48 ms·

It's interesting to see what's happening in Cuba when, thanks to the pandemic, foreign tourism grinds to a halt. The Castro regime just can't cope without havi

It's interesting to see what's happening in Cuba when, thanks to the pandemic, foreign tourism grinds to a halt. The Castro regime just can't cope without having USD coming in the country via the state owned resorts. Starvation, riots, empty stores and people risking it all on makeshift rafts just so they can land somewhere better and send remittances to their family still stuck on the island so they can buy medicine. These protests might finally be the start of a true Cuban revolution where the island will propel itself forward toward prosperity.

sudosysgen 5y ago
I'm not as hopeful as you are. I shared your hope but recent revolutions as well as history have shown that the most likely result of a revolution is things becoming even worse. Cuba has been slowly but surely allowing more democracy and more economic freedom. I think that by far the best outcome for Cuban residents is for this process to continue peacefully without the massive destruction as well as the definitive end of the embargo.
- 908B64B197 5y ago
  The current regime could end the embargo right away by choosing a democratic future.
  - sudosysgen 5y ago
    No, it could not. The real standard for ending the embargo is aligning with American geopolitical goals. The US doesn't embargo undemocratic states, it embargoes geopolitical enemies. That's the one and only standard. The US is quite happy to trade with undemocratic states if they do align with US interests though.
  - dragonwriter 5y ago
    > The current regime could end the embargo right away by choosing a democratic future. Not if a basically Communist (or otherwise ideologically oe geopolitically unacceptable to the US, but that's the most likely example in this case) regime won democratically, as the US has shown time and again (and also shown that right-wing authoritarian-capitalist anti-democratic regimes are not ideologically unacceptable, and are tolerable if willing to geopolitically align with the US.)

sudosysgen 5y ago

I'm not as hopeful as you are. I shared your hope but recent revolutions as well as history have shown that the most likely result of a revolution is things becoming even worse. Cuba has been slowly but surely allowing more democracy and more economic freedom. I think that by far the best outcome for Cuban residents is for this process to continue peacefully without the massive destruction as well as the definitive end of the embargo.

908B64B197 5y ago
The current regime could end the embargo right away by choosing a democratic future.
- sudosysgen 5y ago
  No, it could not. The real standard for ending the embargo is aligning with American geopolitical goals. The US doesn't embargo undemocratic states, it embargoes geopolitical enemies. That's the one and only standard. The US is quite happy to trade with undemocratic states if they do align with US interests though.
- dragonwriter 5y ago
  > The current regime could end the embargo right away by choosing a democratic future. Not if a basically Communist (or otherwise ideologically oe geopolitically unacceptable to the US, but that's the most likely example in this case) regime won democratically, as the US has shown time and again (and also shown that right-wing authoritarian-capitalist anti-democratic regimes are not ideologically unacceptable, and are tolerable if willing to geopolitically align with the US.)