Cuba and Castro and stuff

Remove all ads!

Hmm - Cuba could probably still be wealthy and all that while being communist - that they're not is probably the fault of the US's embargo - nothing to do with communism.

Of course - their idea of 'communism' isn't much like what communism is supposed to be - much like all the other 'communist' countries.

Marx had a really good idea - it just rather died at the 'dictatorship by the proletariat' part...

 

Wrong. Without Castroism(as it isn't Communism), Cuba would be another US puppet in the region, with lots of poverty for all except the very richest. Much like back in the days of Batista.

It's not good right now on several accounts, but it's pretty much FAR better than any other country in that region.

 

And we'd have to find that place without the history of anti-communism of the U.S.
Even today if a some state would want to have something even close to communism, the USA would most likely want to intervene.

 

Knowing what happened to other countries once their dictators died, Cuba may improve - or get even worse. With so many "special interests," I fear for the second.

Eldular, in the 1980's and early 1990's, Bulgaria had similar problems with supplying the stores, economic mismanagement etc. to what Cuba appears to have now. However, a lot of people today fare worse than now. So don't get so angry when people give opinions - who knows, in 10 years, they may be right.

 

Hmm - apparently it's Castro's 80th birthday today. He looks pretty good for 80...

 

It isn't his real BDay Aik, it's normally in September I think, he simply changed the celebration to Aug for a certain special meaning that day has.

 

I like Cuba and I like Castro. But I wouldn't mind it being just a slightly bit less socialistic, but will still offer free education, health care etc. Just look at Denmark, I feel like we've reached the right point of democratic and socialism, with a very slight hint of capitalism.

 

I prefer Hugo's brand of socialism to Castros, but Castro is making the best of what he has, and you can hardly blame him for being paranoid in his old age. Before the Revolution, most farmland in Cuba was owned by rich Americans. Even Fidel's parents were not exempt from his land reforms, which I can respect.

The first thing most Americans do in our pubs is order a Guinness and a Cuban cigar, something they cannot do in their own country.

Edit: I never expected this to happen in the US.

 

Well, Castro's an old-guard communist who wants to hold to power. There was probably some good in the system, but it will need either a drastic overhaul or a new system. That aside, I'd worry more who his successors will be like and how good they'll be for the country.

 

Does anyone else think the US really needs to drop the whole blockade thing?

'course, that'd piss off key voters in Florida; guess we'd better keep letting a tiny minority dictate foreign policy.

 

@Cúchulainn: I never expected it, too. It would be a good thing for the world if there were more socialist senators in US senate.

 

@AMaster

Well, it would be better for the Cuban people, definitely. However, I think the idea was to hurt them as long as they have socialism or at least have a ace up the sleave in any negotiations, so I don't expect it to happen soon. Maybe after Castro's death, I guess.

 

Sometimes it isn't important if you are socialist or capitalist...The important thing is how you treat the people you govern....

 

Initially, sure; but since the end of the Cold War the idea has been that anyone seeking to thaw relations with Cuba will lose the support of key voters in Florida. So nobody tries to thaw relations.

It surely can't be a matter of principle, as we made nice with China over three decades ago.

 

Hm, if the scenes of joy that were shown on TV when Castro was hospitalized are any clue, this would imply that as long as he lives the situation won't normalize.

 

News: according to the Independent, Castro might be fighting terminal cancer and have little chance of outliving Christmas.

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article2055574.ece

Can't say how true that is, but if it were, there may be some great changes coming.

 

Castro's death would give the US an opportunity to declare victory and end their quixotian war with Cuba.

If Bush can travel to Vietnam and say how swell it all is there, he can accept a commie Cuba without Castro as well ... it would be like victory (without caps) ... (not that anyone outside the US cared).

In that case expect the crazy anti-Castrones in Miami to cry bloody murder, and vote for the first irresponsible idiot (no matter what party) who promises to continue give them their pork (as perpetual professional anti-communist counter-revolutionaries on US payroll) and hold up sanctions on Cuba and restore whatever property they had before the revolution, however aquired. After all, unlike Castro, Batista was an angel.

All that makes me wish that Castro should please wait dieing until after the 2008 elections, because after that normalisation could be seriously considered even by Republicans without risking to forfeit the Cuban vote in Florida, one of the critical states in US elections. So, when he dies earlier, probably nothing will change.
Hah! Maybe the US can use them to train cooky Venezuelans as perpetual professional anti-communist counter-revolutionaries on US payroll against Chavez!