How do you solve a problem like Havana?
Headline: Can Obama Force Change In Cuba? As is usual when it comes to the Lamb of Chicago, it’s the wrong question. Obama doesn’t want to force change in Cuba; he wants to force change in the way we think of its corrupt, tyrannical regime. The real question is: how can we stop him from changing the US into something more like Cuba?
There is no free press, no alternative press, no non-government TV or radio, no unblocked internet, and any attempt at organised opposition is met with harassment (including of family members), arrests and imprisonment. More than 50 of the 75 activists arrested six years ago, ostensibly as “mercenaries” but in fact for organising a petition, still languish in prison, often in ill health.
So what’s there for Obama, or any other socialist, not to like?
Depressingly you can still find plenty of academics and journalists in Britain – Fanonites, sugar-cane romantics and serial Third World guilt-trippers – to defend the rule of the Brothers. But in Cuba itself what has helped hold the thing together is the Yanqui threat: it is the Americans who cause shortages by their embargo, it is the Americans who create the security crisis that necessitates heavy policing.
How will this play now that we are entering the Obamanian New World? Yesterday President Obama announced the lifting of travel and remittance restrictions on Cuban American citizens. The practical effects will be an increase in US tourism visits to relatives on the island, and an increase in US money going directly to some lucky Cubans. Congress is also looking to end other restrictions, particularly hoping to get US grain sold to Cuba.
The calculation, as with other countries, such as Iran, may be that this will lead to better political relationships, a softening of hostilities and, over time, liberalisation in Cuba itself. But will it?
No, it will not. The Cuban regime will hold onto power as long as it possibly can, by any means it can, up to and including mass murder of its subjects. And as long useful liberal idiots sing the regime’s praises, it will use those propaganda victories to justify anything it feels it must. Communism is the most blood-stained, incontrovertibly evil ideology in human history. Obama won’t be changing that grim truth, either.
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He has, however....
Got on great with the President of Brasil (Currently chopping his rain forest down for "bio fuel crops" to choruses of silence form environmentalists) and who said "White blue eyed people cause all the financial messes."
Reached out to Iran (Who gave him nothing but insults for his trouble.)
Kissed up to the Commies in Cuba (Who said they weren't ready to welcome so many new visitors - in other words, now that you do want to visit us after we said you would not, screw you.
Obama is getting nothing but scorn from the enemies he is trying to cozy up to - which may be a great lesson for his starry eyed, "We will get along if we are just nice" followers, who lack certain education and understanding of the way the world goes.
If they see that we will not be "loved" either mocked as punks or hated as nasty powerful no goodies, they may yet see that if some in the world will always hate us no matter what, it is better we be seen as badasses not to be fucked with than punks.
The pirate thing does give a glimmer of hope that Obama may realize this, however.