Fidel Castro and his regime have stayed in power for 52+ years since the US first imposed the embargo. While the embargo is intended to pressure the Cuban government to democratization and greater respect for human rights, it has clearly failed. A good argument can be made that the embargo has helped Fidel and Raul Castro maintain power by allowing them to shift blame for Cuba's woes to the US and by preventing more cultural and political dialogue between American tourists and Cuban citizens.
A January 2012 poll found that 51% of Americans favor lifting the embargo vs. 29% who disagree. And an October 2011 Florida International University poll found that 80% of Cuban-Americans say the embargo has “not worked very well” or “not worked at all."
It's time we try a new approach.