Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Castro Complains; Cubans Suffer As Usual

Fidel Castro is busy complaining as usual about the US foreign policy. He's unsatisfied that President Obama has lifted several portions of the US embargo against Cuba by allowing US citizens with relatives to visit Cuba along with providing additional money transfers and opening up some technical assistance for telecommunications between the US and Cuba.

Never mind that Cuba has done nothing to show that it deserves a change in US foreign policy. Cuba continues to imprison political prisoners and restrict free speech and property rights.

Proponents of ending the embargo always seem to ignore that and the fact that Cuba has no problem accessing foreign capital or technologies from the rest of the world that doesn't have an embargo. They have open relations with Cuba and much of Europe, to say nothing of Russia, China, and Venezuela. It's the regime's socialism and restrictions on the people to own property and go as they please that has kept the country down.

They aren't hurting because the US has not had relations with Cuba, but because the Castro clan has ruled Cuba for 50 years to disastrous results.

The Administration thinks that this is part of improving the US as viewed by the rest of the world. It is a naive assumption on the part of the Administration given that the world views such measures as a sign of weakness and that the Administration doesn't understand foreign policy or national security. Concessions on Cuba are going to be exploited not only by Castro but will be seen by the Iranians, Russians, Chinese, North Koreans, and pretty much everyone else as a way to test the Administration in ways large and small.

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