What's it matter? In Great Communist Homeland, no person is more important than any other. Didn't you get the memo?
ETA: Oh, I forgot. They're still waiting for that whole "withering away of the state" thingie, aren't they?
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Cuban-American relations heading towards normalization?
- Thread starter raburrell
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ETA: Oh, I forgot. They're still waiting for that whole "withering away of the state" thingie, aren't they?
That's a requirement to offer an opinion?
Seriously? When I looked it up, even a few of the articles declaring that he was still around seemed dubious.
Cuba not returning to capitalism despite U.S. deal: Castro's daughter
"Under Cuba's foreign investment law, overseas companies are welcome but need to negotiate agreements with Cuban state companies or the government to do business.
Cuba almost always demands a controlling stake, which has discouraged some companies from elsewhere in the world from investing.
Imports to Cuba are administered by state holding companies, meaning that U.S. companies would not be able to simply find a buyer and ship goods in."
Anyone hoping that trade is going to change things in Cuba had better be prepared to settle in for a very long wait, is how I interpret this. YMMV
"Under Cuba's foreign investment law, overseas companies are welcome but need to negotiate agreements with Cuban state companies or the government to do business.
Cuba almost always demands a controlling stake, which has discouraged some companies from elsewhere in the world from investing.
Imports to Cuba are administered by state holding companies, meaning that U.S. companies would not be able to simply find a buyer and ship goods in."
Anyone hoping that trade is going to change things in Cuba had better be prepared to settle in for a very long wait, is how I interpret this. YMMV
None of that should matter when it comes to the question of normalizing relations, however. That would be a matter for trade negotiations later.
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I have zero problems with this approach on Cuba's part. I mean, whether it will work in a practical sense is up for debate, but morally/theoretically? Keeping the profits from Cuban sales to benefit Cuban interests seems like a great idea, to me.
An oppressive totalitarian regime is a moral problem. A regime that tries to further local economic interests instead of multinational ones? Good for them, if they can make it work.
Trade is one form of opportunity to pry open the door, allowing the common man a better life in many countries. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I don't see that happening here. The usual will continue. Once the rulers and the military skim off the surplus, the people might get a new rice cooker. Maybe.
Let's see what happens in a couple of years. Maybe I'll be surprised.
Let's see what happens in a couple of years. Maybe I'll be surprised.
On the surface, in the "white" markets, I think you're 100% correct. However, as tourism and other forms of trade become more common, the underground economy will flourish, for both grey and black goods. The underground economy is always ripe ground for fermenting ideas about personal choice and the silliness (or even evil) of much government intervention and regulation, as well as underlining the ineffectiveness of playing the game the way the rulers want it to be played.
Talking to taxi and bus drivers and shop owners in various caribbean nations can be a real eye-opener when it comes to international relations.
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On the surface, in the "white" markets, I think you're 100% correct. However, as tourism and other forms of trade become more common, the underground economy will flourish, for both grey and black goods. The underground economy is always ripe ground for fermenting ideas about personal choice and the silliness (or even evil) of much government intervention and regulation, as well as underlining the ineffectiveness of playing the game the way the rulers want it to be played.
Talking to taxi and bus drivers and shop owners in various caribbean nations can be a real eye-opener when it comes to international relations.
Tourism is already one of Cuba's biggest industries.
There are lots of tourist in Cuba, including, in my experience, quite a few Americans. The Cuban immigration authorities are quite used to letting Americans in without stamping their passports.
Yeah, that's why I said "more" common. It's no secret a lot of americans make it to cuba these days, but there will be a lot more as trade normalizes, and when the cruise ships can (eventually) start visiting, the traffic will explode.
This, X1000. Can you say "China"? Today's China, despite whatever political friction we have with them, on many issues, is so far better than the China of four decades ago that it's hard to compare.
China is a coconut. Cuba is a peanut. Which one is easier to crack?
caw
The travel bans won't be lifted right away, so you Canadians still have some time keeping that market to yourselves.
Who knows, if their service is good enough, they might keep some returning customers, much as some people have favourite airlines.
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