castro

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/americas/02/19/castro/index.html

In the old world I grew up in, Castro was the real Washington outsider.

For decades we pursued a policy of isolation to try to dethrone a man we disagreed vehemently with. That policy failed. Time and old age worked faster than the effects of an embargo with Cuba's easiest trading partner (us). Restrictions by other nations have eased or even been eliminated long ago. We have stubbornly used this isolationist tact to try to impose policy on Cuba (which was prior to Castro yet another Banana Republic that we installed or favored). Unfortunately, nobody has yet shown that embargoes work on dictators. Saddam got rich off of his (and so did the UN and some influential Americans/Europeans). Castro's Cuba suffered, but his popularity did not much waver. It is easy in an impoverished nation with a total or near total control over the flow of information to simply say that it is not his fault, it's the Americans. Or whoever. Were it not for them, we would have a paradise, yes.

This might be true, except that it's rather clear that socialist/communist ideology does not work in the long run. In retrospect, it might have been possible to simply wait it out and watch Cuba self-destruct as the Soviets did. But that apparently was politically nuclear to try that option. Cuban 'refugees' or immigrants are hardly fond of Castro, and the mere appearance of being tolerant or reasonable with Cuba because of this is a political death knoll in Florida. Since Florida was so essential in that infamous 2000 election, I doubt very much a major candidate will stress a moderating tone, even with Castro gone. Until someone we approve of goes in. Venezuela is in much the same category with the blustering idiot Hugo. Except they have oil, which everyone needs (and bauxite which is overlooked as a strategic resource). Cuba just has baseball players, cigars, and sugar, which only some people need. They used to export mercenaries to Africa, but I'm not sure if that's still viable. In any case, why we're still blocking ourselves out of the country, I don't know.