--- [ ARCHIVE ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/archive) # ‘Old’ Cuba is Gone Forever December 22 2014 Written by Kim Stevens. [](https://www.addtoany.com/share) ![](https://mail.citywatchla.com/images/stories/Dec-2014/103v.png)VOICES-(Re CityWatch article [*“Bienvenidos a Cuba … It’s About Time*”](https://mail.citywatchla.com/lead-stories-hidden/8091-bienvenidos-a-cuba-it-s-about-time)) I am a diplomat (or was, now retired) and I know Latin America well. For the first half of it post-revolution history, Cuba was a jihadist state. Cuban troops fought i n the Congo with Lumumba, fount in Angola with the MPLA, fought in Mozambique with FRELIMO, fought in Viet-nam against the USMC, and invaded Bolivia. It sponsored the Sandinistas and the Salvadoran FLN, and supports the Colombian FARC. And it permitted the USSR to use the island as a military and espionage base to electronically spy on us all. That being said, we have diplomatic relations with lots of other countries that do more or less the same thing in their own regions. We also made numerous overtures for diplomatic relations over the past 40 years, which the Cubans rejected. It takes two to tango; the USA is not always to blame. The real reason, however, is that Cuba policy was held captive by US electoral politics. In the same way as a concentration of Jews in NY determines policy towards Israel, a concentration of former Cubans in Miami determined policy towards Cuba. It is the change in the demographics of Dade County that has permitted this policy shift. (I say former Cubans, because they could not vote until they became Americans.) There is also a more subtle reason. As the communist regimes in Eastern Europe found out, it is not the oppressed who revolt, but the formerly oppressed who experience a liberalization. It is real hard to put the genie back into the bottle. Perhaps the most subversive thing the USG could have done to guarantee future regime change in Havana was to normalize economic and political relations with Cuba. We will now see if that is what takes place. The Castro brothers have not built a regime that can tolerate an easy transition of power within their system, which, in the old Latin American tradition, is personalist, not institutional. Whatever anyone in Miami does or wants, the "old" Cuba is gone forever. Cuba is now a literate nation, a well-educated nation, a healthy nation, and an increasingly black nation (the white upper class having moved to Florida). What it is not is a rich nation, in spite of having all the pre-requisites to be one except political will. We can all hope that this will be one of the changes ahead. *(Kim Stevens is a retired diplomat.)* -cw CityWatch Vol 12 Issue 103 Pub: Dec 23, 2014 [ ![usa radio musem](https://mail.citywatchla.com/images/banners/usaradiomuseum-wide.jpg) ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/component/banners/click/116 "USA Radio Museum - Wide") [ ![save up to 4000 on used evs](https://mail.citywatchla.com/images/LADWP/dwp%20ev%20ad2.png) ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/component/banners/click/107 "LA DWP | Save $4K, Green | Priority Ad") [ ![LA DWP #2 (Power Savers)](https://mail.citywatchla.com/images/LADWP/2026%20LADWP%20PowerSavers%20300x250.png) ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/component/banners/click/82 "LA DWP #2 (Power Savers)") [ ![Pay Water Bill Help](https://mail.citywatchla.com/images/LADWP/dwp%20-%20cares-ad.jpg) ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/component/banners/click/97 "Home - LA DWP #2 (Pay Water Bill Help)") ![](https://mail.citywatchla.com/images/banners/signup-for-cw.png) ## Get The News In Your Email Inbox Mondays & Thursdays Phone [ ![something you should know, podcasts](https://mail.citywatchla.com/images/banners/something%20you%20should%20know2.jpg) ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/component/banners/click/110 "Something You Should Know") --- ## Featured CityWatch Stories [ ![](https://mail.citywatchla.com/media/yootheme/cache/ed/088c2-edf954ae.png) ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/voices/33673-announcing-the-second-issue-of-the-journal-for-humanitarian-conflict-resolution) ### [Announcing the Second Issue of the Journal for Humanitarian Conflict Resolution](https://mail.citywatchla.com/voices/33673-announcing-the-second-issue-of-the-journal-for-humanitarian-conflict-resolution) HUMAN RIGHTS - For much of my adult life, I have felt that defending human rights begins with refusing to regard anothe… [ ![](https://mail.citywatchla.com/media/yootheme/cache/15/088d-15036ccd.png) ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/voices/33675-when-will-enough-be-enough) ### [When Will Enough Be Enough?](https://mail.citywatchla.com/voices/33675-when-will-enough-be-enough) ABE WON'T BE SILENT - I’ve hit a wall with the relentless stream of antisemitic bile flooding my social media feeds—and… [ ![](https://mail.citywatchla.com/media/yootheme/cache/bc/087l-bc8ba04f.jpg) ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/voices/33648-heres-what-zionisms-got-to-do-with-it) ### [Here’s What Zionism’s Got To Do With It](https://mail.citywatchla.com/voices/33648-heres-what-zionisms-got-to-do-with-it) ICAN - The anonymous website “BHUSD Watch” recently published a long, detailed article about the current BHUSD board an… [ ![](https://mail.citywatchla.com/media/yootheme/cache/dd/087n-dd3be536.png) ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/election-2024/33655-two-democrats-one-senate-seat-candidate-brian-goldsmith-on-why-his-approach-makes-sense-for-voters) ### [Two Democrats, One Senate Seat: Candidate Brian Goldsmith on Why His Approach Makes Sense for Voters](https://mail.citywatchla.com/election-2024/33655-two-democrats-one-senate-seat-candidate-brian-goldsmith-on-why-his-approach-makes-sense-for-voters) ELECTION 2026 - The race to succeed retiring State Senator Ben Allen (D-24) pits two Democrats with different political… [ ![](https://mail.citywatchla.com/media/yootheme/cache/85/088i-85c12356.png) ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/election-2024/33679-voting-blue-again-what-has-california-gotten-for-it) ### [Voting Blue Again? What Has California Gotten for It?](https://mail.citywatchla.com/election-2024/33679-voting-blue-again-what-has-california-gotten-for-it) PERSPECTIVE - The real state of Los Angeles, at least in part, can be seen and felt while driving down Sherman Way from… --- ## [ ARCHIVE ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/archive) [ ![](https://mail.citywatchla.com/media/yootheme/cache/d4/034e-d424a385.png) ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/archive/15339-early-intervention-and-jobs-are-key-to-stemming-chronic-homelessness-in-los-angeles)### [Early Intervention and Jobs are Key to Stemming Chronic Homelessness in Los Angeles](https://mail.citywatchla.com/archive/15339-early-intervention-and-jobs-are-key-to-stemming-chronic-homelessness-in-los-angeles) ### [Tucker Carlson and Gay Rightwinger Blame California Wildfires On Hiring LGBTQ People](https://mail.citywatchla.com/archive/18755-tucker-carlson-and-gay-rightwinger-blame-california-wildfires-on-hiring-lgbtq-people) ### [Anti-LGBTQ Veep Just Can’t Stop Talking about Mayor Pete](https://mail.citywatchla.com/archive/17690-anti-lgbtq-veep-just-can-t-stop-talking-about-mayor-pete) [ ![](https://mail.citywatchla.com/media/yootheme/cache/26/033j-26aa2dd8.png) ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/archive/15316-news-pulse-corrupt-system-reason-for-not-voting-in-2018-majority-wants-more-than-two-parties)### [NEWS PULSE: ‘Corrupt System’ Reason for Not Voting in 2018 … Majority Wants More Than Two Parties](https://mail.citywatchla.com/archive/15316-news-pulse-corrupt-system-reason-for-not-voting-in-2018-majority-wants-more-than-two-parties) [ ![](https://mail.citywatchla.com/media/yootheme/cache/08/1404d-08c93632.png) ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/archive/10245-dead-dog-set-on-fire-sparks-fears-for-strays-in-los-angeles)### [Dead Dog Set on Fire … Sparks Fears for Strays in Los Angeles](https://mail.citywatchla.com/archive/10245-dead-dog-set-on-fire-sparks-fears-for-strays-in-los-angeles)