Monday, December 22, 2014

Cuban Dreams


The reasoning goes as follows: If the United States lifts its trade embargo with Cuba, the Cuban people will eventually benefit from the political liberalization which inevitably comes with free trade. Sounds nice and yet that mysterious inevitability somehow eluded them up to this point. Years of trade with Britain, France, Canada, Germany, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Belgium, Brazil, Mexico, the Netherlands, Ireland, Russia, China, Japan, etc. have not produced greater freedom.

The argument that the trade embargo has failed despite its being in effect for many years also doesn't pass scrutiny, if only because there was a big thumb on the scales. For a great part of that time period, Cuba was a client state of the Soviet Union. The Soviets kept them in business. After that, the left-wing Venezuelan governments have been their sponsors. 

I'd love to see this new United States-Cuba relationship work for the good of the Cuban people and not simply shore up the vicious Communist loons who dictate their daily lives. Unfortunately, we may have come to the regime's rescue just as Venezuelan aid is on the decline. Many of my free-market friends are cheering the change but I'm closer to Mary Anastasia O'Grady on this one. 

Barring some back-channel communications to President Obama that the Castro boys want to open the system, it is hard to see the reasoning for this move. Trade is important but it isn't magic and the traditional priority of dictatorships is always, always, always, to stay in power..

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Nice analysis. Great stuff here always. Merry Christmas!

Michael Wade said...

Thank you. Merry Christmas to you!

Michael