ACTION ALERT: A Good Neighbor Policy:
Towards a Peaceful Hemisphere
CODEPINK

(July 19, 2025) — It’s time for a fundamental shift in how the United States engages with Latin America and the Caribbean. For too long, US foreign policy toward the region has been rooted in dominance and interference, rather than mutual respect and cooperation.

But there is a better path forward — one based on the simple yet powerful idea of being a good neighbor. By centering our relationships on peace, solidarity, and shared prosperity, we can begin to undo the harm caused by decades of exploitation and chart a new course for the future.

For too long the United States government has conceived of Latin America and the Caribbean as its backyard, and it is through that perspective that the US has carried out its foreign policy of exploitation and control for most of the past 200 years.

There was a brief period during the New Deal era that the US understood the need to be a “good neighbor” and this is a concept we desperately need to revive today. Just as the frame of a “Green New Deal” changed the discourse on US environmental policy, progressives need to frame a “Good Neighbor Policy” for the 21st century that will improve our relations within the regional community.

What Would It Mean for the US to
Be a Good Neighbor? It Should:

• Not meddle.Meddling in the affairs of other countries can take many forms, whether it’s interfering in domestic policies, interfering in elections, applying sanctions, military interventions or outright war, among others.
• Respect and appreciate differences.Countries in the hemisphere have different cultures, religions, ethnicities, languages, political systems and histories; we must treat others equally under international law, respect our differences and learn from them.
• Work together for the common good.Whether it’s trading fairly, building regional democratic institutions, addressing the climate crisis or helping migrants, only by working together can we resolve the problems we face.

The coronavirus pandemic reminds us of the value of good neighbors; it is time we applied that to the US government’s foreign policy towards Latin America and the Caribbean, a policy that has historically resulted in war, coups, dictatorships, police states, human rights violations, migration, environmental degradation and division.

It is not difficult to find the links between, for example, trade that favors corporations and industrial farming, and mass migration. Or between drugs flowing north and weapons flowing south. The connections run deep between US foreign policy aimed at domination and the violence inflicted on poor people south of the border.
The peoples of the Caribbean and Latin America have been aware of this for centuries. In 1829, Simon Bolivar, leader of an independence movement against Spanish colonialism, said the United States seems destined to plague the Americas with misery in the name of liberty. Yet we know that this has nothing to do with destiny, it is the result of a political establishment that cannot yet conceive of what it is to be a Good Neighbor. It is up to us to educate our politicians and let them know the benefits of a Good Neighbor policy.

Therefore, I pledge to work to transform the United States into a Good Neighbor.

ACTION: Sign the Good Neighbor Policy Statement here.

Florida politicians Rep. Carlos Giménez and Rep. María Elvira Salazar

ACTION ALERT: Tell Florida’s Newspapers to
Report the Truth about US Sanctions on Cuba
CODEPINK

Florida politicians like Rep. María Elvira Salazar and Rep. Carlos Giménez claim to care about the Cuban people, yet their policies are cutting off fuel, blocking humanitarian aid, and denying patients the pacemakers they need to stay alive.

You wouldn’t know it from reading the Miami Herald or El Nuevo Herald. These outlets continue to give Cuban-American politicians a platform while ignoring the devastating impact of US sanctions on everyday Cubans. Hospitals without power. Children without antibiotics. Families left waiting for basic care because US laws make it nearly impossible to send aid.
Tell Florida media: Stop ignoring the truth about Cuba!

That’s why we’re launching a public teach-in letter to Florida newspapers, demanding they report the truth. If they insist on quoting politicians like Salazar, they must also cover the real consequences of the policies she promotes.

Here’s What They’re Not Telling You:

• Sanctions hurt people, not the government.They block food, medicine, fuel, and spare parts, costing Cuba over $5 billion in one year.
• The “State Sponsor of Terrorism” label is economic warfare, cutting Cuba off from global banking and blocking aid.
• Remittances and travel are lifelines.Making it difficult to send remittances to family members back home cuts essential income to over 1.5 million Cuban families and destroys small businesses.
• So-called “democracy programs”are US-funded regime-change efforts, not serious efforts to promote democracy or civil society. .
• Engagement works.The Obama-era thaw improved lives. Sanctions only deepen the crisis.
• The blockade is a women’s issue.Cuban women bear the brunt of scarcity caused by restrictions on food, medicine, and essential goods.
• The world rejects this policy.In 2024, the UN voted 187–2 against the embargo.
• The FORCE Act would lock in permanent suffering, banning aid, travel, remittances, and trade.

It’s time to stop serving violence and start reporting its consequences. Cuba doesn’t need more sanctions. It needs truth. It needs solidarity. You’ve amplified the voices calling for economic strangulation. You’ve ignored the mothers, the doctors, the families paying the price.

This is a policy that kills, and coverage that enables it. We’re not waiting for the media to catch up. We’re telling the truth now.
ACTION: Add your name and send the letter to Florida editors now: Tell the media to report the truth about Cuba

In radical solidarity,
Medea, Michelle, Teri and the entire CODEPINK team

ACTION: Want to do more than call out the lies? Help us save lives. While the US blocks medical supplies from reaching Cuba, we’re sending pacemakers directly to Cuban hospitals through a partnership with Global Health Partners. If you believe in real solidarity and not sanctions, chip in here. Every dollar helps restore a heartbeat.

The Message to Florida’s
Media Lies about Cuba
CODEPINK

In your news outlet you pretend to cover what is happening in Cuba and instead platform hate, lies and recycle lies, and sanitize US aggression.

You quote Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar. You hand the mic to Rep. Carlos Gimenez. You publish stories about “human rights” But where are you when it comes to the devastating impact of US policy on actual Cuban people?

You raise the voices of lawmakers who wrap themselves in Cuban flags and call themselves champions of the Cuban people while they are actually making the lives of Cubans hell on earth.

Where Are the Headlines About:

• Hospitals in Cuba going dark because fuel payments can’t be processed?
• Cuban children going without antibiotics because banks are too afraid to process humanitarian donations?
• Patients waiting months for pacemakers because no supplier will risk US penalties?

These Cuban-American lawmakers didn’t just applaud Trump’s sanctions, they helped design them. From blocking remittances and restricting travel to lobbying to keep Cuba on the US State Sponsors of Terrorism list, their influence has been central in hardening US policy toward Cuba.

And they’ve turned Cuba policy into a sick loyalty test demanding harsher sanctions in exchange for their votes on budgets and backroom deals while the ones paying the price aren’t in D.C. They are families in Havana, Matanzas, and Santiago just trying to survive.

Now, thanks to their influence, Trump is delivering exactly what they demanded. A June 30 executive order that restores all 2017 restrictions, doubles down on travel and tourism bans, and relabels Cuba as a terrorism supporter.

And you gave it cover. You platformed the soundbites and ignored the consequences. You handed the megaphone to the enforcers and turned your back on the families they’re hurting.

So We’re Launching a Public Teach-in
Not because you asked. Because someone has to tell the truth.It’s time the media stopped serving violence and started reporting on its consequences. Let’s break down what US policy really means for Cuban lives:

• Sanctions don’t hurt the government. They hurt the people. 

Sanctions block food, fuel, medicine, spare parts. Between March 2023 and February 2024, the US blockade cost Cuba over $5.05 billion. That’s $14 million per day in losses. Even humanitarian donations are often stopped because banks, suppliers, and shipping companies fear US penalties.

This overcompliance creates a chilling effect that cuts off access to essential goods. The result: empty pharmacy shelves, hospital blackouts, and children left without care. These are not unintended consequences, they are built into the structure of the policy.

• The State Sponsor of Terrorism (SSOT) designation is economic warfare. 

Cuba’s place on the “State Sponsor of Terrorism” list cuts it off from the global banking system. After Trump put Cuba back on the list in 2021, over 400 banks severed ties. No payments for fuel. No wire transfers for medicine. Even donated antibiotics get trapped. This designation is not based on current evidence of terrorist activity, but it has real and devastating consequences for the Cuban population. It isolates the country economically, undermines healthcare and infrastructure, and blocks aid.

• Remittances are an economic lifeline.

Before new restrictions were imposed under the Trump administration, Cuban-Americans sent over $3.5 billion a year to family members in Cuba, that’s nearly 13% of GDP. These funds covered essential expenses like food, medicine, rent, and caregiving. Now 1.5 million families are cut off. Using remittances as a tool of pressure does not target government elites. It punishes the very families US officials claim to support.

• Travel restrictions hurt Cuban families.

Tourism made up 10% of Cuba’s GDP, supporting over 500,000 jobs, many held by women and youth. Every blocked visa, canceled cruise, or banned flight translates into lost income for families who depend on tourism to survive. From taxi drivers and tour guides to private guesthouses and family-run restaurants, the economic fallout hits everyday people not government officials. Restricting travel to Cuba only undermines livelihoods and deepens hardship for those already facing economic strain.

• US-funded ‘Democracy’ Programs in Cuba continue a legacy of destabilization

For decades, the US government has allocated millions of dollars annually through agencies like USAID (US Agency for International Development) and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) to fund regime change programs in Cuba. These funds are used to support opposition groups, dissident media, and political training initiatives, often without transparency or the consent of the Cuban people.

While these programs are framed as promoting democracy or civil society, their stated objective is to undermine the Cuban government and influence domestic political outcomes, a practice that would be considered foreign interference or subversion if carried out by another country inside the United States.

• Engagement works. Sanctions don’t. 

During the period of normalization under the Obama administration (2014 – 2016), the US eased restrictions on travel, remittances, and commercial engagement with Cuba. The results were immediate and measurable: families reunited, small private businesses expanded, internet access improved, and official bilateral dialogues were established on issues like environmental protection and law enforcement cooperation.

This brief period of engagement demonstrated that constructive diplomacy, not economic punishment, was more effective at fostering change and improving life for the Cuban people. After more than 60 years of embargo, the evidence is clear: sanctions have failed to achieve their stated goals.

• The blockade is a women’s issue. 

According to Oxfam, 78% of Cuban women alive today have never known life without US sanctions. These women disproportionately bear the burden of scarcity caused by restrictions on food, medicine, and essential goods. As primary caregivers, they are often the ones waiting in long lines for basic supplies, stretching household resources, and providing unpaid care for children, the elderly, and the sick.

The emotional and physical toll of this daily survival work is immense. Any serious conversation about women’s rights must acknowledge how economic sanctions systematically undermine the well-being and dignity of Cuban women.

• The world rejects the blockade. Year after year

In October 2024, the United Nations General Assembly voted 187-2 to condemn the US economic blockade of Cuba, casting a near-unanimous verdict that reflected widespread global disapproval. Only the United States and Israel voted against the resolution.

This marked yet another year in which the international community has overwhelmingly called for an end to the embargo, a vote that has become an annual rebuke of US policy since 1992. If 187 countries agree your policy is cruel and outdated, maybe it’s time to listen.

• The FORCE Act is a death sentence. 

The FORCE Act (“Fighting Oppression until the Reign of Castro Ends”), introduced by Rep. María Elvira Salazar, aims to make Trump-era sanctions permanent by prohibiting any administration from removing Cuba from the SSOT list without Congressional approval.

If enacted, the law would effectively lock in the most extreme measures of the embargo, banning aid, remittances, travel, and trade indefinitely. This would intensify Cuba’s isolation from the international financial system, deepening blackouts, medicine shortages, and family separation for years to come.

• The “Reign of Castro”? Can someone tell them Fidel is dead and Raúl retired?

There is no “Castro reign.” What remains is a political talking point invoked to justify the continuation of policies that inflict real suffering on living people. By clinging to outdated rhetoric, US lawmakers avoid accountability for the current crisis, which is driven not by Havana, but by Washington.