The Great Dictator

Some of my earliest memories evolve around discussions about the Cuban Missile Crises and the revolutionary Fidel Castro. Over the years it would occasionally come up, usually ignited by one of many fiery five hour speeches given by Fidel to inspire his followers and cast greater fear in those that opposed him both openly and secretly. I remember studying him and his methods as well as his fellow revolutionary Che Guevara as two of the greatest guerrilla fighters of their time. One of Che’s most memorable quotes was “The revolution is not an apple that falls when it is ripe. You have to make it fall”; and that they did. So successful they were that they successfully exported their idea’s, their tactics and their troops to fight in Angola, Ethiopia, El Salvador, Nicaragua and the island of Grenada; the last prompting the US to mount a full-scale invasion to drive them out.

Ten years ago when Fidel passed on power to his brother Raul there was a glimmer of hope that change was coming and while there was some change, Fidel continued his influence over his brother and the government. It wasn’t until this last year when the Obama administration took the initiative that real change and the promise of diplomatic relations that real change moved ahead; maybe only a bit, but after 50 years of little to no change, there was finally change with the potential for more and more.

For the people of Cuba there exists a state of mourning for a leader that most have known as their only leader their entire lives and now, now change is inevitable if the Cuban people want it and we continue to cultivate these relations. The name Fidel will survive history as he and Che are and will remain immortalized, but over time their views will soften as future generations come forward.

Perhaps the promise of capitalism will be part of this change, but our government must remember the age old adage “you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink”. The citizens of Cuba long for many of the Western technologies like the internet, modern cell phones, and so much more, but they must come through the actions of legitimacy and not as bait. Soon enough the government of Cuba will benefit from those capitalists from the North and soon enough the people of Cuba will grow stronger and desire a greater say in their government. The key to all of this is for the US to move slowly, without demands or threats, without expectations, and with the understanding that human nature will take hold and democracy will eventually become unavoidable.

The single greatest challenge may be the new US leadership and their demands for “instant change”. A study of the middle east will serve as a good teacher because, as we have seen with some factions, their belief system has proven to be a significant challenge and the value of the US dollar will never be as powerful as their religion. As anyone that has fought there, or Korea, or Vietnam will tell you that you cannot change the way people think or what they believe; that must come from themselves. It is a slow, steady process , much like raising an asparagus bed. It yields no harvest in the first several years, but it must be attended to without failure, providing just the right ingredients to keep it alive and thriving. The same will be with Cuba.

If we keep the doors open and extend a hand of friendship it will work, but only if the hand is open and not a closed fist. The past 50 years have taught us that lesson … hopefully we will not find a way to extend their isolation for another half century. Russia is lurking and we would be wise not to give them the opportunity to move back in as they are doing in other countries around the world.