So here's the thing. I spend a lot of time studying Latin America. As such, there are certain issues I, and others like me, get very passionate and angry about. These include:
1) NAFTA
2) The IMF
3) Human Rights Violations
4) Race and gender
5) Immigration policies
6) The War on Drugs
7) The War on Terror
8) the difference between communism and socialism
The above list is not necessarily in order, nor is it in order of what I'm going to rant about. But I will be ranting about all of it as I go. It's all connected, believe it or not.
Today, I will rant about Cuba. It's a small little country that has had an enormous impact on United States culture (the other way around happens too). It's always been important, but perhaps not for the reasons you think. Recently, of course, Fidel Castro officially stepped down and gave power to his brother, Raul. The media of the US had a field day, asking Hillary, Barack, and McCain if they would end the embargo (which belongs on my above list), if they believed that "Cuban communism" was now over, if we would normalize diplomatic relations, etc etc. The punch line, of course, is that none of these questions were at all timely.
This lies in the fact that in the United States, we tend to focus on one leader (especially of other countries) and idolize or demonize them. (Who can name the leader of Iran? of France? of North Korea? Now who can name their advisors?) Therefore, most people don't realize that Raul has been right next to Fidel all along. In fact, according to Cuba, A New History by Richard Gott (great book, very thorough, everything I'm ranting about is explained quite clearly there) it was Raul, not Fidel, who had strong ties to communism in the beginning of the revolution.
There's the thing, again. So much of Cuba's situation is entirely misrepresented and misunderstood, and has been since the 1950s, in both United States consciousness and foreign policy. For instance: the embargo.
So supposedly the embargo we have against Cuba exists for several reasons, three main ones (and problematic ones) being: 1) the socialist government; 2) the threat of Cuba to the U.S.; and 3) human rights repressions. BUT!
The embargo, started in 1962 and described in 92 as Cuban Democracy Act, was established after Cuba reclaimed land and property from some United States corporations (mainly United Fruit Company, or UFCO, which also belongs on the first list). This embargo, which severely cut off trade with Cuba, put the latin american nation into an economic bind. Cuba then turned to the Soviet Union in order to sell sugar (one of the largest parts of Cuba's export industry, pre-tourism) and to get needed goods that could not be produced on the island. THIS is when Cuba became a socialist republic . . . after the United States imposed embargo.
Which brings to the next point: the "threat" of Cuba to the United States. The Cuban Missile Crisis occurred in October of 1962, again after the embargo had been imposed. This event DID logically pose a threat to the US, as this was the height of the Cold War, and Soviet missiles in Cuba could easily reach the US mainland if launched. However, these missiles were removed. The Cold War ended. Cuba does not have the manpower to launch a serious attack on the US. This point is therefore moot. Ironically, China (PRC) as a socialist republic could pose a far greater threat than Cuba . . . yet the last time I checked my t-shirt tags, trade with them is moving freely.
Speaking of irony . . . While Cuba certainly does have a modern history of human rights abuses and I do not condone them under any circumstances, I think it is a little hypocritical of the US to use this as an excuse to extend the embargo when Guantanamo is OUR military base. Enough said.
Cuba is a complex place, and the circumstances that led to the current situation are far more intricate than my brief summary. But in short, current US policy regarding Cuba serves NO purpose except to further bankrupt the island nation and worsen our image globally. We need to reconstruct relations with Cuba, and maybe learn something from them (like universal health care). Our current solution clearly hasn't solved anything. The logical thing is to try something new.
