Concidering that Fidel is likely to kick the bucket in the next few years , its not really worth it. When i was down in Vera Dero two years ago , the people that I was chatting with , mostly said its a matter of waiting. Once Fidel kicks it , the chances of a major revolution go up.
As for any deals signed with the Soviets , they were transfered to the new entity of russia, so thats still binding , otherwise the US would never have given six months notice to russia that it was backing out of the missile treaty , which was concluded with the Soviets.
The Cubans originally had a revolution because they were fed up to the back teeth of being to all intents and purposes a US colony, ruled by a succession of American-backed corrupt dictators. Also, the US made a habit of intervening militarily in Cuba every time the Cubans stepped out of line a little. The US forced the Cuban economy to rely overwhelmingly on a single product, sugar, which doesn’t help.
Frankly, there’s an argument that says that the Cubans have been liberated, from the Americans. Of course, the alternative is a long way from being ideal, but at least Cuba is properly independent, and were it not for the US embargo, they might have really made a go of it.
Just leave Cuba alone. Castro will pop his clogs, they’ll let Raul Castro have lots of medals and stuff, give Fidel a big state funeral and then start the serious business of sorting their country out.
In the Pit, posting in another Castro thread. I’m really gonna have to start signing on during the weekend.
Don’t really have anything new to contribute here. Just a general observation that Cuba is still a mono-crop, sugar cane, agriculture. With the difference that it is not longer subsidized by either the US or USSR. Although recently it has turned to joint ventures with foreign hotel chains to build several resorts. Sadly said resorts are off limits to Cubans, unless they happen to be working there.
All in all, I’m in general agreement with the sentiment that Cuba does not need an invasion. Cubans have put up with Castro’s repression for +44 years, a few more years, maybe a generation or two of repression is not all that bad*.
I saw that other Castro thread but it didn’t look like a proper discussion, rather like a series of rants and volleys of abuse. I decided not to participate.
Well, Hans Blix said just before the war started that he’d need a couple more weeks. But then he had to leave because the US started dropping bombs all over the place.
No. There is no contradiction that I am aware of. Cuba is a proper sovereign state, no-one tells them what to do, their economy - though a shambles - is their own. And if their main trade partner didn’t enforce an embargo on them, their economy might not be so far up the creek. In fact, it almost certainly wouldn’t.
Not smartypants here, but I’ll chime in. I think the implied contradiction is that the only way Cuba can claim any sort of “independence from the US” is because of the US embargo. Let’s face it, Cuba was as dependent on the USSR as it was on the US, perhaps more because the USSR was certainly not a regional power in Cuba’s hemisphere, and thus could not bring regional allies to the table.
As Cuba, in the search for cash, opens up to foreign investors it becomes more “dependent” on those countries. Just recently Spain, and EU have started to pressure Cuba into complying with human rights conventions, and holding an economic carrot as the price. As Cuba opens up its economy more and more it is innevitable that it will become more dependent of the countries that invest in Cuba. And considering the size of the US economy, it’ll be a matter of seconds after the embergo is lifted before Cuba becomes as dependent as ever on the US.
Bayonet is right. Given the disparity in size between Cuba’s economy and the US economy, once the embargo is lifted Cuba’s economy will become a permanent satellite of the US economy. There is no way that Cuba can trade with the US and retain its economic autonomy.
To American firms, Cuba might be an attractive location, but it will always be a sideline. To Cuba, the actions of American firms will be of utmost importance. Any country that wants international investment has to create a country that is attractive to international investment. And that means giving up autonomy. Giving up that autonomy may be a good thing, but once you are plugged into the world economy you have to play by the rules of the world economy.
If you are simply imagining that Cuba will be able to buy US products when the embargo is lifted, you have to remember that Cuba will have to pay for those products. And Cuba really has only three industries: sugar, cigars, and tourism. Even without the embargo, you have to sell a hell of a lot of sugar, cigars, and hotel stays to buy fancy imported American goods. If you become dependent on tourism from America, then it becomes impossible to offend America without destroying your own economy.