Cuba in talks with USA

[gruntlabor]

When I read those posts, Ukraine immediately came to mind.

Absolutely. What's good for the goose ... And also experienced previous to that with President Kennedy..

 

[MACKTEXAS]

Absolutely. What's good for the goose ... And also experienced previous to that with President Kennedy..

It's likely we are misunderstanding each other's implications, but for good relations and the longevity of this thread, we will move along.

 

[gruntlabor]

It's likely we are misunderstanding each other's implications, but for good relations and the longevity of this thread, we will move along.

I don't understand, MACK, but that's okay if you'd prefer to skip it.

 

[Warrigal]

History dictates that we can't allow ourselves to be surrounded or outweighed by communist countries.
AND communism IS as much a 'type of government' as capitalism is.

Serious question... what history are you referring to? Has US ever been surrounded by communist states, or are you pointing to something that happened elsewhere in the world?

 

[WOLF ANGEL]

Cuba and the U.S. have had strained relations Castro overthrew a US-backed government in 1959.
Following on from this the 1960's U.S. sanctions and trade embargoes on Cuba, the Bay of Pigs/missle crisis bring back bad memories of the two countreies interaction.
There comes a time however, when humanitarian needs have to take precedent over past/recent events.

Havana relies heavily on imported fuel for its electricity and the US has seized a number of oil shipments bound for Cuba.

Venezuela was believed to have sent around 35,000 barrels of oil a day to Cuba, providing about half the island's oil needs, but Washington's Venezuela raid - and capture of President Nicolás Maduro - in early January has disrupted the arrangement.

Once again, it is the ordinary people who will suffer, - unless help is provided.

 

[gruntlabor]

Serious question... what history are you referring to? Has US ever been surrounded by communist states, or are you pointing to something that happened elsewhere in the world?

I refer to World History. No, to your question. IF we had ever been surrounded by communist states THEN we would be communists today.

 

[Murrmurr]

Cuba was in pretty desperate shape before the US invaded Venezuela; Cuba's primary souce for oil.
The US immediately cut Cuba off from receiving not only that source of oil but also stated that any country supplying oil to Cuba would face economic repercussions from the US.

It would seem this was done to bring Cuba to it's knees economically and it's worked well. The USA is now in a much better position to enter talks with Cuba about improving the current situation (largely created by the US) but, the US will be making big demands in exchange for improving their economic conditions. Exacty what those demands will be has yet to be revealed - likely annexation of some sort and of course a regime change. Will Trump send Marco in? He's got Cuban roots.

The only benefit I can see for the US taking control of Cuba would be to get rid of the current government therefore cutting all ties to Russia and other communist regimes. I do believe it would be of huge benefit to the general populartion of Cuba to have the US take control of the country.

The US could also really improve Cuba's main industry which is tourism. It's got fabulous beaches but many resorts there are dated and run down; in need of updating/repair/replacement and the current food supply system needs major improvement. Tourism revenue could be pretty significant with proper management of the industry and the US could look to that to offset expenses it might incur in getting Cuba back up and running properly.

I don't agree with the way the US has created this economic mess for Cuba; both previous embargo issues & now the availability of oil but, as I mentioned previously the US is now in a position to alleiviate past suffering by the Cuban population by getting the country back up on it's feet and running properly and that would be of huge benefit for the general population.

You're really close to the reality of the situation.

First, just to get it out of the way, it was Cuba's president who requested talks with the US president. You're right, that's because Venezuela isn't their source of oil right now. If these talks go well, it's likely that will be worked out.

I doubt the US wants to annex Cuba, but the US wants Cuba to adopt capitalism and allow the US and other non-communist countries to invest in Cuba, benefiting the US and Cuba financially, while also weakening communist countries, primarily China and Russia.

Cuba has a lot of great resources that it's failed to exploit specifically because it is a communist country, and has always relied on other communist countries, like China and Russia. Capitalism and open trade will solve that.

There's Cuban fruit and sugar cane, and nickle, cobalt, iron, and copper, and it's got fantastic beaches, fishing, boating, as well as wet and dry forests...resort and vacation possibilities to exploit, dotted with restaurants serving traditional Cuban cuisine.

And if new industries move in, such as auto-making, technology, construction, even mountain-top super telescope hubs, Cuba has the potential to bring in trillions a year for itself...and its people be eatin' steaks.

So, I hope the talk goes well and leads to more talks. Cuba doesn't have to give up a thing; it just has to be friendly. I've listened to the Cuban president speak, and I think the Cuban people are looking at a great future.