Thoughts on Cuba

Having recently returned from a week in Havana and having met a number of "average Cubans," I have some thoughts on the president's decision to establish diplomatic ties with the Castro regime. The first thing I thought of was that John Kennedy must be rolling over in his grave. Next I thought of the thousands of Cuban exiles who had their property stolen by Fidel Castro. I then thought of those "average Cubans" who have now been sentenced to another lifetime of political oppression (unless something radically changes).

Cuba is clearly an impoversihed nation. Havana is full of what were once beautiful art deco buildings which are literally crumbling and falling down. Much of it has a quaint European look, yet that look is blighted by neglect and disrepair. Frankly, I saw virtually no new construction and few buildings that looked less than 50 years old. I have been to quite a few Carribean countries, but Cuba stands out as a nation that is stagnant and slowly eroding.

One man told me that as long as they don't oppose the government, their only problem is economic. This he blamed on the US embargo. How interesting that the only way Castro's communist utopia can thrive is by opening up trade with its giant evil capitalist neighbor. It seems to me that all the world should be able to see that communism with its centralized economy is a failed system that should be scrapped once and for all. It just doesn't work.

As for the president's latest move, I came home from Cuba convinced that it would be in everyone's best interests to end the embargo. I believe that opening up Cuba to American culture and trade will indeed engender positive change. But if we want to see that change in our lifetime, then every diplomatic and economic concession to Cuba must be met with a political and religious concession by the Castro regime (and whoever follows). There must also be a firm agreement on reparations to everyone who had property stolen by Castro. I realize that today that would be like squeezing blood out of a turnip. But something needs to be in place so that as the economy grows, the Cuban exiles are fairly compensated for their losses.

What all this means is that Congress has some difficult work to do to make sure the president doesn't give away the store. With the huge drop in oil prices, we are presently in a unique position. Cuba needs us like it never has before. This gives us a lot of leverage. But we need to use that leverage to wring as much liberty as possible out of the hands of the tyrants. I fear that if Congress does not act quickly and boldly, all we will end up doing is guaranteeing the continuation of the Guevara-Castro legacy. And how sad that would be for the people of Cuba.