New U.S. sanctions indicate President Joe Biden will take a harsher-than-anticipated approach to Cuba, which will hamper Havana’s efforts to attract new private investment. On July 22, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned Cuba’s defense minister and entire special forces unit, dubbed the Black Berets, following the violent crackdown on protests that erupted earlier this month. The sanctions were applied under the Global Magnitsky Act, which enables the U.S. government to target perpetrators of serious human rights abuses and corruption around the world. Biden has since warned the measures were “only the beginning” of his administration’s response to the Cuban government’s heavy-handed handling of the unrest, which resulted in mass arrests, collective trials and a social media blackout. ...
