Castro remains stuck in the cold war era.
Jorge Cruz Inclan
May 20, 2009
The discussion at the Summit of the Americas about inviting Cuba to participate in future summits has led to expectations of normalization in the relationship between Cuba and the U.S. The American embargo, now nearly fifty years old, was imposed in 1960 in response to Cuba´s nationalization of American-owned and Cuban companies, to the Castro government´s turn to communism, and to the atmosphere of the Cold War. The result of fifty years
of Castro´s government has been the total loss of individual freedom and the emigration of more than two million Cubans. Along with demand to the American government to lift the embargo, we hear many voices calling for more freedom in Cuba.
The United States has relations with other communist countries, but Cuba is unique in having contributed to the population of America two million Cuban-Americans. The United States, then, is a part of the Cuban problem, and the future normalization of relations will have to resolve the economic embargo and bring more freedoms to Cubans. In a political gesture, President Obama removed the restrictions imposed by President Bush, allowing unlimited money transfers to extended family in Cuba and freedom of travel to the island for Cuban-Americans. This initiative was widely praised at the Summit of the Americas, where many Latin American countries opposed the embargo.
Obama´s words have not reverberated widely, but they clearly reflect American policy at a continental scale. Obama said to the Latin American presidents gathered at the Summit that he came as the president of a free country, to speak and to negotiate with other presidents on the basis of equality, to look for new ways to bring progress to the region. With this, he established that he wants relations between nations to be between equals. These words cast off any vestige of an imperialistic or superior position, and are a good base to develop a new continental accord.
The German press has been closely following these issues and its reporting has emphasized Fidel Castro´s newspaper column "Reflections" where he wrote that Cuba does not need to beg the United States, and Cuba will not "return to the fold of the Empire," words that in the German press sound obsolete. Many analysts see a return to the Cold War by the government of Cuba.
Nobody knows the effects of the Cold War better than the Germans, where the 1963 blockade of West Berlin by Russian troops was met with an air lift so that West Berliners could eat. The Cold War meant confrontation, a drastic dividing of families, a raising of walls, and trenches in place of the bridges of dialog or the open doors of
understanding. Obama´s words don´t agree with the policy drawn up for the coming years by the regime in Havana. For Castro, being faced with an enemy has been critical; the fear of American military intervention has served as a pretext to take away the freedoms of Cuba´s citizens. For decades, Cuba has lived preparing for an
American invasion. Obama´s words dismantle the strategic basis of the ideology of the Revolution.
The Germans also realize that the regime in Havana does not know how to engage in a dialogue of equals with the Americans. Much less how to restore freedoms to Cuba´s people, without threatening his own regime. In the face of this dilemma, Castro adopts the discourse of the sixties as a shield. Fidel Castro´s "Reflections" hide an enormous fear of facing his own people, to whom he can´t continue to use the excuse of an American invasion for the lack of freedoms, the freedom to travel, to speak out against the regime without penalty, all and each one of which are universally recognized fundamental freedoms.
Whether the official president is Raul or the Castro-who-reflects, neither brother wants dialogue with the Americans. Castro wants the revenues from the highest possible number of tourists. He wants to be able to buy U.S. goods on credit, but he doesn´t want to
talk about freedom. The more than 2 or 3 million American tourists soon expected to inundate the island are not manageable for a regime that´s not organized to keep track of so many tourists at one time as well as the Cubans who would be in direct contact with them.
An imperialist invasion disguised as tourists would exceeds what the regime could manage for its own benefit. With the Castros a real dialog will not exist as long as they exist. For this reason, they want the Americans to lift the embargo, nothing more, and then they could calmly continue doing what is convenient without losing control. And so the matter stands. Engaging no one, Castro returns to the Cold
War, entrenching himself as in the era of the October Crisis. Keeping the Americans as sworn enemies, not partners in dialog.
of Castro´s government has been the total loss of individual freedom and the emigration of more than two million Cubans. Along with demand to the American government to lift the embargo, we hear many voices calling for more freedom in Cuba.
The United States has relations with other communist countries, but Cuba is unique in having contributed to the population of America two million Cuban-Americans. The United States, then, is a part of the Cuban problem, and the future normalization of relations will have to resolve the economic embargo and bring more freedoms to Cubans. In a political gesture, President Obama removed the restrictions imposed by President Bush, allowing unlimited money transfers to extended family in Cuba and freedom of travel to the island for Cuban-Americans. This initiative was widely praised at the Summit of the Americas, where many Latin American countries opposed the embargo.
Obama´s words have not reverberated widely, but they clearly reflect American policy at a continental scale. Obama said to the Latin American presidents gathered at the Summit that he came as the president of a free country, to speak and to negotiate with other presidents on the basis of equality, to look for new ways to bring progress to the region. With this, he established that he wants relations between nations to be between equals. These words cast off any vestige of an imperialistic or superior position, and are a good base to develop a new continental accord.
The German press has been closely following these issues and its reporting has emphasized Fidel Castro´s newspaper column "Reflections" where he wrote that Cuba does not need to beg the United States, and Cuba will not "return to the fold of the Empire," words that in the German press sound obsolete. Many analysts see a return to the Cold War by the government of Cuba.
Nobody knows the effects of the Cold War better than the Germans, where the 1963 blockade of West Berlin by Russian troops was met with an air lift so that West Berliners could eat. The Cold War meant confrontation, a drastic dividing of families, a raising of walls, and trenches in place of the bridges of dialog or the open doors of
understanding. Obama´s words don´t agree with the policy drawn up for the coming years by the regime in Havana. For Castro, being faced with an enemy has been critical; the fear of American military intervention has served as a pretext to take away the freedoms of Cuba´s citizens. For decades, Cuba has lived preparing for an
American invasion. Obama´s words dismantle the strategic basis of the ideology of the Revolution.
The Germans also realize that the regime in Havana does not know how to engage in a dialogue of equals with the Americans. Much less how to restore freedoms to Cuba´s people, without threatening his own regime. In the face of this dilemma, Castro adopts the discourse of the sixties as a shield. Fidel Castro´s "Reflections" hide an enormous fear of facing his own people, to whom he can´t continue to use the excuse of an American invasion for the lack of freedoms, the freedom to travel, to speak out against the regime without penalty, all and each one of which are universally recognized fundamental freedoms.
Whether the official president is Raul or the Castro-who-reflects, neither brother wants dialogue with the Americans. Castro wants the revenues from the highest possible number of tourists. He wants to be able to buy U.S. goods on credit, but he doesn´t want to
talk about freedom. The more than 2 or 3 million American tourists soon expected to inundate the island are not manageable for a regime that´s not organized to keep track of so many tourists at one time as well as the Cubans who would be in direct contact with them.
An imperialist invasion disguised as tourists would exceeds what the regime could manage for its own benefit. With the Castros a real dialog will not exist as long as they exist. For this reason, they want the Americans to lift the embargo, nothing more, and then they could calmly continue doing what is convenient without losing control. And so the matter stands. Engaging no one, Castro returns to the Cold
War, entrenching himself as in the era of the October Crisis. Keeping the Americans as sworn enemies, not partners in dialog.
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