Cuba

Cuba is presently in the headlines because of protests by the Cuban people and their supporters in both Cuba and the United States. In the US the protests are taking place mainly in Florida but are happening in other parts of the country as well. They express their anger with the unrelenting oppression of the Cuban people on the island of Cuba by the dictatorial government in power. These protests are highlighting (again) the inherent failing of communism as both a societal and governing model.

Cuba has had a communist government for over 60 years. Not a single one of the idealistic benefits of a communist society, at least as they are advertised by the American left, have been realized in that time span. It has not been because of a lack of money, as there have been many infusions of monetary “aid” to the Cuban regime from various countries (including the US) over that 60-year period. Nor is it because of any restraints put upon the Cuban government that would have precluded the fullest implementation of a textbook communist governing model. And it certainly has not been because of a lack of energy in the Cuban leadership to enforce the rules required for a communist society to exist and function.

The national discussion generated by these protests has put Democrat politicians in the US who favor socialism in a difficult position. Socialism and communism are close siblings. The epic failure of communism in Cuba now being brought into the spotlight does not help those trying to advance a socialist agenda. To counter this, some journalists and politicians on the left have embarked on embarrassing attempts to justify and even glorify the communist society in Cuba. Instructively, the only thing this is accomplishing is to showcase the intellectual deficiency of their argument. For example, Nicole Hannah Jones, main author of the fictional “1619 Project”, recently opined that communism in Cuba has had the admirable and desirous benefit of creating the world’s most non-racist society. Of course, Ms. Jones neglects to mention that a huge percentage of the Cuban population is living in poverty and squalor (relative to other western countries). But that’s OK because at the same time they have advanced to a higher plane of non-racist existence. We therefore take from Ms. Jones that an effective way to combat racism is simply to reduce an entire society to a low enough level where the survival instinct takes over. Thus, racism, like everything else at that point, is necessarily relegated to an afterthought. This is how debilitated the leftist talking points on Cuba have become.

Historically, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and The Philippines were under Spanish control during the last part of the 19^th century. In 1898, the Spanish-American war broke out in which the US was victorious. At the end of that war, the US was in military control of Cuba, Puerto Rico, and The Philippines. The opportunity to “annex” Cuba to the US presented itself, but the McKinley administration chose not to pursue it. The US did however choose to take possession of Puerto Rico, The Philippines, and the island of Guam. Those acquisitions, and the agreement that Cuba would become an independent nation, were codified in the Treaty of Paris in 1899. The Philippines later became an independent nation as well on July 4^th, 1946.

What could or should the US do to advance the cause of the Cuban protesters at this point? After 120 years of independence, attempting to annex Cuba now is probably out of the question. A less radical possibility is for the US to in some way “assist” the Cuban people who are seeking freedom from their oppressive communist government. This does not mean simply paying lip service by saying things like “we stand with the Cuban people”. Rather, something more tangible could be done either overtly or behind the scenes to help evolve Cuba to a democracy. This is very tricky, however. Too many US politicians on both sides of the ideological spectrum are averse to being seen in any way as interfering with the sovereignty of Cuba (or any nation for that matter). And we already know from past experience that providing money to the Cuban government just makes matters worse by strengthening the oppressors without providing any relief to the oppressed.

Given the above realities, if we could wave a magic wand, what would we want as the ideal outcome for Cuba? Here is our fantasy:

1. The Cuban people organize and rise up to overthrow their communist government. They would have had to successfully recruit a significant portion of the Cuban military to be on their side. Once this has been achieved, a new democratic government is formed with legislative, executive, and judicial branches providing the necessary checks and balances on each other to prevent a communist dictatorship from ever gaining control again. This new government would become a corporate and political ally of the US (like Puerto Rico) but not a territorial possession of the US (unlike Puerto Rico). The people of Cuba retain ownership of their country and culture, but now also possess the power of democracy to freely choose their own leaders and decide their own fate.
2. After this momentous event occurs, it would take some time and foreign assistance to repair and reconstruct the terrible living conditions in Cuba left over from more than half a century of communism. And much like in the US and other free nations, there would develop vigorous and healthy debates within the population over politics and differing ideologies. But eventually, most of the core reasons people had for wanting to “escape” Cuba, often at great peril, would be gone. Likewise, the fundamental reason for the present-day protests by Cuban people in the US would disappear.

There are several ways, both openly and clandestinely, in which the US could nudge this fantasy into reality. We are well aware that past attempts by the US to “democratize” other nations have not always worked out as hoped. But the case with Cuba is uniquely different. First, at 90 miles away, Cuba is right on our doorstep. Only Mexico and Canada, which touch our boarders, are geographically closer to the US. Second, there is a sizable percentage of Cubans and people of Cuban descent, now living in the US who are familiar with and supportive of the US style of government. So much so that some have risen to become Congressmen, Senators and Cabinet officials in the US Government (of both political parties). The experience and benefits of living in a free and open society are not unknown concepts to many Cubans. Third, a newly democratized Cuba would almost certainly be the recipient of substantial financial assistance and protection from America regardless of which US political party is in power. The potential benefits of this investment for the US are too great for republicans or democrats to ignore.

An opportunity to enable this outcome appears as though it may be presenting itself right now. It won’t last for long. In this case, doing nothing speaks just as loudly as a decision to act.