Recently, Fidel Castro died. Presumably peacefully, in his sleep. Not in a jail cell.
And the Cuban community in Miami celebrated. The people who insisted on keeping the embargo long after it was obvious it was not hurting the Castro regime. Being against the embargo was not the same as being for Castro. There is nothing pro-Communist in saying a particular policy isn’t working.
I would just like to tell those people to go jump off a cliff.
I really hate it when people from communist countries come here, rave about freedom, and then shout down anyone who disagrees with them. And what has their intransigence gotten them? Most Americans were against it for the past decade (pdf file here, article here). I don’t think we should cling to ineffective policies just to avoid hurting the fee-fees of a vocal minority.
Many refugees dismiss anti-embargo arguments by saying that “You don’t know what it’s like to live under Castro”. No, but neither do many of the non-Cubans who were for it. If my lack of experience living under Castro invalidates my opinion, then it invalidates the opinion of pro-embargo non-Cubans. But somehow I don’t think they get dismissed.
Besides, it’s a federal policy. I vote for the senators, representatives and presidents who make and implement the policy, and my taxes go toward it.
Basically, it has been completely ineffective. Yes, the Cuban government seems to be moving away from Communism, but they are doing it on their schedule. They managed to survive even after the downfall of the USSR, and the loss of patronage from the USSR. The funny thing is, while the USSR was subsidizing Cuba, the USA was selling the USSR wheat; so in a way, the USA was actually helping Cuba indirectly. But I guess some people care more about form than substance.
I don’t have my finger on the pulse of the Cuban community, but in all seriousness, is Cuba the only oppressive regime they care about? China oppresses a LOT of people. Do they want the USA to embargo China? If it’s the right thing to do, then the size of the country shouldn’t matter, right? If don’t care about oppression when it’s not happening to you, then don’t come crying to me.
Image from Wikimedia, assumed allowed under Fair Use. Painting by Cuban artist Armando Menocal.
