronavirus coverage, is now free. Please subscribe to support our writers and staff, and stay healthy.
On March 25, as a team of Cuban doctors and medical technicians set up field hospitals in the Lombardy region of Northern Italy to treat thousands of Italians infected with Covid-19, the State Department issued an absurd warning, via Twitter, against accepting Cuban humanitarian support. Host countries seeking Cubas help for #COVID-19 should scrutinize agreements and end labor abuses, the message stated. #Cuba offers its international medical missions to those afflicted with #COVID-19 only to make up the money it lost when countries stopped participating in the abusive program, a reference to right-wing governments, such as those in Brazil and Bolivia, which under US pressure last year kicked out thousands of Cuban doctors providing medical servicesa decision that has come back to haunt the populations of those countries as the coronavirus spreads.
Never mind that the 52 members of the Cuban medical team in Italy are risking their own lives to save those of citizens of a major European nation that is part of the NATO alliance. Or that Cuba, with its highly successful track record of developing antiviral drugs and providing rapid-response support for victims of epidemics and natural disasters, is a much-needed ally in the international struggle against the worst threat the world has confronted in recent history. For the Trump administration, scoring political points in Florida with crass, unwarranted attacks on Cubas humanitarian commitment remains a top priority.
But in this dire moment of dread and pestilence, as the writer Ariel Dorfman has described our current crisis, it is obvious that US political and foreign policy priorities must fundamentally change. With the survival of the world at stake, Washingtons punitive efforts to roll back the Cuban revolution have never seemed so petty, and so abjectly counterproductive to real US national security interests, as they do now. Rather than condemn Cubas humanitarian contributions to fighting the virus around the world, Washington should be actively supporting them. The most immediate way to do that is to suspend US sanctions that severely compromise Cubas efforts to safeguard its citizens at home as well as bring medical services to so many others abroad.
. . .
But unlike most nations, Cubas ability to confront the pandemic is hobbled by severe US sanctions that have escalated under the Trump administration. The trade embargo, almost six decades old, continues to hamper Cubas financial transactions and its ability to export and import needed materials. Among other punitive measures, the Trump administration has effectively penalized foreign shipping companies ferrying cargo from other countries to Cuba, impeding the flow of oil, foodstuffs, and other commerce critical to the daily needs of Cubas citizenry. Even before the coronavirus crisis hit, the Cuban economy was experiencing chronic shortages. There is such a lack of textiles on the island, for example, that the Cuban government has called upon its citizens to manufacture cloth face masks at home to mitigate the spread of the virus.
More:
https://www.thenation.com/article/world/coronavirus-cuba-sanctions-aid/
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Cuba promotes homeopathy as effective 'weapon' against the coronavirus [View all]
Jose Garcia
Apr 2020
OP
So why is it all and I do mean ALL scientific studies of homeopathy turn out to be woo?
Archae
Apr 2020
#20
There is actually a government organization that was created to study crap like this
Coleman
Apr 2020
#64
Homeopathy is fake medicine with no scientific validity whatsoever.
The Velveteen Ocelot
Apr 2020
#76
It is in in the same category as miricle recoveries that have nothing to due with it effectiveness.
olegramps
Apr 2020
#87
I don't necessarily consider homeopathics to be preventative but I do consider them to be
in2herbs
Apr 2020
#2
Did you get a chance to read about this? 1/3 of peer reviewed results can't be replicated.
JudyM
Apr 2020
#77
I'm not an advocate for homeopathy. I feel that too many ascribe "truth" to western medicine when
JudyM
Apr 2020
#86
Fair point :) But if the studies aren't done, there's never enough data so they're besmirched.
JudyM
Apr 2020
#75
Watched a PBS special on Saturday about Cuba's medical society. The topic discussed
in2herbs
Apr 2020
#46
I watched this episode. It was fascinating. They threw out the first chapter in cancer research...
kysrsoze
Apr 2020
#68
Let's not forget The Placebo Effect: If a patient or recipient of treatment believes that what they
abqtommy
Apr 2020
#5
Certainly there are truly beneficial homeopathic treatments but my op concerning The Placebo
abqtommy
Apr 2020
#26
I could say the same thing in the opposite. If they have success what's it to you!?
Thekaspervote
Apr 2020
#11
Your source, the Herald, has pandered to the right-wing reactionary element of the Cuban community
Judi Lynn
Apr 2020
#34
One of so many:Cuba's extraordinary global medical record shames the US blockade
Judi Lynn
Apr 2020
#37
Homeopathy is bullshit quackery. It's outrageously priced water which does literally nothing
NYC Liberal
Apr 2020
#42
The only thing a homeopathic 'solution' might be able to prevent is dehydration. n/t
Captain Stern
Apr 2020
#47
Homeopathy is a choice. Just like abortion is a choice. DU is supposedly progressive site.
in2herbs
Apr 2020
#49
So if I choose to go with evidence, and reject what has been shown to be bullshit...
Archae
Apr 2020
#54
Don't count this out until studies are done. This week's NOVA episode was on Cuba's cancer efforts
kysrsoze
Apr 2020
#67
I think you misinterpreted me. I'm saying NOT to count this potential treatment out until
kysrsoze
Apr 2020
#102
In Communist-run Cuba, the private sector helps the needy as coronavirus spreads
Judi Lynn
Apr 2020
#89
Covid-19: Cuba Deserves Relief From US Sanctions Humanitarian deterrence of the virus, not Cold War-
Judi Lynn
Apr 2020
#93
It's what their Republican Congressional whores would want! Cha-ching. Thank you! ❤️️
Judi Lynn
Apr 2020
#100
Whenever I smash a finger, toe or other bodily appendage I reach for Rescue Remedy. It has arnica
in2herbs
Apr 2020
#103
If big bidness can't completely control it and make monstrous profit, everyone must ignore it.
Judi Lynn
Apr 2020
#105