Whither Cuba After the Brothers Castro?

North Star Writers Group ^ | March 10, 2008 | Llewellyn King

[Dukes Travels]

In Havana, the enfeebled fingers of Fidel Castro have handed the baton of dictatorship to the feeble fingers of his brother, Raul. The endgame is in sight, but what will it lead to?

There are those in Miami and Washington who believe that, by some miracle, the status quo ante will return to Cuba, but this time with democracy and transparency.

To understand what might happen in Cuba, let us look at two examples of countries where power was transferred.

[Brilliant]

Thanks to Castro, Cuba missed out on the golden age of democracy.

[Dick Vomer]

For any policy wonks or lurkers with input....

Why not wait till the thugs die then ASK the most US friendly Cuban if they'd like any assistance in turning Guantanamo into a province?

Then go back with the help of the Brits and dig up the blue print used by them to create Hong Kong. A total free market province with a deep water port and people dying for freedom and willing to work.

Maybe we Freepers can look up what was the charter/constitution of Hong Kong and in that way possibly end up with a thriving and booming FREE CUBA as opposed to a train wreck like Haiti or Jamaica.

[Kenny Bunk]

IMHO Llewellyn is seriously underestimating the effect the Castro regime has had on Cuba.

They really did transform the place. If both of the brothers were to leave the planet tomorrow, the civil and military structures they would leave behind, and the people who control those structures, would carry on for a good long time ... perhaps a decade or more.

Sure there would be cracks ... but they will be brutally repressed. O yeah, they'll have a gentle front man or two seeking to get cooperation from us ... but Cuba will stay commie for a long time after the Castros are gone.

Big difference: Cuba is no longer a Soviet base, because there are no Soviets ...but there are still CHICOM ... and Cuba is a very important base for them in the Caribbean. My bet? It is the CHICOM who will run the show, because it is they who can make sure the Communist nomenklatura the Castros are leaving behind can remain in power.

This ain't gonna be pretty.

[Eye of Unk]

If and when Cuba is a clean political country its going to be a classic car collectors wet dream.

A whole country full of 50’s era Chevies, what I would give to be an automobile restorer again and able to ship them out of Cuba, somebody is going to market on that, do a simple trade of a cheap compact modern car for a classic that nowadays fetches over $50,000 fully restored at the auctions.

[Dick Vomer]

good call on the Chicoms. Another port city for their products. Maybe the Soviets will "help" Cuba since we're putting a missile defense system in Poland.

I'm so glad that Obama and Hillary can answer the phone at 0300.

They're gonna have to.

What's scary is that these libs think that Chavez and the other latin socialist/communists are going to play nice. I'm just going to love Hillary talking to a Latin American male dictator and TELLING him how things roll.

The real kicker is if OBAMA tries to talk to these same guys, haahahahahahaha.... if he thinks that there are racists in the south, well brother, just look at how the Latin American community feel about african/black/ men.

What a joke.