Betting on the Republicans

Rafael Correa, president of Ecuador; Hugo Chavez, president of Venezuela; Raul Castro, president of Cuba. Image taken from: "elinformador.wordpress.com"

I want to share with my readers my concern about why the Cuban government is betting on a Republican administration in the United States. The Castro brothers have found it easy to justify their inaction to their party, civil and military cadres and the population in general, with the aggressive and recurring discourse that, since 1959, has blasted the north, and which they have maintained for more than five decades; but it has brought colder and more aggressive winds when “the hawks” have been in power.

That has permitted the Cuban leadership of the last fifty years to take refuge behind the strategic wall that guarantees its continued rule in Cuba. Why do I think they desire a Republican government in power in our neighboring country? Looking at and analyzing the current situation of an evening gives me an idea of what may be happening. As I do not have full information, here is an outline of my brief opinion, burnished over 53 years of totalitarianism and excessive politicization.

A few days ago the Cuban government published its interest to participate, if it is invited, in the Summit of the Americas to be held in Columbia this year. In the previous event, held in Trinidad and Tobago in 2009, I wondered why the countries of the Bolivian Alternative for the People of America (ALBA) didn’t demand the presence of the Antillean government.

I deduced then that it was to avoid a meeting between Raul Castro and Barack Obama. Now, they support this even and want Cuba to participate. What changed? What right does the totalitarian government of Cuba have to attend to negotiate the items on the agenda of a meeting of democratic governments when it, itself, is not one? Why boycott the upcoming Summit?

In my post “Diversity vs. Demogoguery,” I discussed the creation of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and of the fact that our country is the only one on the continent where there is not political plurality. Perhaps the historic Cuban establishment was only conspiring against the “imperial power” with the creation of CELAC, and wants to encourage to “friendly” governments of ALBA to adopt a confrontational attitude toward the United States that would facilitate their radicalization Cuban-style, with the same tactic of a “country besieged.”

To try to create a difficult situation for president Barack Obama in an election year, makes me thing they are betting — inspired by the experience of the Castro regime — on the election of a Republican in the upcoming U.S. elections, that would allow Cuba to continue with its messianic manifesto and convince its friends to follow in this venture that has been profitable for them, but that has nothing to do with democracy. What do you think?

February 14 2012