US-Cuban relations

[Merlin]

I quote this new CNN Poll to start off this thread.

Poll: Three-quarters favor relations with Cuba

Apr 10, 2009 (CNN) -- A new poll shows that two-thirds of Americans surveyed think the U.S. should lift its travel ban on Cuba, and three-quarters think the U.S. should end its five-decade estrangement with the country.

According to the CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll conducted April 3 to 5, 64 percent of the 1,023 Americans surveyed by telephone thought the U.S. government should allow citizens to travel to Cuba.

And 71 percent of those polled said that the U.S. should reestablish diplomatic relations with Cuba, while 27 percent opposed such a move.

Both questions had a sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

The Obama administration has signaled that new rules on family travel and remittances to Cuba may be announced before President Obama goes to the Summit of the Americas on April 17.

A group of senators and other supporters unveiled a bill March 31 to lift the 47-year-old travel ban to Cuba. ...

[Shek]

Lift the ban.

[Robert W]

Lift the ban.

Agreed...
The resistance is probably going to come from Cuba...they have been blaming the US for years...time to see the "Emperor without his clothes"

[Merlin]

This is what Fidel Castro said.

Cuba not afraid to talk to US: Fidel Castro

Apr 9, 2009 HAVANA (Reuters) - Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro said on Sunday that Cuba does not fear dialogue with the United States and praised U.S. Senator Richard Lugar for calling for a new U.S. policy of engagement with the communist-led island. ....

"It is not necessary to emphasize what Cuba has always said: We don't fear dialogue with the United States. ....

Dialogue, Castro said, "is the only way of procuring friendship and peace between peoples." ....

[Equilibrium]

Agreed...
The resistance is probably going to come from Cuba...they have been blaming the US for years...time to see the "Emperor without his clothes"

The Castros have only negotiated as a concession to reality. They have negotiated when they have felt weak, only to sacrifice them to take advantage of situations when they feel it has been to their advantage.

President Ford and Castro secretly held discussions for detente, which was sacrificed by the large-scale Cuban military interventions in Africa in the mid-70's.

When Cuba's economy collapsed and people began risking repression by undertaking popular protests, they negotiated with the Carter Administration to normalize relations at the Interest-section level to relieve some of the international political pressure. When this failed, Castro declared an unrestricted emigration policy and then commingled the refugees with criminals he emptied out from his jails aboard the boats and ships that took the refugees to Florida. The Cuban Air Force then bombed a Bahamian patrol boat, threatened to bombard Santo Domingo while overflying it over a maritime dispute and then sent an expeditaionary force to Nicaragua after the Sandinista Revolution.

They signed the New York Accords which ended South Africa's and Cuba's involvement in the Angolan conflict only when Soviet support had been reduced and the Cubans realized that they could not bring the South African army to defeat on the battlefield to guarantee Angola's socialist government.

In the 1990's, Castro and Clinton were negotiating towards an immigration accord and a lifting of some elements of the US embargo, when the Cuban air force shot down two civilian Cessna aircraft without warning. The US Congress responded with more restrictive measures to the embargo- the Helms Burton Act. Castro knew that such a provocation at the cusp of achieving an accord with the Clinton Administration would end such negotiations.

Raul is said to be more pragmatic now than Fidel. This is interesting, because it is said that Raul was a radical communist in the 1950's and pulled his brother in that political direction. The fact that they are interested in negotiating now especially when throughout the past 20 years Fdel has been willing to sacrifice Cuba's national substance for the sake of his bitter anti-Americanism is interesting.

[Grim]

The Castros have only negotiated as a concession to reality. They have negotiated when they have felt weak, only to sacrifice them to take advantage of situations when they feel it has been to their advantage.

President Ford and Castro secretly held discussions for detente, which was sacrificed by the large-scale Cuban military interventions in Africa in the mid-70's.

A questionable news article I came across a short time back spoke of a deal between Cuba / Venezuela and Russia to base long range bombers on Central / South American territory. I don't recall exactly where I read the article and as such it could have been garbage. Still if it was true could Cuba's soft tone be a ruse prior to a military offensive some where in the region?

[Robert W]

A questionable news article I came across a short time back spoke of a deal between Cuba / Venezuela and Russia to base long range bombers on Central / South American territory. I don't recall exactly where I read the article and as such it could have been garbage. Still if it was true could Cuba's soft tone be a ruse prior to a military offensive some where in the region?

Here is one copy of that story....
From the AP:
Chavez: Russia jets welcome, but no Venezuela base
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090315/...russia_bombers
By CHRISTOPHER TOOTHAKER, Associated Press Writer
Sun Mar 15, 5:20 pm ET

CARACAS, Venezuela – President Hugo Chavez said Sunday that Russian bombers would be welcome in Venezuela, but the socialist leader denied that his country would offer Moscow its territory for a military base.

Chavez — a fierce critic of Washington with close ties to Russia and Cuba — said his government did not raise the possibility, as Russian media had reported.

"It's not like that," the president said, responding to a report by Interfax news agency quoting the chief of staff of Russia's long range aviation, Maj. Gen. Anatoly Zhikharev, as saying some strategic bombers could be based on an island offered by Venezuela.

Zhikharev reportedly said Saturday that Chavez had offered "a whole island with an airdrome, which we can use as a temporary base for strategic bombers."

Speaking during his weekly television and radio program, Chavez said he told Russian President Dmitry Medvedev that his nation's bombers would be allowed to land in Venezuela if necessary, but no such plans have been made.

Venezuela hosted two Russian Tu-160 bombers in September for training flights and joined Russian warships two months later for naval exercises in the Caribbean.

"I told President Medvedev that any time Russia's strategic aviation needs to make a stop in Venezuela as part of its strategic plans, Venezuela is available," he said.

Interfax also reported that Zhikharev said Russian bombers could be based in communist-led Cuba, but a Kremlin official said Zhikharev had been speaking hypothetically.

Kremlin official Alexei Pavlov responded to the report on Saturday, saying that "the military is speaking about technical possibilities, that's all."

"If there will be a development of the situation, then we can comment," Pavlov said.

Venezuela and Cuba have close political and energy relations with Russia, which has been working to reassert itself as a military force.

Russia resumed long-range bomber patrols in 2007 after a 15-year hiatus.

During Sunday's program, Chavez said his government may expand a military base on the Caribbean island of La Orchila, approximately 110 miles (180 kilometers) off the South American country's central coast.

"It's a strategic point, but not just for a naval base. It's also an economic zone," he said, noting that installations for fishermen could be constructed.

La Orchila is already home to a small military base, including helicopter landing pads and docks, as well as a presidential residence.

[TopHatter]

Can Cuba cope with an onslaught of Americans?

Can Cuba cope with an onslaught of Americans?

HAVANA – A push in Congress to do away with U.S. travel bans on Cuba could set off a flood of American visitors to the long-forbidden island.

But many wonder if a country where foreigners have long complained about lousy food, sluggish service and iffy infrastructure is ready for an onslaught of Americans unseen since the days of Meyer Lansky and Al Capone.

Cuba has about as many hotel rooms as Detroit and most are already full of Canadians and Europeans. Experts say droves of Americans could drive up prices, unleash calls for more flights and cruises than Cuba can handle and force the government to tighten visa restrictions to regulate the stampede.

"There is great pent-up demand," said Bob Whitley, president of the United States Tour Operators Association, which opposes the travel ban. "It will have to be controlled by officials in Cuba, but also by U.S. tour operators to make sure the infrastructure is up to it."

Bills in the U.S. House and Senate would effectively allow all Americans to visit. Trips for U.S. citizens with relatives here already got easier last month. Cuban-Americans can now come annually instead of every three years.

Cuba began encouraging international tourism after the fall of the Soviet Union, and its top feeder countries are Canada, Britain, Italy, Spain and France. Foreign tourist visits jumped 9.3 percent last year to a record 2.35 million, generating $2.7 billion or 11 percent more than 2007, the government says.

Despite the global economic downturn, international visitor rates have increased 4.5 percent through February as compared to the first two months of 2008.

An influx of Americans could create a lodging crunch. The communist state has partnered with foreign companies such as Spanish chain Sol Melia to offer about 46,000 hotel rooms across an island about the size of Pennsylvania. Some 17,300 of those rooms are concentrated in the beach resort of Varadero, 90 miles (140 kilometers) east of Havana.

Cuba plans to build 30 new hotels nationwide to tap into the market for boutique accommodations. Some of those have been completed, but many aging properties have been shut down for remodeling, leaving the total number of rooms flat since 2006.

According to Smith Travel Research, the 349 hotels in Miami and Hialeah alone have about as many rooms as all of Cuba. The city of Detroit, with 42,000-plus hotel rooms, is not far behind.

Even at top Cuban resorts, it is often hard to get amenities as basic as an extra roll of toilet paper. Comforts including apples, french fries and bottled beer are sometimes scarce — not to mention perks like in-room coffee-makers or wireless Internet access.

And, as in Eastern Europe in the 1970s, international tourists complain about sub-par food and service.

"You have maybe five hotels that you could consider decent enough for Americans and their standards, but if they are already running at 60-70 percent occupancy during high season, where are all these new people going to stay?" asked John Kavulich, senior policy adviser for the U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council in New York.

Many travelers bypass hotels for rented rooms in Cuban homes. But the government does not allow those offering home-stays to rent more than two rooms, and few are hopeful those rules will be eased, no matter what happens to the U.S. travel ban.

"More demand won't mean anything unless the government changes things," said Concha Perez, who offers rooms in her home in Havana's Plaza de la Revolution district.

U.S. travel to Cuba is not illegal, but spending money here is — except with special authorization like that for journalists and some businesses. In 2007, the latest figures available, about 40,500 Americans visited the island, most presumably on the sly. Tracking U.S. family visits is difficult since authorities count Cuban-Americans as Cubans.

Just how many U.S. travelers would come if Cuba weren't off-limits is a guess. The American Society of Travel Agents estimated in 2007 that nearly 1.8 million Americans could visit in the first three years after travel rules were loosened.

To control the flow, the government might tighten rules on visas. Currently, tourist cards can be purchased at airports outside the U.S. or through travel agents.

"The Cuban government may go, 'Just because you say your people can come doesn't mean we have to let everyone in,'" Kavulich said. "People forget the United States is not the only one with a say."

Cuba has long welcomed U.S. tourists with few questions asked and officials say they have taken no special precautions to prepare for more Americans. Deputy Tourism Minister Maria Elena Lopez said Cuba understands that aspects of its tourism industry need to improve. She singled out beach hotels overdue for renovations and a lack of golf courses: a 9-hole course in Havana and Varadero's 18-hole club are the only ones on the island.

But instead of the beach or the links, many U.S. tourists will hit Havana for its classic if crumbling architecture and streets choked with 1950s American behemoths.

Americans "are all going to want to go to El Floridita and La Bodeguita del Medio at the same time and there won't be space," Kavulich said, referring to two ever-crowded watering holes made famous by writer Ernest Hemingway.

Whitley said the first wave of Americans could arrive by cruise ship and visit Havana only for a few hours, thus alleviating strains on hotels, restaurants and already hard-to-find taxis and rental cars.

"There's going to be such a desire to see the country that people won't care if they are in a five-star hotel," he said.

Whitley said U.S. airlines and charter companies could restore commercial service to Cuba in six months if the travel ban is lifted. Other industry watchers say U.S. carriers could shift flights to different airports around the island to ensure Havana isn't overwhelmed — at least until extra tourism generates enough revenue to improve infrastructure.

Added demand for limited tourist accommodations could drive up prices that already have been high since 2004, when the Cuban government banned the U.S. dollar in official transactions and imposed a 20 percent tax on exchanging it.

But Elliot Feldman, head of the international trade practice at Baker Hostetler LLP in Washington, said Cuba's command economy may cap prices and supply to create buzz.

"They'd rather just have everything fully booked and make people wait a year or two to get a room than raise prices and hurt interest," said Feldman, who has traveled to Cuba and litigates international trade disputes. "Having to wait to go only adds to the mystique." Link

"Lousy food, sluggish service and iffy infrastructure"

All the benefits of Communism! What's not to like?? :))

[Robert W]

"Lousy food, sluggish service and iffy infrastructure"

All the benefits of Communism! What's not to like?? :))

Maybe they are in line for a little stimulus money

[TopHatter]

Maybe they are in line for a little stimulus money

They'll have to get in line, right behind that other great Communist success story, North Korea.

[Robert W]

They'll have to get in line, right behind that other great Communist success story, North Korea.

North Korea doesn't have the CBC in their corner...

[Dreadnought]

Only seen her from offshore a few times but I wouldnt mind visiting after everything is worked out. Whats the majority of the population ergo what language is dominate? Spanish I'm guessing?

[Tarek Morgen]

Cuba is inhabited mostly by people of hispanic descent and has a black minority. The Native who lived there before the columbian era are extinct. The language spoken is spanish, but has soon the the ban is lifted and they see how much money can be made with american tourist the quality (and numbers) hotels will surely increase and at least in the main tourist areas you should be able to get along with English.

[MrGetSome]

lift the ban..it's not like i dont go there as it is... there are way's to get there. now..it will be less spendy...and trips will be alot more fun!!

[cobra226]

Lift It!

Heck yeah, lift the ban. I also dont think Cuba is going to offer resistance to that idea....considering that its poor economic state at this time is partly due to those restrictions. If Cuba had a healthy trade parter to export its goods to, like the US, it would do much better. Another big part would be tourism. Sure, it probably cant handle such a stampede right off the bat....BUT, they could adapt to it over time, and really flourish.
I think it would be great.
Plus, I also wanted to sit in an outdoor cafe and smoke a real Cuban.....kinda like James Bond did!

And also...later on down the road...when Cuba is doing better economically, and its people live a better life....we wont have to fish as many off the coast of Florida!

Cheers!