New policy with Cuba
- Thread starter Jen
- Start date
Boltlady
Mayor
Aside from the fact that it's years and years overdue, the timing probably has to do with trying to lock in even more of that Spanish vote. I've gotten cynical enough to believe there's probably something ulterior about the whole thing. It's been a very long time since the gov't has done anything just because it's the right thing to do.
marvin martian
Emperor
Haven't you all ever heard of the Mariel Boatlift?
The only down side would be if it hurts the people of Cuba.
Cuba isn't exactly a regime that cares about its people.
I'm sure there are selfish motives.
If they are simply to have Obama's legacy have one good thing in it then fine. He can have it.
I"m sure there's more.........
That's why I am guardedly optimistic.
We needed to do what we did at the beginning.
Now it may be time to stop.
Don't take my tentative agreement with Obama's action with the crap you wrote here about "failed policy".
Arkady
President
Doubtful. The Cuban community has been strongly opposed to lowering the restrictions and non-Cuban Hispanics don't seem to have any particular feeling on the subject. I think it's just what it looks like: a decision not to stick with a policy that has failed spectacularly for decades.
Arkady
President
I'm eager to travel there. Some of the best traveling I've done was in Eastern Europe shortly after the wall fell. It had not yet been made commercial and touristy, and the people were fascinated by Americans. I wonder if Cuba will be similar.
In 90-91 I travelled Europe and tried to hit eastern Europe via a jaunt to Berlin to see Rodger waters play at the berlin wall. Didnt work out....but man..what a fu@#ing journey.
I'd take the run to Cuba.
mojitos??
Boltlady
Mayor
It could be that Obama is just trying to get ahead of Russia. If we kept the embargoes going it would only be a matter of time before Russia would have missile bases there. After all, we are antagonizing Russia into a possible war. Having their missiles 90 miles away would be pretty scary.
Cuba is on good terms with a lot of other countries.
I just hope it will be a good thing for the people there.
You make an excellent point.
I lived in Puerto Rico for 3 years. I liked it. Didn't love it. The food was great. I've had the Caribbean experience and that was enough.
I did some Euro-travel by train and car. Loved that too.
I would like to do something new.
EatTheRich
President
In the last 10 years, that's changed a lot. First, the Cuban-American community has a lot more economic refugees who are sympathetic or neutral to the revolution (including many who are Black), and proportionately a lot fewer people associated with the Batista regime or heirs to Batista-era fortunes. Second, even those who are against the revolution have largely given up on overthrowing it. Third, the Cuban government's relations with Cuban-Americans has improved significantly with expanded trade and travel in recent years.
So, actually, a larger majority of Cuban-Americans now support normalizing relations with Cuba than among the general population in the U.S.
EatTheRich
President
I think it's a good thing. I think the U.S. realizes that it's lost its Cold War with Cuba and is backing down. That said, they are also taking advantage of Cuba's recent capitalistic reforms to expand trade in the hopes of creating a social layer that will allow the U.S. to turn Raul Castro or another Cuban leader into a Stalin/Gorbachev-type figure who will wage bloody battles against his people to consolidate a counterrevolutionary Stalinist regime.
Given what the Cuban government has done for its people, and for the poor and oppressed all over the world, it's absurd to suggest that they don't care about their people. But if the Cubans don't take advantage of the U.S.'s retreat to redouble their commitment to international revolution, the danger of a Stalinist degeneration in Cuba has never been greater.
Given what the Cuban government has done for its people, and for the poor and oppressed all over the world, it's absurd to suggest that they don't care about their people. But if the Cubans don't take advantage of the U.S.'s retreat to redouble their commitment to international revolution, the danger of a Stalinist degeneration in Cuba has never been greater.
resident_evil
Senator
It depends. There is/was an Iran, Syria, Cuba, Venezuela axis.
Many Venezuelans are complaining of the number of Cuban operators within their government and military. I think Obama is a political animal or extremely naive or has a genius plan to extract Cuba from its totalitarian regime of decades. Nothing like a well funded totalitarian system to put the scare in a free world supporter. Think China and the extraordinary real threat it has become.
I would prefer the West had never scrambled over itself to get to the China market - thank Clinton for that. I think China was left best as a largely rural peasant farming society. Not a nuclear threat, a pollution threat, or fully funded rival that remains a totalitarian state.
We ignored India despite being a 70 year democracy and a market potential as big as China and yet youthful in comparison. Our political and business leaders are simply incompetent and greedy.
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Z
zzigzzag
Guest
I don't understand your trepidation. How would more openness, more trade and more food not benefit the people? They could sell those 50's classics for a fortune and buy themselves some new cars. That's what I'd be shopping for if I went there.
I happened to be listening to Rush during my lunch break when Obama made the announcement. It was a hoot! He didn't have time to formulate his objections. He actually said that we were now on our way to selling Iran a nuclear bomb....then backed up and said that might be an exaggeration. He's not really too good at thinking on his feet. It was fun listening to him sputter while he dreamed about cigars.
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