What should the next (Democratic) president do about Cuba?
Cuba is one of the many areas of foreign policy crucial to the next administration. -- Chad
Reason #142,857 why we need a Democratic president in 2009: The possibilities of Cuba.
As you may have read this morning, Fidel Castro will not accept a new term. Now don't be completely fooled. Fidel hasn't been in charge since July 2006, when he ceded control of the country to his brother, Raul.
The next U.S. president has to walk lightly on a number of issues (while ignoring the rabid old-time Cuban presence in southern Florida that has dominated U.S. politics for the last, well, 50 years), but reaching out a hand to Raul Castro and his successor. And John McCain as president would stall or destroy any chance of progress.
The road will be difficult. The U.S. doesn't have the greatest reputation in Cuba history -- not even counting the last 50 years. Unlike in the U.S., the citizens of Cuba know about Fulgencio Batista, the U.S. "puppet."
Despite what has happened between the two countries, there is hope to have a good relationship down the road. The next president will have a huge presence in how U.S.-Cuba relations will be for the next 50 years.
In choosing a leader for the next four years, that person will be able to lay down a path toward incorporating Cuba into the world economy, like we did with Vietnam.
So what would you like to see the new president do with Cuba?
Technorati Tags: Be-Elected Chad Rubel 2008 race Hillary Clinton Barack Obama Cuba Fidel Castro Raul Castro»
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Cuba
Just open full diplomatic relations and be done with it. Most of the Cuban-Americans alive today have no truck with Castro anyway. If they ever wanted to see relatives they don't even know exist in Cuba,the dumbest thing to do is to continue ineffective sanctions. Even a hardline communist country can see the advantages of getting new hard currency from the tourist industry and new trade. The problem from our end is keeping the so called "free traders" the hell out. They can ruin a country faster than communism ever did.
Cuba
Vetta,
I trust you are being facetious in your comments (reading Buzzflash is probably proof of that). The trade embargo has done very little to weaken the resolve of the Cuban government and it has done everything to make the lives of everyday Cubans very hard.
But even with the adversity brought about by a combination of a harsh dictatorship and lack of trade opportunities, it is remarkable what has been achieved. While there is little chance of becoming wealthy in Cuba, no one is homeless, no one goes hungry, no one is lacking first class, public health care and education is provided up to university graduate level by the government. I know these things to be true. I've been there many times.
In the U.S., one can become wealthy, given the right 'connections', knowing how to work the system and being willing to work. But we are all becoming aware that it is a pipe dream for the vast majority. And there is a significant minority that are homeless, hungry and without any medical care. Who has done a better job of caring for their people?
Doug Roberts
Thunder Bay, ON
D. Roberts,
Thunder Bay, ON
I'm with you Doug
I agree with you whole heartedly Doug, I'm not sure what you thought I meant. I was commenting on the affect an open Cuba free of the trade embargo would have on the rest of Latin America. The tourism money from the U.S. alone would be a huge boom to the Cuban economy. I can imagine there are a lot of corporatists in America who would not want to see a Socialist Latin state being that profitable. It could be very bad for their economic imperialism in the rest of Latin America.
Cuba
Those are excellent points Doug. I would pose that the reason the trade embargo has never been lifted is because the tourism money and other sources of income would flood into Cuba making their socialist state more than profitable and self sufficient. We can't have anyone else seeing that and getting any funny ideas.
Cuba
First of all, the new president should immediately move to normalize all relations with Cuba. Secondly, he or she should distance themselves from the expatriot Cubans living in Florida. They seem to be a bitter, extremist group with their own narrow agenda. They are living in the past and they have no regard for the future well-being of today's Cubans.
And finally, there should be an abject apology for 50 years of the shameful trade embargo. There have been and are many more brutal dictatorships around the world that are treated as equal trading partners. What is the real reason Cuba is singled out?
D. Roberts,
Thunder Bay, ON