I cannot think of anyone who has a better understanding of the Cuban situation than Mr. Montaner. He is truly an asset to the Post. Rachelle

Lift the Cuba Embargo?

By Humberto (Bert) Corzo*
http://www.cubanet.org/CNews/y09/abril09/09_O_3.html

You don’t need to look further; here you have the answer from the “horse” mouth:

“It is necessary to impose financial, economic and material restrictions to dictatorships, so that they will not take roots for long years….Diplomatic and morals measures do not work against dictatorships, because these make fun of the Governments and the population”. Fidel Castro

(Excerpt from the book “Fidel Castro and Human Rights”, Editora Política, Havana, Cuba, 1988)

Phil Graham to the rescue! He didn't fiddle around in some unpainted tractor crop sharing farm in Cuba. In better times, this historic Christian Castro hater was all for blowing his brains out.
Should have known better folks: anyone with that sordid hatred for humankind was up to far dirtier and immoral shenanigans in the Swiss Alps, helping Batista style Americans dodge their U.S. taxes.
Viva Fidel!

www.dailyexception.com
Cuba is not the real issue - the Cold War is over. America must prioritize its global problems: jihadi terror, a rising China, and an economy overburdened by debt. Latin America is important, precisely because it plays a role in each of those global priorities
http://dailyexception.com/2009/04/16/latin-america-is-important-as-part-of-a-global-strategy/

If memory serves me, the Castro regime was going to give way after the Soviet Union collapsed. Then it was going to crumble when Fidel fell ill -- or maybe doomsday was going to be when he formally surrendered power to the dour, uncharismatic Raul. It's not a pleasant reality to confront, but the fact is that the Cuban government is much more resilient than outsiders would like to believe. Wishing it away hasn't worked for 50 years, and it won't work now. We should lift the embargo and the travel ban. That might not be a more effective policy, but it can't be any less effective than what we've been doing.

Oh please! 50 years later, and people like Montaner are still saying silly things like "the Castro regimine is about to fall at any minute". It's funny (and sad), that some people have become so used to saying this that they actually believe this nonsense.
Here's a thought: just do like all the rest of the Cubans in Miami; Go to the local coffee shop, and talk about the good old days before Castro. It won't help, but you will feel better.

So, here we have a Cuban exile who is still in denial that Castro & Co., some 50 years later, are a reality! I bet he is still betting on full surrender of Castro and his team!!!

After half a decade, it is time to accept reality--especially when the world has changed a lot and as America is more socialist (urgently too) and China is a big capitalist power to deal with. The deck has been reshuffled and embargoes only hurt the Cuban people, not the regime!

My personal feeling is that those support the continued embargo are not thinking about the Castro's but are trying to influence the nature of the government that follows. I think there is a great fear of a democratic government forming in Cuba which would in any way hinder those who had assets under the Batista government from reclaiming and reopening the casinos and brothels. I am sure they have their Putin already picked out and are hoping to skip the ambiguity of the Yeltsin government to the preferred Putin model kleptocracy.

The embargo is powerful a weapon to trust Batista's in the United States to wield during the emergence of the post Castro world.

I believe that Mr. Montaner is just asking for a little understanding from Obama and the people of the United States.

Petrarca1: Mr. Montaner is not just 'a Cuban born dude living overseas'. He was forced into political exile 50 years ago along with over 2 million other Cubans. That happens to have been 33% of Cuba's population in 1959, that is, just after the post-revolutionary coup by Castro.

If the US were ever to fall under a dictatorship and one of the leaders that ousted the dictator were to immediately become a dictator himself, I can't imagine how you might receive a comment such as yours. Add to that 50 years and the fact that the first dictator was helped into place by the country of the person making the comment.

If I have been too blunt it's because your comment forced me to set the record straight. A little understanding please, that's all we ask.

Mr. Montaner is in fact being quite liberal as he's willing to give a chance to communist reformers complicit in Castro's crimes and the cultural genocide of 5 generations of Cubans. I wouldn't sentence any of them to death (as they have repeatedly done) but certainly don't agree that any of them are entitled to govern anymore than Castro is. In addition, the Castros deserve to be held accountable.

It's up to Obama if we wants to make deals with him. However, Castro is not an elected leader and therefore does not legitimately represent the Cuban people. The 1940 constitution that both Batista and he violated makes that clear enough.

Enrique I. Alonso

http://ddeeee.blogspot.com/

What can you expect from a Cuban born dude living overseas. Right?