In fairness, the black and white picture you paint puts him on the same level as Stalin, Mao, Hitler et al. I would have to disagree and point out that the history of Cuba (+ Castro) is far more involved than your summary suggests (you can start by looking at the swell guy he overthrew).Fidel Castor, the totalitarian dictator of Cuba, has stepped down.
I agree that Batista was just as bad, or worse, than Castro but Castro has had nearly 40 years to do the right thing and he hasn't.
All Castro had to do was free his people. He hardly held the high moral ground on that one.Castro and Cuba haven't been helped by the fact the United States has had a complete economic embargo on it during that time has no doubt impinged on Cuba's economic prospects since 1962. With the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 Cuba lost its remaining ally but the economic cold war waged on it by the United States continued unabated.
If one were to remove the United States' access to imported oil (almost 60% of it's total consumption) I doubt it would remain a bastion of free market capitalism for very long. One can hypothesize the effects this would also have on its democratic system. Also, I imagine we would see large numbers of US citizens looking for economic refuge north of the border in Canada.
Castro handled Cuba's 'Peak Oil' crisis very well indeed when the Soviet Union collapsed and their cheap oil, fertilizer, pesticide imports virtually dried up overnight.
The fact that Cuban land was mainly state owned meant that it was swiftly appropriated for organic food production which would not have happened in a 'free' market economy such as Ireland.
I dread to think what will happen when we in Ireland hit peak oil as so little is grown here....famine?
All Castro had to do was free his people. He hardly held the high moral ground on that one.
Cuba has indeed been mentioned as a case in how to manage peaking and declining oil & gas supplies.
Cuba also has virtually no industry, proportionally very few cars, and little of the energy demands of a modern thriving economy, so you're hardly comparing like with like.
Finally just seal the borders to stop the hungry millions making their way to this land of 'relatively small population and plenty of good farming land'.
What do you mean by 'free'?All Castro had to do was free his people.
The right to self-determination. Democracy.What do you mean by 'free'?
Maybe Americans, with their inferior education, don't know how to make homemade rafts?
No, it's not that.Or maybe it's because they are unaware that life exists outside of America.
I'll take the latter thanks, and work on the problem of weaning myself off the oil dependence.I'd prefer to be a 'poor' Cuban leading a largely self-sufficient lifestyle than a 'rich' Westerner totally dependant on oil and the flawed economic growth model that it feeds.
Apologies.I was missing a smiley there, I don't know much on the Cuban debate to provide any quality input, but it is interesting reading.
Would you take their political system as well?I'd prefer to be a 'poor' Cuban leading a largely self-sufficient lifestyle than a 'rich' Westerner totally dependant on oil and the flawed economic growth model that it feeds.
Ah! - you're referring to elections?The right to self-determination. Democracy.
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