Joseph Marhee / Opinion Editor
Issue date: 2/21/08 Section: Opinion
With Fidel's brother, Raul, as acting president, should anyone be so
sure that he can't be an effective leader? Is everyone jumping to
conclusions about Raul and the future of Cuba? It certainly looks that way.
"He is simply a continuation of the Castro regime," State Department
deputy spokesman Tom Casey told AP.
The US should not even be involved in this situation. We're already out
trillions of dollars from our fight for democracy in Iraq and we're
expected to be suspicious of Iran, why should the US have any say what
happens in a country where they have successfully lived under a
socialist regime? Most assuredly, this will become a government and
corporate field day.
As far as Bush is concerned, this is a final push to be remembered as
the bringer of democracy, rather than a warmongering idiot. He will most
likely heroically swoop in and turn things around before the whole
country implodes, or so Bush would like you to believe.
Bush has led us to believe that socialism is evil and to ignore the
positives of a socialized nation: For example, Castro was responsible
for the outstanding Universal Health Care system in Cuba.
Accordingly, this is the perfect opportunity for Bush to surmise
publically that socialism has finally failed, but has it really? If any
prominent American leader were to resign or die, would that mean
democracy has failed? If so, America died along with Lincoln, which
isn't too far from the truth.
You can expect a lot of multi-national corporations to open thier
"Post-Castro Cuba" plans while many Cuban exiles may be planning on
going home, provided Bush intervenes, "saves the day" and opens trade,
which is probably among the first things that should (but probably
won't) happen.
It's pure logic (or maybe clairvoyance) to assume that Bush will use the
trade embargo as a bargaining chip to get U.S. interests heard when
appointing a new leader rather than Raul Castro and his ilk. "There are
some very clear indications out there that what this ... is a transfer
of authority and power from...Fidel to Raúl," Casey explained to AP.
In order to restore the lost dignity of Iraq, Bush's eventual
intervention in "liberating" Cuba from socialism may be the savior of
the administration's reputation, at least with the Cuban population.
Bush has always had, however inexplicably, the support of the Cuban
community in Miami. Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte told AP he
could not envision the U.S. lifting the embargo ''any time soon." It's
safe to say the embargo will play a big role in future Cuban leadership.
Raul Castro might not be the roadblock everyone is making him out to be
now that he won't have to adhere to Fidel's format; a view shared by some.
"I don't think it will be more of the same," dissident economist Oscar
Espinosa Chepe expressed to The Miami Herald. "It's not what we, in
Cuba, want. We want democracy and freedom, but this could be the time
for some economic and ... political changes."
There's always the possibility that Raul will just be a puppet, which is
a concern echoed by many Miami residents:"That's nothing. That's a
farce," said Miami resident Jorge Alonso, 79, in The Miami Herald
report. "With Raúl, there is no solution." Radio Mambi's News Director,
Armando Pérez-Roura,as reported on Radio Mambi, believes Castro's move
was a "pantomime" typical of the regime. As a result, many Cubans are
torn between moving forward or risking "more of the same" with Raul Castro.
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