Cuba’s failed revolution

Fidel Castro celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Cuban Revolution on July 26. Though he still insists history will remember his Cuba as a Marxist utopia, the Miami Herald strongly disagrees, noting the failures and excesses of his repressive regime.

According to the Herald:

The Cuban economy has failed: food rationing still exists but only covers a week or 10 days of basic food needs per person per month.

The average real wage is R75 per month. Doctors and engineers are often reduced to begging for tips from tourists.

The European Union – long a stalwart supporter of Castro – has finally condemned his most recent crackdown on political dissenters.

Some 336 prisoners are held in Cuba for "political or socio-political motives" – more than any other country in the Western hemisphere.

Fifty years after the Cuban Revolution commenced, Fidel Castro still runs a totalitarian state where people are impoverished and silenced for speaking out against their leader. The political prisoners who remain jailed, including many journalists, know this better than anyone, says the Herald.

Source: Editorial, An Anniversary of Tyranny: Cuba's Failed Revolution, Miami Herald, July 25, 2003.

For text http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/opinion/6378744.htm
For more on International (Cultures and Political Systems) http://www.ncpa.org/iss/int/

FMF Policy Bulletin/29 July 2003