Part of the issue with Helms-Burton is that the retaliatory provisions include a private cause of action for any expatriates whose (former) property is impacted, so that it is impossible for the executive branch to control the application of the law.
> and Canada, Mexico, and the EU all don't recognize it.
Whether foreign countries recognize it has no impact on a anyone subject to it if they have assets that become subject to the jurisdiction of US courts.
> So I'm not sure it has had any real impact other than antagonizing US allies, and generating some private lawsuits.
Those private lawsuits are an additional risk, which is taken into account when firms decide whether or not to do business in or with Cuba -- and which are a negative factor in those decisions. Which illustrates how the embargo's impacts extend beyond just US-Cuba trade.
> Whether foreign countries recognize it has no impact on a anyone subject to it if they have assets that become subject to the jurisdiction of US courts.
I disagree, but regardless, the fear of private lawsuits hasn't kept large European, canadian, and Mexican companies from doing business and trading with Cuba.
Is it plausible that Cubans would really be driving oldsmobiles if they had access to European or Asian cars? That's the only evidence you really need to understand that the embargo is, in practice, global.
It sounds like the restrictions on cars comes from the Cuban gov't, not the embargo.
Until a few weeks ago, there was no way to legally transfer ownership of a vehicle like this. The only cars that could be freely bought and sold were those built before 1959, when Fidel Castro came to power. That's why there are still nearly 60,000 classic cars on Cuba's streets, but few late-model Hondas. Bringing in a new car requires special government permission and a 100 percent import tax...[1]
[1]http://www.npr.org/2011/10/31/141858419/in-cuba-a-used-car-i...
