Cuba & the U.S. (4 of 11): Raul Castro's Rule, 2008 to present

If you prefer, you can read the whole Cuba report as a PDF by clicking here.

Summary:  Raul Castro operates on the same principles as Fidel.

Fidel isn’t in day-to-day control of Cuba any more; his brother Raul is. What do we know about Raul?

In 2006, 80-year-old Fidel, who needed surgery, temporarily handed political power to Raul, a spring chicken at age 76. In February 2008, a few days after Fidel announced that he would not run again for president of Cuba, Raul was unanimously elected president by the National Assembly (the Cuban equivalent of Congress). Raul now controls the military and the state security services, and is the Second Secretary of the Communist Party in Cuba.

Fidel, however, is still very much alive. He is First Secretary of the Communist Party and writes regularly for the official newspaper Granma, occasionally chastising Raul’s actions. (See, for example, the Wall Street Journal report of 4/23/09.) A substantial number of Cubans consider themselves not socialistas but  fidelistas—faithful followers of the charismatic leader of the Revolution. Fidel’s influence in Cuba remains very strong.

Raul fought alongside Fidel and Che Guevara during the Revolution. He was Fidel’s enforcer, supervising the summary execution of dozens of Batista’s supporters. In the decades that followed, he was a member of Fidel’s government, albeit a rather quiet one. There is no evidence that he has ever disagreed with Fidel’s actions in principle, nor that he has any desire to change the aims and methods of the Communist Party in Cuba.

Let us now look at what Cuba and Raul Castro stand for, working from the broadest abstraction—their ideology—to its implications for individual rights, civil liberties, the economy, and foreign relations.

Cuba & the U.S. (2 of 11): Upcoming issues

If you prefer, you can read the whole Cuba report as a PDF by clicking here.

Summary: The embargo on trade with Cuba and Cuba’s status in the O.A.S. are under discussion.

Two issues are upcoming in relations between Cuba and the U.S.: the trade embargo imposed by the U.S. in 1960 (with its related issues of restrictions on travel to Cuba and restrictions on money sent there), and Cuba’s status in the Organization of American States. Both were raised in April at the Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago. The O.A.S. will meet June 2-3, 2009.

By executive order, Obama has already relaxed restrictions on travel to Cuba by Cuban-Americans, and has increased the amount of money they can send to family members in Cuba. He has stated that before making further concessions, he hopes for reciprocal acts from Cuba: for example, the release of political prisoners and the reduction of the fees charged by the Cuban government for converting American dollars to Cuban currency. Discussion of the decades-long U.S. embargo of trade with Cuba seems likely. Since Congress must approve the lifting of the embargo, we can expect to see Obama attempting to build public support for such an action.

The other issue up for discussion is Cuba’s status in the Organization of American States. The treaty establishing the O.A.S. was signed in 1948. Like NATO, the organization was conceived as a defensive alliance to prevent the spread of communism. In 1962, after Castro took power in Cuba, the O.A.S. voted that Castro’s Marxist-Leninist ideology made Cuba’s goals incompatible with those of the O.A.S. The resolution stated that while the current government was in power, Cuba would retain its membership in the O.A.S. but would not be allowed representation or participation. This O.A.S. resolution has been challenged several times in the past decades, and Hugo Chavez of Venezuela has said he will raise it again at this year’s O.A.S. meeting, June 2-3 in Honduras.

Let’s put these two issues in perspective by asking: Why was the embargo originally imposed in 1960? Is the situation now essentially different? What are the principles that should be considered when analyzing this situation and choosing a course of action?

Relations between Cuba and the U.S. (1 of 11)

I'll be posting here as a multi-part blog entry a report on relations between Cuba and the U.S., particularly re the raising of the embargo and Cuba's status in the Organization of American States. If you prefer, you can read the whole report as a PDF by clicking here.

Contents:

What issues are upcoming between Cuba and the U.S.? Summary: The embargo on trade with Cuba and Cuba’s status in the O.A.S. are under discussion.

Fidel Castro’s Rule, 1959-2008. Summary: Fidel Castro ruled as a totalitarian dictator for 49 years, and during the Cold War had close ties with the Soviet Union.

Raul Castro’s Rule, 2008 to present. Summary:  Raul Castro operates on the same principles as Fidel.

Cuban Ideology. Summary:  Cuba’s government today is explicitly socialist, as it has been for 50 years.

Individual Rights and Civil Liberties. Summary:  Cuba is a repressive totalitarian dictatorship in which the rights of individuals are subordinated to the needs of the state.

Economy. Summary:  The Cuban economy cannot operate without substantial foreign subsidies, and is deeply in debt.

Foreign Relations. Summary:  Cuba’s friends are other totalitarian dictatorships and other communist or socialist nations. Raul Castro and the Cuban Constitution both condemn the United States.

Philosophical principles. Summary: Cuba should be treated as an enemy because it has consistently and for decades espoused principles that are opposed to those of the United States, and has repeatedly threatened U.S. citizens and expropriated their property.

Why would Cuba even consider closer relations with the U.S.? Summary:  Improved relations with the U.S. would give Cuba more hard currency and the prestige of having “forced” the U.S. to back off its long-standing policy.

Why Cuba will probably not improve relations with the U.S. too much. Summary: Efficient dictators always make sure they have an enemy to distract their subjects.

Suggested Readings by Ayn Rand and Objectivist Scholars

Sources Consulted

Other Recommended Readings

NOTE: Most of the statistics in this report come from the U.S. Department of State’s 2008 Background Report on Cuba (dated August 2008) and the CIA World Factbook entry for Cuba (last updated 4/23/2009).