The picture on the left shows Cuban dictator Fidel Castro when he first came to power in 1959, some 49 years ago. Today, Castro has announced he is "stepping down" as president. His brother, Raul, is expected to take his place, but no one knows for sure. If you ask me, changing from Fidel to Raul would be the same as Saddam Hussein stepping down back in 2003 and having Uday or Qusay, his sadistic offspring, take control...or having Bill Clinton step down and having his wife take his place. There really is no difference in the end.
With the Castros still in control, Cuba will more than likely remain a police state. Political opponents of the regime will probably remain locked away in prisons that make Guantanamo Bay look a tropical island paradise.
There's always a chance for change though. If the people of Cuba are truly seeking freedom, a lot of pressure will be put on the new government to go ahead with democratic reform. Thus, the country could be heading towards a crossroads--will the people allow for a continuation of an autocratic regime, or will they demand freedom?
2 comments:
I would hope that changes will happen now that Castro has stepped down. Fortunately, I think Cuba is ready and willing to do so, but it's America that will stand in the way of the acceptance of a country that is ready to join the rest of world and work together. Can Washington forgive and forget?
Hopefully, the US will be able to put the past behind us and work with the Cuban people to find freedom for them that is long overdue.
We've definetely had a troubled past with Cuba (Bay of Pigs, Cuban missile crises, dispute over Guantanamo Bay, etc.) but those problems were with the government, not the people.
After a half century of a police state, Cubans certainly deserve change in some form or another.
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