|
Fidel Castro has been using the United States
embargo to explain the disastrous economic situation
in Cuba. Many Cuban exiles living in Florida wanted
to blockade the country economy, thereby provoking
an uprising in the Cuban society and as a result
force the communist regime to change its policy. But
this action failed, Fidel Castro, the father of the
Cuban revolution of 1959 and a charismatic leader,
has by rhetorical tactics maintained his power. He
dealt with the Cuban inside by closely monitoring
them in educational institutions, through adherence
to the party ideology and indoctrination by media.
The road taken of the Cuban nation has its roots
from the War of Independence. Indeed, Cuba has been
under American occupation. This country when it
became an independent nation remained attached both
politically and economically to the United States
till the 1950s.
The revolution of 1959 was a nationalist upheaval
aiming to bring about a real independent Cuban
nation.
However Cuba turned out into communist country after
the revolution with the American embargo. At the
beginning, Fidel Castro promised democratic
elections and one year after he openly admitted his
communist Marxist Leninist ideals.
The nationalisation of US companies, the closing
down of casinos, the re-establishment of diplomatic
relationship with the soviet block and the Agrarian
Reform Law which expropriated 75 % of arable land of
foreign investors (of which 90% were American)
contributed in 1961 to the breaking off diplomatic
relations between Cuba and the United States. As
they failed to oust out Castro regime by the Bay of
Pigs invasion, the Americans interdicted travels to
Cuba. The CIA also tried to kill Castro, and the
Cuban President on the rebound adopted openly
communist ideals.
The aim of the embargo which was to pressure the
Cubans home to revolt against Castro has been the
most rigorous in US history. The embargo consisted
of the maintenance of country presence in the others
capital, but no Americans were authorized to trade,
travel or invest in Cuba. Only Cuban Americans were
permitted to visit their family and by the same time
their country only once a year.
There were also medical ban and shipping
restrictions which had a direct effect on the Cuban
economy. They raised the cost of medicines and
pharmaceutical products. In 1991 Mikhail Gorbachev
with the collapse of the western block, stopped
soviet aid and this provoked an economic depression
and poverty in Cuba.
The disintegration of the USSR brought a change in
Cuban foreign policy; it opened its doors to
overseas investors among others Pernod-Ricard and
Bacardi, a Bahamas based corporation who fled the
revolution in 1959. In 1996, Bill Clinton backed
Cuban Democracy Act promoted by New Jersey’s former
senator Robert Toricelli. In 2000, the ban on food
sales to Cuba was lifted by the Trade Sanctions
Reform Act signed by Bill Clinton before he left
office. As time went on, Cuban Americans curtailed
the ban on travel once a year by passing though
developing countries of the region and there were no
limits on money sent families, a source of revenue
to the Cuban economy and a way for the regime to
undermine the US embargo.
There was loosening in the embargo towards Cuba in
December 2001. As embargoes diminish the credibility
of the American as a nation abroad, the senates and
house lift the travel ban putting an end of
unilateral trade and travel embargo. To
counterattack the revolution, Americans are
travelling now bringing a message and dream to
Cubans of a free democratic Cuba. Some Cuban exiles,
mainly those living in Florida, wanted an
intervention of the same scale as Iraq to overthrow
the Cuban president, but their position has changed.
They now want a gradual transition for a war in Cuba
would cause enormous disasters. War would force
Cubans to find refuge in Florida and many resources
would be needed to look after the refugees on the
shores of Florida.
Moreover, with the moving of Cuba from communism to
socialism in the first run and a mixture of
socialism and capitalism by now with the gradual
market economy is creating a transition towards a
free and democratic Cuba.
However, the only persons who have been suffering
form the embargo in the Cuba are the American
businessmen who have been deprived of the profits
and opportunity to invest in this country while the
Spanish and European countries have been allowed to
trade and benefit from the exploitation of the poor
labor low wage and salary paid to the Cuban workers.
The work force in Cuba with a one party system has
no rights no union to talk for them no fringe
benefits.
Furthermore, if American embargo has ended, internal
blockade has been used by the Cuban government to
maintain his power and enriching themselves. While
products are being manufactured in Cuba and
exported, they are not available on the Cuban
markets.
For example wood are only accessible to foreigners
while Cuban have no roofs tops over their heads. |
