Fidel Castro dead at 90. What's next for Cuba?
Fidel Castro...has died AT age 90. Raul Castro, Fidel's brother and current president of Cuba, announced his death on state television in Havana early on Saturday.
Critics say Castro drove the country into economic ruin, denied basic freedoms to 11 million Cubans at home and forced more than a million others into exile."In 55 years, the Cuban government has not done anything to help the Cuban people in terms of human rights," said Hector Maseda, 72, a former political prisoner who lives in Havana. "I don't believe in this regime. I don't trust it."
Doubtless, Castro leaves a legacy that will be hotly debated for years to come.
Thoughts? Where does Cuba go from here? For the last several years, Fidel represented a figurehead of the Cuban government so I doubt his death really changes things in Cuba.
Perhaps Fidel's death paves the way to more steadfast change in Cuba, but there still remains the question of his brother, Raul and his associates. Raul by and large had time to secure most power since his brother stepped down; he's been the man for a while.
quote source: From Aljazeera
Revolución
Thank god he's dead lol
Even more tourists
Any plans to visit in the near future?
well, you got me there, pal
A phony westernised future seems very bleak to me, becoming a shit-hole like Santo Domingo or Puerto Rico where everything is soullessly commercialised and the nation is crumbling. They ought to maintain their alternative approach.
Yes, the even shittier less commercialized approach
Hmm. Well Puerto Rico and the DR don't look too hot right now.
I wonder if Cuba tries to follow China's strategy of Westernizing itself. It'd be interesting to see how it plays out, considering Cuba doesn't have a similar population nor does it have the same natural and industrial resources China started off with.
How would it follow China's route without having any characteristics of China?
"phony westernised future" "soullessly commercialised" "nation is crumbling"
Where the fuck do you live pal? Bangladesh? Papua New Guinea? You sound worse than a Jill Stein ad.
I was trolling, however, there is a legit case to be made IMO that Cuba ought to follow pragmatic steps towards its economic liberalisation (if they want so) and preserve that cult of a brand of 50s cars, cigars, old buildings etc. IMO it's very dangerous that it becomes another run-of-the-mill LatAm shitshow with favelas, pollution, trafficking, gangsters etc. Also, it could be an interesting ground to experiment with un-orthodox/original economic policies: e.g. the state being an angel investor (say up to 20% of capital) in local startups or start privatising, allow firing etc while also giving an e.g. 3month "grace period"/unemployment benefit to people who decide to start their business and have no cash-flow coming their way. Remember we are talking about communist Cuba, not NorthAmerica/EU.
Yes! Let them stay poor, that is way better than becoming a soulless nation of commerce. Who needs economic prosperity anyway if you can live off dreams of revolution, cigars and old cars.
Pretty strange how some world leaders have reacted - Trudeau in particular. Castro was an oppressive dictator who terrorized, jailed, and killed his own people...and yet he was seemingly praised by a majority of people.
I liked the schizophrenic approach by the US; Obama / Kerry sending their condolences and Trump saying how great it is that Fidel is gone.
Take your pick it can either be Haiti or the Dominican Republic. None are stellar options.
Here is what Donny Dealmaker Trump will do: 1. Sell/Spin-off Puerto Rico (lots of debt, all downside) 2.) Acquire Cuba via hostile takeover, undervalued assets to add to America's 'Core' business, lot's of unrealized potential to unlock synergies (baseball players)
Merger Monday is coming!
I'm in. When does Donny Fund I: Havana Nights open for capital?
Bernie is in tears
I've been shocked and appalled at how many on the political left (Trudeau, Kerry, Obama) have offered sincere condolences while individuals on the left have flooded news article comment sections slamming Trump, Rubio, Cruz, et al for lambasting the Castro regime. We live in a bizarre time where wrong is right and right is wrong.
I find that odd as well. You also have NGO's like Amnesty International and America's Watch denouncing the human-rights situation in Castro's Cuba and yet there's this misplaced praise for him.
It's like the principles that once shaped this country no longer carry value to some people anymore.
That's what happens when PC Principal is in charge.
Castro was not effectivelly in government for some time, so any actual changes lie with his brother Raul. These guys had a lot of time to think on a solid state structure to ensure the Party's dominance (or his family's). Raul is old - He's a hardcore commie, and even if he lives until 90 as his brother, Fidel was the "Great Leader" image that helped the party to keep the discipline (both internal and external). We might see some kind of power struggle in the medium term.
I believe we will see a mix of China-like reforms (some relaxation of those absurd rules which condemned their people to poverty, gradual opening of the economy in some sectors) with an Angola-like power structure (big money and decisions kept within the ruling clan). They do have some areas like tourism, infrastructure, telecom and healthcare which could be a boon to private investors, but IMO the country will not be eager to move fast to open these to private investors, especially from the US (as Raul the hard liners in the party still see America with suspicion)
How does Castro's death affect the stock market? (Originally Posted: 11/30/2016)
Bloomberg states that investors are optimistic about companies that could benefit due to an improvement in U.S.-Cuba relations. However, Trump's strict stance, which shows a lack of willingness to work on Cuban relations, is in odds with this optimism. What do you think? Are investors more or less likely to benefit from the ramifications of Castro's death?
It doesn't. We still have his brother to deal with and it's the same 'ol same 'ol. If Raul shows up at Trump tower then there's a reason to get excited but Castro who has been on the death bed for years finally kicking the can isn't market moving news.
ask your parents/grandparents assuming they kept up with politics in the 60s, this man might not have been Hitler or Pol Pot, he was everything we hate about communism. no freedom of speech, siezing private assets, widespread poverty, and fatal consequences should you choose to disobey.
I'm not one to say we should go about dancing on people's graves, but I think Obama's statement was actually kinda moderate. Trudeau needs a history lesson, that was extremely insensitive, to call Castro "remarkable" is just wrong. regardless of your personal feelings about him, you need to temper that.
while I'm sure this brings closure to an entire generation of repressed cuban-americans, we still have a long way to go.
Obama is completely despicable--if he had any character at all his statement would have read like Trump's statement (a total condemnation of the regime).
To be fair with him a lot of others were also too friendly with Castro in their statements. People still saw that genocidal tyrant in a romanticized way
Hopefully this leads to further moderation and improved relations with Cuba. I think the statement by Obama was meant to do no harm to those relations which are improving (he essentially said nothing, he "altered lives" - no comment on how he altered lives - & was a "singular figure" - Hitler is also noteworthy). Hopefully Raul can feel empowered to bring capitalistic reforms to the country without Castro looking over his shoulder and demonizing his big brother (which he deserved to be) probably wouldn't be conducive to that end.
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