By Paul A. Ibbetson
web posted May 2, 2011
Cuba, America's little communist island neighbor to the south is doing a
little bit of government restructuring. Fidel Castro has just finished
the last stage of what has been an incremental step-down from power. In
2006, Fidel Castro handed over temporary power to his brother Raúl while
the Communist dictator underwent a series of intestinal surgeries. In
2008, Raúl Castro was appointed as president of Cuba but the process was
only recently finalized when Cuban President Raúl Castro selected José
Ramón Machado as the second in command.
Raul CastroIt's difficult to be a hard-line communist country these days
and with China turning its economic system decidedly capitalistic; Cuba
remains one of the last closest holdouts to the old Soviet Union days
when communism had that true Stalinist red flare. But like all the other
countries that have attempted the Marxist quest for utopia, communism is
also dying out in Cuba, and dying fast. The first signs of change come
straight from President Raúl Castro. As reported by Randal Archibold in
the New York Times, President Castro is publicly recognizing that the
Cuban economy has major problems, and he is creating a positive
environment for small business expansion. Furthermore, the door has been
opened for citizens to buy and sell homes. This is a big deal for
communist Cuba.
Outwardly, Cuba still raises the communist banner firmly affixed to the
island country following the Fidel Castro revolution that began back in
1959. Machado's appointment temporarily fortified the old communist
guard. But even though Machado is an old revolutionary communist
hardliner, his appointment also reflects the fragile state of communism
in Cuba. The fact of the matter is that communism in Cuba is an old
man's game. The hard-line revolutionaries are simply aging away. Fidel
Castro, 84, is not long for this world and his younger brother Raúl, 79,
is no spring chicken. Despite talks of bringing in new blood to the
higher echelons of Cuban government, Machado, 80, is Cuba's current
backup plan should President Raúl Castro have to step down. Why not
bring in some young successors? The Machado appointment is one of
necessity for Castro as years of dictatorial power hoarding have created
a Cuba that lacks younger hard-line communist blood. The situation now
is that the communist country of Cuba is running on the fleeting fear of
Fidel and copious amounts of Geritol.
The reality of Cuba's future is hinged on the younger generations that
have not been allowed into the higher levels of the Castro
administration. Those that have had the opportunity to see the
disintegration of the Soviet Union under communism, and may be able
place it into a proper context. The next generation of Cuban leadership,
which will soon see the opportunity to run the island nation, may very
well seize upon the baby steps toward capitalism that President Castro
will have taken to economically stabilize the country. Even with the old
communist line still being forwarded, there is an air of inevitability
when we look at Cuba's future.
In the end, while Fidel Castro may have survived the Bay of Pigs,
economic embargos, his own Frankenstein's monster in the sociopathic
murderer Che Guevara and the fall of Cuba's highly revered ally in the
Soviet Union, the communist system in Cuba is destined to fail. The
thriving black market system in Cuba has been a glaring example of the
people's desire to buy products on their own terms. Inevitably, people
not only get tired of ration cards and being told on which days they are
allowed to buy products, they also simply desire the opportunity to be
allowed to make their own way in life. Communism has truly failed the
people of Cuba, and America's light is too close and shines too brightly
upon the island country for the reality of economic and personal freedom
to be hidden forever. In many ways President Raúl Castro probably sees
this and may crack the door open at bit more to capitalistic ventures to
ease the longstanding economic pain in his country. As the Grim Reaper
claims the last of the jungle revolutionaries of the Cuban Communist
Party, Fidel Castro's Marxian experiment will eventually be laid on the
trash heap of history and Cuba will be reborn. ESR
Paul A. Ibbetson is a former Chief of Police of Cherryvale, Kansas, and
member of the Montgomery County Drug Task Force. Paul received his
Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Criminal Justice at Wichita State
University, and is currently completing his Ph.D. in Sociology at Kansas
State University. Paul is the author of the several books including the
2010 release, "Oliver's Tale: A Squirrel's Story of Love, Courage, and
Revolution." Paul is also the radio host of the Kansas Broadcasting
Association's 2008, 2009 and 2010 Entertainment Program of the Year,
Conscience of Kansas airing on KSDB Manhattan 91.9 FM. For interviews or
questions, please contact him at mibbetson91.9@gmail.com.
http://www.enterstageright.com/archive/articles/0511/0511cuba.htm
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