Fidel Castro

[somerfrost]

I haven't seen anyone mention his situation...so I will! Hard to say what the truth is but I think he's still alive but probably in pretty rough shape, it would seem highly possible that the transfer of power to his brother may be permanent. Once more, getting elected (re-elected) will become more important to American politicians than doing the right thing here! Now is the time to reach out to Cuba, lift the stupid embargo that only we appear to enforce and start normalizing relations. The people of Cuba have suffered long enough (actually way too long)...time for the folks in Miami to face the fact that leaving their homeland was their choice and we don't owe them a free trip back...not saying their choice was wrong, they fled a nasty dictator but they were welcomed with open arms here and many have done quite well for themselves (through hard work and intellect). Cuba long ago ceased to be any threat to us...lets finally bury the hatchet and allow free enterprise and basic freedoms the opportunity to take hold. Raul appears to be pragmatic...looks very similar to the final days of the Soviet Union from where I stand...time to move on!

[ArlJim78]

I always held that normalization of relations would happen relatively quickly after his passing. What possible arguments would remain for keeping the status quo? You're right though, this is long overdue and we must move on.

[somerfrost]

Originally Posted by ArlJim78

I always held that normalization of relations would happen relatively quickly after his passing. What possible arguments would remain for keeping the status quo? You're right though, this is long overdue and we must move on.

The only reason is pure politics...the Cuban American vote is huge in Florida!
And all those ex-patriots demand that the embargo remains!

[irishtrekker]

Well, having spent time in Cuba, most of the Cubans I knew weren't sure what they wanted after Castro's death, and that included uncertainty about whether an American-style democracy was really for them. You can't blame them: most have lived under Castro their whole lives, so their political perspective is very different than ours. Even young people who are in favor of change have serious fears that we are going to come in and "fix" them without giving them the autonomy to make their own choices about where their country goes...I don't really blame them. Most people I knew liked Americans but didn't want us influencing where their country went when they finally had the opportunity to choose for themselves.

Interestingly, the one thing that everyone said, including people out in the rural areas (who didn't have to worry about nearby policeman overhearing), was how much they despised the Miami Cubans. There is no lost love there, believe me. Most people on the island seem to feel like the people in Miami have lost touch with what Cuba's like, and that they have no right to come back in and influence the way the country progresses when they fled decades ago. Cubans have lived through forty plus years of this, and they don't appreciate people who haven't experienced the same things coming in and telling them how they should feel about their political situation, particularly when Cuba today doesn't fully resemble the Cuba that asylum-seekers fled. Cubans feel like they have endured this all, while their friends and families in Miami have little understanding of the country anymore.

After awhile there, it became clear that Cuba isn't the great paradise they made it out to be, but nor is it the terrible bastion of iron-fisted Communism that we see in the news. It's somewhere in between. The regime has accomplished some impressive things (literacy rates, health care), and it's made some terrible decisions (the two-currency economy experiment, stifling press freedom). But our understanding of them is in ways as restricted as theirs is of us. Latin American-style Communism bears little resemblance to Stalin-style communism. What makes me really sad is that I also don't think Cubans are going to get to make their own choices after Castro dies, anymore than they did when he was alive. Maybe if they weren't 90 miles off our coast...It's a beautiful, beautiful country with amazing people. It's the most paradoxical, maddening place I've ever visited, and yet I would give anything to go back again. It's hard to explain unless you've been there and traveled around a bit.

[GPK]

Let the cigars flow freely....

[Buffymommy]

I don't know much about this topic (yeah I do live in FL but have not followed it that closely). Isn't his brother taking over?

[somerfrost]

[quote=Buffymommy]I don't know much about this topic (yeah I do live in FL but have not

Raul (brother) will indeed take over if he is unable to continue...he has been by Fidel's side since the beginning but seems a lot more pragmatic. I suspect Raul would open things up a bit and allow more freedom, then again he's 75 years old and his health may not be great. Castro has been grooming a young cadre for years to eventually take his place...unfortunately, little is known about them. Hopefully, we can work with the government once whatever changes are made, lift the damn embargo and allow the Cubas to run their own country...I agree we have no business, nor do the Miami Cubans, telling them what to do!

Originally Posted by irishtrekker

Well, having spent time in Cuba, most of the Cubans I knew weren't sure what they wanted after Castro's death, and that included uncertainty about whether an American-style democracy was really for them. You can't blame them: most have lived under Castro their whole lives, so their political perspective is very different than ours. Even young people who are in favor of change have serious fears that we are going to come in and "fix" them without giving them the autonomy to make their own choices about where their country goes...I don't really blame them. Most people I knew liked Americans but didn't want us influencing where their country went when they finally had the opportunity to choose for themselves.

Interestingly, the one thing that everyone said, including people out in the rural areas (who didn't have to worry about nearby policeman overhearing), was how much they despised the Miami Cubans. There is no lost love there, believe me. Most people on the island seem to feel like the people in Miami have lost touch with what Cuba's like, and that they have no right to come back in and influence the way the country progresses when they fled decades ago. Cubans have lived through forty plus years of this, and they don't appreciate people who haven't experienced the same things coming in and telling them how they should feel about their political situation, particularly when Cuba today doesn't fully resemble the Cuba that asylum-seekers fled. Cubans feel like they have endured this all, while their friends and families in Miami have little understanding of the country anymore.

After awhile there, it became clear that Cuba isn't the great paradise they made it out to be, but nor is it the terrible bastion of iron-fisted Communism that we see in the news. It's somewhere in between. The regime has accomplished some impressive things (literacy rates, health care), and it's made some terrible decisions (the two-currency economy experiment, stifling press freedom). But our understanding of them is in ways as restricted as theirs is of us. Latin American-style Communism bears little resemblance to Stalin-style communism. What makes me really sad is that I also don't think Cubans are going to get to make their own choices after Castro dies, anymore than they did when he was alive. Maybe if they weren't 90 miles off our coast...It's a beautiful, beautiful country with amazing people. It's the most paradoxical, maddening place I've ever visited, and yet I would give anything to go back again. It's hard to explain unless you've been there and traveled around a bit.

My father is Cuban and I was raised in South Florida. I pretty much agree with all you said. I've also had the pleasure of going to the island about 3 years ago and it is truly like no place else on earth... good and bad.