As Spock would say: the only logical answer is for the current government to be replaced by one that would observe the declaration. Of course, this assumes one can be logical, and that the regime can be replaced. All of the pie-in-the-sky anti-embargo arguments rest on the assumption that increased trade and tourism are potentially transformative. What they fail to take into account is the cold hard fact that the chief principle and sole objective of current regime in Cuba is to NEVER, ever change its repressive ways or loosen its grip on the non-elites. It's a lot like dealing with an insane person and expecting them to be logical. It just can't happen. It's like expecting Charles Manson to become reasonable in exchange for his release from prison.

You don't understand, George, what the Cuban situation needs is change. Any change. Just change. We need to change. We can't have the same, we need change. It's all about change. Change, man, change.

Logic has nothing to do with this, it has to do with change. You can't change without change. It's the change part you're missing. If you don't change, how will things change? You see? It's the magic word, the mystical spell that will fix everything; change, baby, change!

Aquí lo que cuenta es el CHANGE!

I remember a song from the 70's, there was a line in it that said, "Send lawyers, guns, and money." That's what the disidents in Cuba need: lawyers, guns, and money. Like someone once said, fidel came in with bullets and will only go out with bullets.

I agree that lifting the embargo will do little or nothing to pressure the Castros to change their ways. There are other reasons to lift the embargo, here are some:

1) To eliminate the ever-present excuse that the Cuban regime uses, that the embargo is the cause of their problems (this matters more than people think - no one wants to end up with pie on their face, including the Castros, and once it is exposed that their problems are their own, they may have an incentive to change policies).

2) To allow goods and services from the US to flow into Cuba, and to allow imports of Cuban goods, will encourage Cuban economic development and (even if the Castros steal most of the profit) will help poor people in Cuba. Economic embargos always hurt the poor in a country the worst, and conversely, lifting them helps the poor. Leaving the embargo in place simply impoverishes the country (the point of an embargo), and unfortunately this strategy has not worked after 50 years of trying, so it's time to stop hurting poor people in the name of a failed foreign policy.

3) To end the hypocrisy in our foreign policy - we trade with China, Vietnam, many other countries that do not support human rights. This raises the question, shouldn't we just put an embargo on all countries that don't support human rights, then? Tell that to American entrepreneurs and consumers - ask them if they'd like to watch America collapse economically. The point is that not trading is a policy that works not only against the enemy country, but also against your own country's wellbeing.

4) It's my right to travel and trade with whatever country I want.

The question we should ask ourselves on Human Rights Day is, what can America do to make Cuba a better place for its repressed people?

The first and clearest option would be a military invasion and installation of a democratic government, but the days of American unilateralism are unfortunately over. It wouldn't fly for us to take over Cuba even though it may be the right thing to do, becuase there are much worse cases around the world where we don't intervene, and the international system holds sovereignty in high regard.

Should we continue to use sanctions/embargoes to impoverish the Cuban citizens, to try to put pressure on the Castros to change their ways? Hasn't worked after 50 years, and if anything we've seen that the last thing that the Castros care about is the economic success/well being of their people, and since they use it as a scapegoat, clearly the embargo is both futile and counterproductive.

Unfortunately, this leaves us with the options of 1) waiting for a Cuban revolution to happen internally, or 2) waiting for the goodwill of the Castros to change their ways. The Cubans, for whatever reason, seem resigned to their fate and don't seem likely to stage a revolution any time soon, as long as the situation doesn't get extremely dire. As such, we need to accept the reality that the Castros and the Communist regime exist, like it or not. By negotiating with them face-to-face and treating the regime for what it is (in control of its country, like it or not), you have the chance of making a breakthrough, and coming to some sort of agreement, which at worst won't help but won't hurt the Cuban people, and at best, can lead to improved living conditions for Cubans, as well as diplomatic rapprochement and less antagonism to the American democratic system by the Cuban leaders.