WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — On Tuesday, 191 of the 193 UN member nations voted to lift the US economic blockade of Cuba, with only the United States and Israel opposing the motion.
"Even though President Obama opposes the embargo, the US had little choice, but to vote against a [UN] resolution denouncing a US law," American University Professor of Government William LeoGrande told Sputnik on Thursday.
The US president's oath of office requires him to faithfully execute all American domestic laws, even ones he disagrees with, LeoGrande added.
The UN resolution denounces a 1996 US embargo statute, LeoGrande explained, and calls on other UN member states to refuse to cooperate with the US economic blockade of Cuba as inscribed in the American statute.
Retired University of Miami Cuban Studies Fellow Andy Gomez told Sputnik that US domestic political issues have also prevented the Obama administration from supporting the UN attempt to thaw Washington’s economic freeze of Cuba.
"There is no clear leadership in US Congress for lifting the economic trade embargo on Cuba," Gomez claimed.
US politicians, he added, will not move to lift the economic blockade before the 2016 presidential elections are over because there is too much at risk and they could alienate voters.
"The majority of Cuban Americans are still in favor of keeping the embargo by a small margin," Gomez noted.
Gomez explained that attitudes have changed over the past ten years in the Cuban American community, and many favor improving relations and lifting the travel on Cuba, but are reluctant to fully restore economic ties.
Cuban Americans are not ready for the United States to lift the embargo until Havana makes more progress on reforms that need to be implemented as part of the normalization process.
In December 2014, President Obama announced the United States would normalize relations with Cuba.
Despite some progress, Washington continues to uphold a congressionally-mandated economic embargo on Havana, which remains in place after more than 24 years.
