[Vigilous]

Fidel Castro admits in an interview that adhering so strictly to Marxist Communism was not the best way to go. Says Castro: "The Cuban economic model isn't even working for us anymore."

An excerpt from the original article and interview by Jeffrey Goldberg, for The Atlantic:

Quote

Even more striking was something he said at lunch on the day of our first meeting. We were seated around a smallish table; Castro, his wife, Dalia, his son; Antonio; Randy Alonso, a major figure in the government-run media; and Julia Sweig, the friend I brought with me to make sure, among other things, that I didn't say anything too stupid (Julia is a leading Latin American scholar at the Council on Foreign Relations). I initially was mainly interested in watching Fidel eat - it was a combination of digestive problems that conspired to nearly kill him, and so I thought I would do a bit of gastrointestinal Kremlinology and keep a careful eye on what he took in (for the record, he ingested small amounts of fish and salad, and quite a bit of bread dipped in olive oil, as well as a glass of red wine). But during the generally lighthearted conversation (we had just spent three hours talking about Iran and the Middle East), I asked him if he believed the Cuban model was still something worth exporting.

"The Cuban model doesn't even work for us anymore," he said.

This struck me as the mother of all Emily Litella moments. Did the leader of the Revolution just say, in essence, "Never mind"?

I asked Julia to interpret this stunning statement for me. She said, "He wasn't rejecting the ideas of the Revolution. I took it to be an acknowledgment that under 'the Cuban model' the state has much too big a role in the economic life of the country."

Julia pointed out that one effect of such a sentiment might be to create space for his brother, Raul, who is now president, to enact the necessary reforms in the face of what will surely be push-back from orthodox communists within the Party and the bureaucracy. Raul Castro is already loosening the state's hold on the economy. He recently announced, in fact, that small businesses can now operate and that foreign investors could now buy Cuban real estate. (The joke of this new announcement, of course, is that Americans are not allowed to invest in Cuba, not because of Cuban policy, but because of American policy. In other words, Cuba is beginning to adopt the sort of economic ideas that America has long-demanded it adopt, but Americans are not allowed to participate in this free-market experiment because of our government's hypocritical and stupidly self-defeating embargo policy. We'll regret this, of course, when Cubans partner with Europeans and Brazilians to buy up all the best hotels).

[Cruzandercerberus]

Castro was always a pragmatist who did what he thought was right for Cuba. He knew that if he accepted communism that the Soviets would help him out. He knew that America wanted to make Cuba a U.S. colony like Puerto Rico. He did what he had to do when threatened, find someone who could stand up to the Americans to ensure his nation's future. Was he ultimately right? Not really but he did what anyone worthwhile would have done. And apparently banged 35,000 women on the way. Like him or not he is a study in dogged determination and iron will.

This post has been edited by Cruzandercerberus: 10 September 2010 - 01:59 PM

[Keylime]

Personally I think Castro is a pretty stand up guy. Like Cruz said he did what he had to to protect his country and then kept everything together for several decades. Ans I admire the fact that even he knows that change must happen lest his country sink into oblivion.

[mightyg]

I think had he come to the realization sooner, maybe his people would be a lot better off. Like the reporter said though, it's time we normalize relations with Cuba, they're obviously no threat to us, and the sooner both countries open up, the sooner real reforms can start taking place.

[Kay]

mightyg, on 02 October 2011 - 10:39 PM, said:

I think had he come to the realization sooner, maybe his people would be a lot better off. Like the reporter said though, it's time we normalize relations with Cuba, they're obviously no threat to us, and the sooner both countries open up, the sooner I can get cheaper cigars.

Fixed.