Protesters in Cuba demand food and electricity as shortages bring hardship

I don’t know. The Bautista’s were horrible leaders, but the communists have been no better. Free and fair elections seem to be a reasonable request before offering food aid

 

Americans always think protests in the countries they blockade mean the government is on the verge of collapse. There were protests during COVID too, and similar statements were made. I dont think Cubans hate their government as much as Americans think, and to some degree the government is responsive to them. The sanctions have hit them pretty hard since COVID, getting things like food and medicine has been difficult. I dont think Cubans are craving for America to step in and do regime change, but an end to the sanction regime would let the government stand on its own, and get rid of an excuse (a pretty valid one) the Cuban government can always deploy when things are hard.

 

Nature abhors a vacuum. Russia, Iran, China et al love the idea of having a client state on our doorstep. Question is how to play our cards right so Cuba is either neutral or maybe even an ally someday.

 

So why dont we do that with the Saudis or lots of other governments we send money and aid too?

 

A good friend of mine's mother still lives in Cuba. My friend uses a Canadian website to order food and other items to be shipped to Cuba. Thankfully my friend has the financial resources because it is quite expensive to ship food that way. Theft/robbery is also a concern from where her mom picks her items up until she reaches her home.

 

They are not a client state of any of those countries. They've pretty much been on their own since the USSR dissolved. They do get a little support from China, but its nothing close to Cold War era stuff.

 

Not a client state at present, but it cannot be ruled out.

 

We can become a socialist country that should do it, and probably the most ethical approach

 

I am a big fan of not doing business with Saudi Arabia.

 

And who can forget how our sanctions forced Putin out of office and weakened Russia ?

 

One definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. The US embargo against Cuba was first imposed in 1960, partially lifted by Obama in 2014 and fully reimposed by then President Trump in 2017. The Castro regime (actually outliving Fidel himself) has controlled the Island for over 60 years. Rationally maybe it's time for a change in policy although politically that's not going to happen anytime soon thanks to a significant voting block in the state with the third largest number of electoral votes, another consequence of the archaic Electoral College system of electing the president. Were it not for the EC, a group of voters (Cuban Americans) representing less than one percent of the total electorate would not have such a disproportionate influence on foreign policy.

 

Not going to happen due to strategic reasons.

 

cheaper to feed and house them there than here?

 

Well I just listened to a freakonomics podcast about immigrants. We would be better off economically letting almost everyone in.

 

Not until the shoe drops and the old regime is ousted for good. The with new leadership we can help their people, because if we give them food now, they government will simply steal it. We've been there and done that with countless other countries where their people are in need of food.

When The U.S.A. was in need of food (from 1929 till WWII) we lived thought it for over a decade... and we came out stronger than every. Let's see what kind of resolve the Cubans have.

 

Presumably we’d be at “almost everyone in” if we’d streamline the process for those who want to enter legally.

 

Are they still having a revolution? Thought that was in the 1950's or so.