Wraith601

What's your take on Cuba once that cockroach Castro finally dies?

Will there be a civil war, will his brother Raul take over, a US intervention to install democracy?

Cuban Celebrations

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"We always have been, we are, and I hope that we always shall be, detested in France."
-Sir Arthur Wellesley

RambozoTheClown

Cuba seemed the most likely U.S. intervention, as i take it, before this current Israel - Lebanon conflict, and well Iran.

Still seems likely. That leads to eventual civil war (Iraq), or a Decimated country (Vietnam).

troung

huh?

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To sit down with these men and deal with them as the representatives of an enlightened and civilized people is to deride ones own dignity and to invite the disaster of their treachery - General Matthew Ridgway

Parihaka

I see your "huh?" and raise you a WTF?

Wraith601

The US has had far more success with kind of thing in Latin America than it has in Asia, so you may be mistaken. Debsides Cuba has seomthing Iraq didn't an active democracy movement and actual leaders to step up after Castro, unlike Iraq where you had that clown Chalabi.

gunnut

One more thing, Cubans haven't been killing each other for 13 centuries due to a slight religious difference.

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"Only Nixon can go to China." -- Old Vulcan proverb.

MOPO3

I traveled to Cuba this May. Couple days we lived in our Cuban friend’s house. We drank rum and argued a future of Cuba. The Cuban are the poor, but they have basic goods for life. They dream about modern electronic and household appliances, but these goods are very expensive, for example price of 20’ Chinese TV is 300USD (I guess the Wall Mart’s price tag is 3 times less) It’s 2 year’s Cuban salary. Cuba should raise effectiveness of its economy.

I suppose that better decision for the Cubans is:
1) Chinese scenario of state capitalism,
2) Mutual advantageous cooperation with China, Venezuela, Brazil and etc, (as it is done now),
3) Tourism development (as it is done now),
4) Start to negotiate with US and trade with world’s biggest market (It’s impossible for both sides until Fidel controls the country)

I wish Cubans have more reason for smile than nowadays.
Viva Cuba! Viva Cubans!

Attached Images

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gunnut

After ol' Fidel kicks the bucket, I hope we can revise our foreign policy and lift the sanctions on Cuba. There's no reason for the sanction after the Cold War. I say let's sell them everything and turn them into capitalists.

highsea

Castro is probably already dead.

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My baby called me up. She said- Why don't you ever take me out? Pick me up in your brand new car....You shake the short change from the old fruit jar...

Dreadnought

Might even be a great place to vacation after hes gone. Who knows but theyre future is certainly going to get brighter. Expert speculate that his brother is willing to do more for their economy then Fidel ever did. Might be a new beginning for them.

highsea

Raul was Fidel's enforcer ever since the revolution. He is a pretty hard-nosed cookie. They are currently trying to soften his image by portraying him as a family man, grandfather, etc. Whether or not he takes a more pragmatic approach to the US is yet to be seen.

There is a younger generation of people in the government that are even more ideologically extreme than Castro, so there is some concern as to what happens after Raul, he is almost as old as Fidel.

What the US wants even less than Raul is a power vacuum in Cuba that would create unrest and send tens of thousands of refugees to Florida on rafts.

In the Clinton years, visits to Cuba by yachties was overlooked by the US gov't. The Havana Yacht Club was always full of sport boats from Florida. I made one short trip there myself, it was very nice if you stayed in the tourist areas. The locals were not allowed. Since Bush, no one goes down there now, and the Havana Yacht Club is empty.

It's still a very nice place to vacation, but the locals have things very tough.

There are groups in Canada that arrange trips for Americans, the Cuban authorities welcome American tourtists still. They have a visa that is just a piece of paper that they slip into your passport.When you leave they just take the paper so you have no permanent Cuba stamp. It's all done with a wink and a nod, they are more than happy to get the US dollars.

Dreadnought

I have never stepped foot on Cuba myself but I have viewed the island from a few miles off shore . Hmm maybe a visit sometime in the next few years. It would be nice if we could somehow promote democracy that grows from within and have it take hold. Either that or else since its 90 miles off Florida..Grab it when the time is right and annex it unto ourselves.

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Fortitude.....The strength to persist...The courage to endure.

Confed999

The failure to liberate Cuba when Castro turned tyrant is a travesty perpetrated by the free world...

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No man is free until all men are free - John Hossack
I agree completely with this Administration’s goal of a regime change in Iraq-John Kerry
even if that enforcement is mostly at the hands of the United States, a right we retain even if the Security Council fails to act-John Kerry
He may even miscalculate and slide these weapons off to terrorist groups to invite them to be a surrogate to use them against the United States. It’s the miscalculation that poses the greatest threat-John Kerry

MOPO3

turn them into capitalists? It's nice.
They don’t need American goods now. Chinese and Southern America’s quality and price level much suitable for Cuba. Huge US’s market is more attractive for cigars and rum producers. American tourists too.
To take USD to Cuba isn’t profitable. Euro and Canadian dollars are much better.
There is two Cuban currency: Peso (for local trade) and Convertible Peso (CUC) for tourists. The Cubans call it “dollor”.
At May exchange rates were:
1 Euro=1.14 CUC
1 USD=0.89 CUC and 10% tax for USD exchange!!!
1 CUC= 24 Peso. Tourists can’t exchange it in banks but our Cuban friends did it for us. 3 peso banknote and coin has Che Guevara portrait – it’s nice souvenir.Do you can’t forget Playa Gyron?
IMO Batista was tyrant and US puppet. Fidel is "father of nation" and patriot of Cuba. Pardon for provoking, it’s my opinion.

Dreadnought

To me IMO Hes still a communist that wont be able to thwart democracy much longer from his people as his health deteriorates. I have heard two opinions on his brother Raul and we hope he is not as bad as his brother and has a much wider vision for his people.