Reaching Out

There is hope my friends.....

On January 2011, President Obama has directed the Secretaries of State, Treasury, and Homeland Security to take a series of steps to continue efforts to reach out to the Cuban people in support of their desire to freely determine their country’s future. (http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/01/14/reaching-out-cuban-people)


Jose Marti International Airport - Havana Cuba


So, I have hope that one day the cuban people and the US people can come to the table to talk about how to improve the horrible conditions in which the cuban people are living now. 
I guess, I am in the middle when it comes to which side I agree with.  I agree with the US that Cuba needs to improve and stop the human rights violations in the island.  But I also agree with Cuba in the sense that the United States should not be the one deciding who trades with Cuba and who doesn't and how to go about doing that.  China is a comunist state as well and the US trades with China and does not interfeer with others trading with China.  So, what is the real motive of why the US prohibits the trade with Cuba through the embargo.
I do have hope that this could change, for once Obama will try to keep improving the relationship with Cuba and Raul Castro seems to want to negotiate with Obama.  This is good news to us cubans, I guess it can not get any worse..... I'll keep praying for the benefit of the people.

Trade

As I have mentioned before in my blog, because the Cuban Embargo, Cuba can not freely trade with the rest of the World.  Since the Soviet Union stoped being comunist, it has been harder for Cuba to sustain itself and therefore the poverty levels are increasing, malnutrition is as bigger problem now that it use to be then.
The US president signed a law in 2000 that allows the US to trade with Cuba (or sell goods to Cuba) as long as they are agriculture or medical needs.  The US is now the main supplier of agricultural goods to the island.



The cuban governement reports that the poverty levels in Cuba are not that high compare to other latin american countries, and that comunism is helping that by distributing the goods among the people.  But, eventually, the island is not going to be able to keep sustaining itself and its going to need an open and free trade policy to be able to sucesed.  Would the US allow for that to happend?  Would the cuban government open up for free trade that would benefit the people not just those in the comunist party?  Only time will tell.....

Has there been a change since Raul took over?

For good or ill, Fidel Castro was without a doubt the most important leader to emerge from Latin America since the wars of independence of the early 19th century, not only reshaping Cuban society but providing inspiration for leftists across Latin America and in other parts of the world.  But he never broke the island's dependence on commodities like sugar, tobacco and nickel, nor did he succeed in industrializing the nation so that Cuba could compete in the world market with durable goods. Since the fall of the Soviet Union and the end of its aid to the island, Cuba has limped along economically, relying mostly on tourism and money sent home from exiles to get hard currency.
Some experts have said that Raúl Castro is more pragmatic. He has given signals he might try to follow the Chinese example of state-sponsored capitalism. But his regime has made no significant changes. In March 2009, Mr. Castro announced a shake-up in his administration.
People say they have seen small improvements in the economy that do not go far enough. Many roads in Havana have been repaired. Microwave ovens, DVD players and cellphones are now in stores, but most Cubans cannot afford them.



Please read the enrire article published by the New York Times, it is a very condense and good history.

1. I copied these three parragraphs in part because I could argue and I don't agree that Fidel Castro was the most important leader to emerge from Latin America since the independence of America in the 19th century.  I have many reasons for why I think that way and I base my opinion in the facts and history itself.

2. Raul Castro is more pragmatic, and he did give signals of a change, but we are still waiting (since 2009) for him to "chake" his administration, it has not happened yet (now in 2011).

3. There were some small improvements in the economy, but not anything significant.  What good is for you to have a cell phone if you can't call anyone else in or outside of the island, because only certain selected people can have cell phones, and by selected people I mean those who belong to the party.  What good is it for you to have a microwave if you don't have electricity half of the day???

anyways, these are my responses to the article, please feel free to comment.  Maybe I am being too negative...