Pedro Martínez:
> “socialism” and “dictatorship”

I suppose that most people's understanding of things like capitalism, socialism, democracy and dictatorship comes from whatever they learned in their high school social studies class.

In real life (that is, outside a little textbook) the lines are blurred. Capitalism has little to do with democracy, and socialism has little to do with dictatorship.

Sweden is a socialist country, and it is hardly a dictorship. Saudi Arabia is a capitalist country, and it is also a dictatorship. China is run by the Communist party, it is a dictaorship, and it is also a capitalist country. Canada, the US and the UK are a lot more "socialist" than the citizens of those countries would care to admit. The legal sytems in western countries are cumbersome. The bureacracy is huge. The government is in every sphere of life, from healthcare to laws that restrict where a dog can poop.

Most Americans woudl be surprised to know that the American government is more socialist than the government of the People's Republic of China. In terms of capitalism, it is easier to open and run a business in China than it is in moset western "capitalist" countries.

I have been to Cuba. Most of the Cuban economy is in the hands of private companies that run the hospitality businesses (hotels, resorts, etc.) In all of Cuba there is not a single statue or portrait of Fidel Castro. In fact, the only place to find his picture is in souvenir shops for tourists. Of all the heroes of the revolution, the only one whose likeness appears anywhere is Che Guevara. There is a big portrait of him in the building that houses Radio Havana (Cuba's braodcasting company). Other than that you would have to look really hard to find statues or portraits of him.

Most Cubans are ambivalent with respect to their countries situation. They know that Cuba is poor, but that is because after nearly 50 years of economic blockade the US (and msot of its allies) refuse to take a more moderate stance towards Cuba.

People have short memories. Most Cuban political prisoners went to the US during the Carter and Regan administrations. The Carter and Regan administrations were putting too much pressure on Cuba, so the Cuban government opened the jails, put all prisoners (political or otherwise) in a boat (the Mariel) and sent them to the US. There are still political prisoners left in Cuba. Mostly those who did plot or carry out terrorist attacks (mostly bombings and sabotage).

For sure there are people who are detained for purely political reasons. But then, most countries do that. Anyone who doubts it has to look at political prisoners and "unlawful combatants" captured during the War on Terror.

The reality of Cuba is simple. The US figured that Cuba would remain a "protectorate" just like Puerto Rico. Cuba chose a different path. Right wing American's are too proud to accept that other countries could chose a way of life different from the American way of life. So they try to squeeze Cuba hoping that some day the government there will collapse.

If western countries cared about dictatorship, they would have stopped doing busines not just with Cuba, but also with most countries in the Middle East, the People's Republic of China, as well as dictatorships in Latin America, Africa, Asia, etc. If being a dictatorship were the defining cause for stopping business with a country, the world economy would be paralized because most countries are dictatorships.

Cuba being a dictatorship has nothing to do with it. The real reason is Cuba not doing what the American government wants. If the Cuban government sold its natural resources cheap and let the people be used for the profit of big corporations, then Cuba would be best friends with the US. For decades the US was quite happy to give money, weapons and CIA training to dictatorships in Latin America. Simply because those dictatorships worked for the benefit of big American corporations. Cuba refused to do that, so they are the "bad guy".