• dariusj18@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    The question is, with what currency? The Cuban dollar is not really worth anything outside Cuba, so they can only rely on exports to fund currency needed to buy imports.

    • Rapidcreek@lemmy.worldOP
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      1 month ago

      This is true, but not due to a US embargo. I should think that the state has access to many different currencies. But, in the end, they have limited resources. Cigars, some Rum (though a lot of countries distil and export rum in the Caribbean). They used to export mercenaries and doctors but noone is buying now.

      • prole
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        1 month ago

        You don’t think being explicitly barred access from what is essentially considered “the world currency” at this point wouldn’t change their access? C’mon.

        • Rapidcreek@lemmy.worldOP
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          1 month ago

          They’re not barred from access. Just can’t use US banks. There are many banks in the world.

          • prole
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            1 month ago

            The world is run by the USD. If you can’t do business using USD, it is crippling.

              • prole
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                1 month ago

                Do you know what the Petrodollar is? Have you ever seen USD called “the World’s Reserve Currency”? There are reasons for this. The majority of world commerce is done using USD.

                The US dollar has served as the world’s leading reserve currency since World War II. Today, the dollar represents 58 percent of the value of foreign reserve holdings worldwide. The euro, the second-most-used currency, comprises only 20 percent of foreign reserve holdings.

                https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/programs/geoeconomics-center/dollar-dominance-monitor/

                As the article goes on to say, Russia’s invastion of Ukraine, and BRICS attempt to move away from USD toward other currencies like the Yuan, is changing the landscape as we speak.

                But since 1963, or whenever the fuck it started, the USD has dominated. The act of simply not allowing a nation to participate in that, for such a long time, does a lot of damage. I think Cuba has done pretty well for itself, all things considered.

                • Rapidcreek@lemmy.worldOP
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                  1 month ago

                  Yeah, I know what a petrodollar is. Played the oil spot market years ago. So, I’m guesstting you must be indicating that Cuba can’t pay for oil. That’s nonsense. Let’s suppose they have their money at HSBC, a Chinese bank in Hong Kong. They make a deal for oil supply with Mexico. To pay for it, they have HSBC move money from Hong Kong to Mexico in USD.

                  BTW, I find the downvotes funny as he’ll.

          • blackbelt352@lemmy.world
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            1 month ago

            They’re allowed to play monopoly, they just can’t use the regular monopoly money.

            The global economy is run on the US dollar. It’s the measuring stick all other currencies use as a reference point.

              • blackbelt352@lemmy.world
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                1 month ago

                And the US Dollar is the measuring stuck upon which all other currencies are based upon. I’d it takes all kinds of regulatory and embargo based nonsense for a bank to play ball with the US and Cuba, that bank won’t do it.

                • Rapidcreek@lemmy.worldOP
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                  1 month ago

                  I used to get paid in Euro with a release of funds directly to a foreign account. The account that bank was associated with was turned into USD upon entry. It’s really not that hard.

                  • blackbelt352@lemmy.world
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                    1 month ago

                    That euro conversion stuff doesn’t matter if the US won’t deal with any bank that interacts with the Cuban currency. That’s what an embargo does. You’re right it’s not hard to exchange currency. The entire point of an embargo is to function as a financial seige, to prevent the economy of the embargoed target from growing through mutual trade with the literal financial hegemon of our world.