As discussed in this thread – http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=333511 – Fidel Castro has offered to send 1,500 doctors and 26 tons of supplies and equipment to help Hurricane Katrina victims. http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/americas/09/05/katrina.cuba/ Perhaps he only made the offer because he knew it would be rejected – but it’s impressive that he is in a position to make it at all. Makes me wonder – what are things like in Cuba nowadays? After the Soviet Union fell there were reports of widespread malnutrition. It appears they’ve bounced back from that, more or less – I think by shifting their agriculture from sugar for export to food for domestic consumption, but I don’t know the details. OTOH, many Cubans are still willing to risk their lives to flee to the U.S., so how happy could they be at home?
Issues for debate:
Does the U.S. embargo really matter, economically? Does Cuba now get enough trade with non-embargoing countries?
How well off are Cubans nowadays, compared with people in other Caribbean and Latin American countries?
How many people still believe in the socialist system?* If Cuba held free elections, is it possible the Communist Party would win it? (The Communist Party has survived and even held on to power in some former Soviet republics – usually under a different name.)
How many people don’t care about socialism, but admire Castro because he’s the first Cuban leader since the Spanish-American War to stand up to the U.S. and make it stick?
Do they have everything in place for a peaceful transition of power when Castro dies? If so, could a civil war erupt anyway?
What would change if the U.S. dropped the embargo?
*Impossible to know for sure, of course, which is one reason why I’m starting this thread in GD, not GQ.
Thanks, but the information these provide is very sketchy WRT questions raised in the OP.
Doesn’t anybody have any personal knowledge of this? Is there no Doper who has visited Cuba recently, or made a study of conditions on the ground there?
For the most part it’s illegal for American citizens to head into Cuba so you don’t find all that many people who have been there. I know one guy who took his family there in 2003 but he got in through Mexico. The three things he seemed to remember most was the poverty, the number of prostitutes, and having to pay in American dollars to exit the country.
A few of my friends have visited Cuba (I have not) – some on hotel/tour vacations, some hitch-hiking about the country, and some on trade junkets. For what it’s worth (take it with a grain of salt), here is what I have been told:
As far as poverty goes, the people tend to be dirt poor, but no one goes hungry thanks to food distribution. Far better than places like neighbouring Hati.
The quality of the food is good (e.g. fresh, not canned).
Very hitch-hiker friendly.
Music as a part of daily life.
Not having absolute freedom of speech is not an issue.
Good hospitals, and overall a healthy populace that is very proud of it’s universal health care.
A good but not excellent training facility for paddling.
Well educated people with a surprisingly broad knowledge of world affairs, and pride in how their nation has helped other nations in the region.
Only a miniscule amount of private enterprise, with many people wanting to increase private enterprise, and many people feeling frustrated by being dirt poor without having a political/economic system that encourages private enterprise.
Many people wanting better standards of living, but despising the USA, and pervceiving the USA as wanting to hurt them, just as it has hurt other Carribean, Central American, and South American nations.
Generally a happy country with poor people who are proud of what thier country has accomplished and strong faith in their future.
I have also been to the Dominican Republic and Mexico , so poverty is a relative term. The structures tend to either be spanish mission style adobe or wooden shacks , this is in the outlands , I would imagine that santa domingo and mexico city would have more modern style apartments and what not.
The people seemed to be at least dressed either conservatively or latin party clothes, and only in peurta playa in the DR were people actually dressed in rags of some sort.
The company that I used to work for , supplied the aluminum extrusion for Vera Dero airport , as well as havana , and a number of people went down to help the locals install the extrusion.
Everything had to be constantly watched , leave a tool un attended and it was gone , same with screws and other sundry that would normally accompany the job.
One thing that always struck me though, I would rate the dominican as the most poor place that I have visited ,but If you were to watch the people , both in the DR and Mexico , pretty much everyone was in a good mood , smiling and what not , but in Vera Dero , only the kids were smiling , the adults were walking around with sullen expressions , or neutral expressions, it said more about cuba and cubans ,than the little oasis that we were staying in , being representative.
It was probably the most expensive vacation that i had been on , everywhere you went , you paid in american dollars and got change back in american dollars , which struck me as interesting as I thought the US treasury kept a good talley on who was using american currency.
Generally, a hero vis a vis the USA (with Che an even greater hero), but standing in the way of economic progress, which is anticipated to follow his death. However, I was also told that some people would steer the conversation to other subjects rather than speak about Castro.
Again, take this with a grain of salt – just observations by a handfull of visitors.
I’ve been to Cuba three times in the last five years. I’d agree with just about everything that **Muffin **said above, with some elaborations, according to my admittedly limited experience:
Nobody goes hungry, and there are no street beggers. Produce and meat are really cheap, but often there are shortages, especially of certain meats.
Yes, outside of Havana, but in and around Havana, some drivers will expect some degree of payment, i.e., they’re basically unmarked gypsy cabs.
That’s a “misunderestestatement!” (thanks, George) The music is why I go there. Modern Cuban popular music is amazing, and it completely infuses day-to-day existence. Radio stations in the U.S. don’t play it anymore, because Spanish-language stations have gone the way of Clear Channel. Los Van Van and N.G. La Banda blow away the lame, tasteless “salsa” of Marc Anthony, the McDonald’s of Afro-Caribbean popular music. One very popular genre is “timba,” which is a blend of various kinds of music, but you have to hear it to know it. Almost all Cuban musicians train in classical music before they play popluar music, because the education is free. As a result, even pop music is very elaborately composed and arranged, and there’s a lot of jazz influence, but also rap, and of course “rumba” and traditional sounds from Orriente. In fact, many of the more popular musicians complain of the demand for the current dance hits, because they want to play more classical or jazz. And boy can the Cubans dance. Especially the women!!!
Well, I’d say it is. At least some people complained about it to me. And it’s never good to muffle the press. I think you can read Granma (the official newspaper) on-line, and while it has decent articles on cultural issues, it often reads more like government propaganda.
Very true, except that, while the doctors and facilities are excellent, medicine is hard to come by, I think because of the embargo. So if you have an accident, they’ll fix you up quite well, all for free. But if you have asthma, like a girlfriend of mine there had, you’ll have trouble getting the OTC stuff we take for granted in the States.
Yes, again. Your taxi driver will expound upon the history of the Vietnam war, or the American Revolution.
Yes, although about ten years ago the government allowed private households to run what are basically restaurants, catering to tourist with U.S. dollars. In Hanvana and other places which attract tourists, there was, until recently, two separate economies: The Cuban Peso economy, and the U.S. Dollar economy (“divisa”), which served tourist and those who had family in Florida sending them money. This was a way to mitigate the disasterous economic effect of the fall of the Sovite Union. But I’ve heard the dollar economy has been limited recently to tourists only.
Yes, mostly. First, they don’t despise the USA as a whole, only the government. They love to meet people from the U.S. And there are some who are definitely opposed to their own government, and would like Cuba to become a client state of the U.S. Most just want to have a better economy without giving up their independence from the U.S., the World Bank, and the IMF. I hope they can do this some day, and get freedom of speech. Also, freedom of movement (from city to city). Right now you have to get permission to go from Oriente to Havana–I think it’s a law to prevent people in rural areas from overcrowding the city. But I also wouldn’t like Havana to end up like San Juan, Puerto Rico, with Burger Kings and colonial buildings torn down for time shares and malls.
I’m always amazed at the resilience of the Cubans. They’ve been through a lot of difficulties, but they remain extremely friendly, welcoming, happy, and fun. And they’re the polar opposite of U.S. puritanism. Don’t think of Iron Curtain, drab, grey communism. Cuba is lively and colorful (yes, I know it’s a cliche, but it’s true), despite the harsh economic circumstances, and the country offers a rich culture. Pride on the part of the Cuban people is what prevents the embargo from obtaining its intended effect. In fact, it just makes the Cubans hate the U.S. government all the more. For some reason, people in the U.S. (especially the politicians) don’t think that the people of any other country could be proud of that country. “Only the U.S. has a reason to be proud.”
RE: Castro–Most Cubans respect that he’s the only Latin American leader who has stood up to the U.S. successfully (well, at least until recently…Lulo and Chavez have changed things) and hasn’t been killed off or removed from office, and they admire that he created free education and medicine. However, when he makes one of his marathon speeches, every channel has to broadcast it, and the average person grumbles because their favorite telenovela has been pre-empted.
Nobody had any problem talking with me about anything when I was in Cuba. Several people complained about Castro in general; most just complained that his speeches were too long. Guevarra, however, was a saint. I have a picture of a billboard of his image, which are all over the country, and I’d post it, if I knew how. (Someone wanna help me?)
Does the U.S. embargo really matter, economically? Does Cuba now get enough trade with non-embargoing countries?
No, it doesn’t matter as much as it is made out to. However, it does drive a certain fine cigar smoker and fine rum drinker I am quite familiar with to circumvent the Trading with the Enemy Act.
In 2000, under the Trade Sanctions Reduction Act, U.S. vendors were able to sell a vast variety of foodstuffs to Cuba. Cash sales only, no credit. Supposedly, much of what has been purchased is primarily used in the resort areas for guests and is not distributed among the countrymen. It can be said, however, that because of the U.S. trade sanctions, Cuba has a hard time obtaining certain medical equipment and/or supplies that are produced or protected under intellectual property rights belonging to either U.S. companies or thier subsidiaries.
How well off are Cubans nowadays, compared with people in other Caribbean and Latin American countries?
While this might not be as current as you may be looking for, it does provide a pre-revolution and 1995 comparison of socio-economic indicators (e.g. infant mortality, education, calories consumed, automobiles per 1000 people, etc.) with other Latin American countries.
How many people still believe in the socialist system?* If Cuba held free elections, is it possible the Communist Party would win it? (The Communist Party has survived and even held on to power in some former Soviet republics – usually under a different name.)
According to Castro, they do have free elections. Chuckle. Trouble is, the only option is the communist party.
How many people don’t care about socialism, but admire Castro because he’s the first Cuban leader since the Spanish-American War to stand up to the U.S. and make it stick?
Yes, I don’t care about socialism. No, I do not admire him – In my mind’s eye, that country has stood virtually still for the past 50 years, making very little progress in some areas and in other areas falling behind. Not by today’s standards, mind you, but by the standards of 50 years past. Admiration, no. Wonder, yes.
Do they have everything in place for a peaceful transition of power when Castro dies? If so, could a civil war erupt anyway?
Unless something has changed recently, the next in line in the communist hierarchy is Castro’s brother Raul, head of the military, but like Fidel, Raul is getting old so it may not be that easy. Here is a some light reading on the issue.
What would change if the U.S. dropped the embargo?
It is often said that Castro needs the “embargo.” It serves as a scapegoat for all that does not go well in Cuba [kinda like what Bush means to the moonbats - cough]. Cuba is poor. Troubles are blamed on “the blockade.” If things remained bad after trade sanctions were lifted, el tio’s countrymen might start looking a little closer at the inherent weaknesses of his government and central planning. The embargo legitimizes his leadership.
I’ve found the information at the Association for the Study of the Cuban Economy to be excellent. Cuban/American relations has developed into quite the cottage industry and various POV abound. If you enjoy scholarly papers [thinking about the recent IBM commercial – King Arthur: “White paper?” “And what do you do with this white paper?” One of the Ka-Nig-Gets: ”Y o u r e a d i t”]. Anyhow, this organization seems rather fair and balanced (to me at least). They’ve been producing them since 1991 so there should be plenty of reading on whatever issue you conjure up and then some. Right here!
Oh yeah. Mark Falcoff’s “Cuba – The Morning After, Confronting Castro’s Legacy” is an excellent read.
BG, let me direct your attention to a fascinating article that appeared in Harper’s this spring: The Cuba Diet. It’s focused specifically on how post-USSR Cuba has changed its agricultural practices after the loss of Soviet aid.
Never happen (which is a pity, because NK could probably handle a similar “marketized-socialist” agricultural scheme well enough to avert severe famines, although they don’t have the education and ag-research background that the Cubans have accumulated over the past couple decades in developing their “New Traditional” agriculture).
Castro is a reactionary repressive dictator, sometimes a brutal dictator, but at least he has some common sense and some interest in the health and prosperity of the Cuban nation. Kim Jong Il, as far as I can tell, is basically just a self-aggrandizing fanatic basking in the limelight of a national personality cult that makes Cuban “Fidel-ity” look like an impeachment campaign by comparison.
I’ve been to Cuba a few times, I’ll try to answer the questions you asked as best I can.
The embargo is definitely not a good thing for Cuba’s economy, the U.S. would probably be Cuba’s number one trading partner right now sans embargo. The U.S. is too big and too close to Cuba IMO for the embargo to not have a somewhat substantial negative impact.
I’ve been to various caribbean nations. Cuba IMO is nicer (economically/socially) than some of the caribbean nations I’ve been to. Like a lot of caribbean nations it’s not uncommon that theres some very nice areas with the majority of the citizens however living in poverty. Cuba is poor but I don’t know that Cuba is wallowing poverty such that you could call Cuba the worst place to live in the caribbean.
American dollars are big, and yes prostitutes are easily had if that is your thing. I know this wasn’t one of the original questions you asked, but I saw this being touched upon in the thread.
As for how Cubans feel about Castro, I couldn’t tell you. I’ve never felt in my times in Cuba it was appropriate to strike up a conversation about this particular topic with the locals. They certainly weren’t forthcoming with opinions themselves, either.
I’m going to bet that, if you’re an American travelling in Cuba you’ll be thinking a lot more about Castro than any of the Cubans do on a day to day basis.
I don’t have any personal experience with the Cuban medical system. If I’m not mistaken however Cuba has a high doctor/citizen ratio (IIRC) and Castro actually received some award from the WHO awhile back because of improvements he’s made to the Cuban medical system.
