Anybody that knows anything about U.S. intervention in the Caribbean understands that the initial hostilities were started by Washington. The U.S. backed many repressive dictatorships throughout Latin America such as Alfredo Stroessner (Paraguay), Batista (of Cuba) Rafael Trujillo (Dominican Republic), The Somoza Family dicatorship (Nicaragua), the slew of military dictatorships that followed the overthrow of the democratically elected president, Jacobo Arbenz of Guatemala, The Duvaliers in Haiti, Barrientos in Bolivia…I mean the list is endless of U.S. support for right-wing military dictatorships in the region.
Keep in mind that from 1916-1924 the U.S. had directly OCCUPIED the Dominican Republic and literally put into place the infrastructure that allowed a disgusting tyrant like Rafael Trujillo to rise through the National Police and become a lapdog of Washington.
Latin America has a long history of combating U.S. political and economic hegemony and that is essentially rooted in fighting the Monroe Doctrine and similar policies (such as abolishing slavery in Haiti by Toussaint L’ Overture and setting up the first black republic in history in the late 18th century)
On the matter of Cuba…The U.S. had directly funded right-wing rich (predominantly white) elites from Miami in the 1961 Bay of Pigs Invasion. Why wouldn’t Cuba take the Soviets offer of placing a missile in their turf? When you had a slew of examples of U.S. antagonism against the sovereignty of Cuba? Especially when you consider the history of the Platt Amendment which essentially made Cuba an unofficial U.S. colony.
People who don’t read about Latin America don’t really understand how effective the embargo has been on the Cuban economy. It doesn’t merely affect U.S. trade, but historically, nations or corporations that have entered the Cuban market have largely received some form of social reaction from the U.S. for trading with Cuba. It has affected not only infrastructural development but Cuban’s access to basic necessities.
Cuban Americans are drastically different politically from Cubans on the island. Also its important to note that Cubans in Florida tend to come from a higher income bracket than
Just goes to show you that because someone is from a specific country doesn’t mean that they comprehend the complexity of said place. I’m Dominican, born and raised in the United States and I can honestly say that I know more about the Dominican Republic’s political, social and economic history than most people that recently arrived from the island.
I hope USA someway conquers Cuba and rules over it, just like Puerto Rico (they seem to be having a good time), it’s what most people from Cuba want and I think it would be the safest for us in case of a new world war.
PR is in a bigger economic shit hole than a lot of places. On top of that, we’ve been dealing with a severe drug issue for a long time and because of US policies that carry over to Puerto Rico, we can’t deal with it in a way that makes sense. All things considered most of the issues with the island have little to do with its status as a commonwealth and more to do with how terribly inept the government there is.
There’s no need to try and take over a country for the sake of it. If its people don’t want you there, just leave them the fuck alone.
Nothing like hitting a club up in Havana, somehow getting a 9 or a 10 to go home with you (so she can get her family a green card), fucking her brains out, then going down to hotel security to have them remove the riff Raff that is now bothering you.
It’s like sex with hookers, only it’s free and u can have them physically tossed out when u done.
It is odd because those namecallcusswords make you sound really confident, and with your indignant, aggressive ‘conversationalist’ tone you must really know what youre talking about.
By the other side of the same coin it is true that Cubans love their country, but the only thing they love more is American-style freedom.
Well America really doesnt do that in Today’s Cuba. That is kind of the point of the thread. Even if they did it would be dwarved by the oppression that the Castro regime had in place. Hmmm, I wonder why Cuban streets are full of 1950s autos? I wonder why US coast full of cubanofugee boatrafts
I hope you enjoyed your comfy Hotel stay as the Cuban people are forced to stay in their particular allotted apts/domiciles via govt mandate unable to sell/move, as your tourism $s are used to further disengage them from even their most basic god given rights.
hahaa
The Cuban boys are too busy trying to get my beloved fat women to take them back to North America. Meanwhile my Cuban breeding program is in full effect.
Veradero is easily my favourite part of Cuba. Them beaches.
Wow, so after all these years Obama has finally [started] doing something progressive. Embargo was a Cold War policy that should have ended over 20 years ago. It doesn’t take a lot of reading to see that crippling a nation’s economy tends to make its government MORE autocratic. Likewise placing an embargo on Cuba but not on say, North Korea or Saudi Arabia? Sigh…
Also credit where credit is due, the Cuban government managed to reduce infant mortality rates and boost literacy to the best in the region, all while under the embargo.
Despite the regime being a Communist government and having one family in control of everything, they’ve been pretty progressive in some areas, and failing in some.
They’re the only communist nation that declared itself to not be officially atheist despite maintaining its secular status, which allows Cubans to practice whatever religion they choose without reprisal from the government. China, despite loosening restrictions under Xi Jinping still has not made these steps, and don’t really show signs of doing so: You must renounce any religion to be a member of the CCP, anybody caught proselytizing to Han Chinese that aren’t the same, or anyone caught proselytizing to Tibetans or Uyghyurs are punished.
They have abundance in medical professionals despite having a lack of necessary medical treatments. Hopefully the eventual lift of the embargo does something for that.
Raul Castro made promises that he would begin to loosen restrictions on personal freedoms in Cuba, and he has been making good on that. Now, despite being expensive, Cubans can travel abroad just by having a passport, without having to have an exit permit.
However, they are still low on freedom of press, they have the second most jailed journalists behind China, and I’ve heard their penal code and prison system is still very harsh.
But there are steps in the right direction. It’s about time the US is finally realizing that.
Gotta remember that part of the reason Cuba joined the communist bloc was that the US at the time spurned the then fledgling new government. Castro even stated back in 1959 “I know what the world thinks of us, we are Communists, and of course I have said very clearly that we are not Communists; very clearly.”
The US was even initially willing to recognize them, but of course the commie hunters decided that Cuba was communist and that they would be the start of communist revolutions throughout the world. The decision then to not recognize Cuba is, ironically, what pushed Cuba towards the communist bloc in the first place.
Then again, the US made some pretty stupid decisions back in those days in the name of defending democracy. Lord knows that my own country still bears the scars from that era.
Please read up on how countries manipulate infant mortality rates because of the importance the WHO puts on the figure. Even the most progressive Euro nations as policy puts restrictions on what is considered a ‘live’ birth (this is open knowledge). Cuba does this and more, as reports indicate forced abortions on any fetuses described as having any abnormality. The program is guided by Cuban Health Ministry production quotas for decreasing infant mortality rates. The Ministry has similar programs for other self-reported health care metrics, however the infant mortality program is apparently a very treasured/guarded subject by the govt.
hahaa. Also read up on our embargo regarding N. Korea and the amount of oil the Saudi’s control.