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US Secretly Built 'Cuban Twitter' To Stir Unrest

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Re: US Secretly Built 'Cuban Twitter' To Stir Unrest

#51

Post by thinkr »

morgante wrote: post #29

I'm sure this will bring me lots of downvotes, but I actually applaud these tactics. Helping people in oppressive regimes to communicate freely with each other is one of the more humanitarian actions the US can take, and this sort of connectivity is critical in allowing people a degree of freedom even under totalitarian governments. Truly repressive regimes are out there, and without foreign interference and investme…

I agree that parts of this tactic were beneficial in helping the people of Cuba to gain increase freedoms, but the article also mentions that these communications were being monitored and stored by the US as well.

So obviously the US gains a lot of data on citizens of Cuba that could be used for other purposes.

Re: US Secretly Built 'Cuban Twitter' To Stir Unrest

#52

Post by afsina »

prawn wrote: post #20
not_paul_graham wrote: post #3

This almost sounds like something that someone would make up. Why the hell would the US Govt. want so much unrest all over the world? Haven't they learned from their screw ups in the past [0]? US supported Egyptian army is doing god knows what in Egypt; the US has been involved in the two biggest wars in recent memory (Iraq, Afghanistan), and in not-so-covert operations in countries like Pakistan, Syria and the like.…

Unrest supports the war machine. Also, pushing capitalist powers expands markets for the industries lobbying government.

I think "Mercantilist" suits better than "Capitalist" here.

Re: US Secretly Built 'Cuban Twitter' To Stir Unrest

#53

Post by morgante »

fit2rule wrote: post #49
morgante wrote: post #29

I'm sure this will bring me lots of downvotes, but I actually applaud these tactics. Helping people in oppressive regimes to communicate freely with each other is one of the more humanitarian actions the US can take, and this sort of connectivity is critical in allowing people a degree of freedom even under totalitarian governments. Truly repressive regimes are out there, and without foreign interference and investme…

So you'd support other governments doing it to America, then? (Because they do it already..)

> So you'd support other governments doing it to America, then?

Yes.

Re: US Secretly Built 'Cuban Twitter' To Stir Unrest

#54

Post by zimbatm »

gadders wrote: post #28
aylons wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I never heard of a work of USAID that does not involve US trying to enforce his vision of politics in the country. Could you please illuminate me?

Yeah, all that crazy freedom and democracy.

Yeah, let's force freedom and democracy down people's throat. It didn't work so well in Irak but I'm sure the next one is going to be a success ! Everyone who doesn't think like us is wrong and needs to be set on the right path anyways.

Re: US Secretly Built 'Cuban Twitter' To Stir Unrest

#55

Post by dethstar »

morgante wrote: post #43
tomp wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Right... as if the US could not do anything else to help Cuba and it's people. (E.g. abolishing the trade embargo.)

There's no reason those options have to be mutually exclusive. Sadly, I doubt ending the trade embargo would by itself push Cuba to allow free speech and open dissent.

Contrary to building a "twitter" for them?

Re: US Secretly Built 'Cuban Twitter' To Stir Unrest

#56

Post by dublinben »

davidw wrote: post #36
jbooth wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, the US has a pretty checkered history regarding Cuba if you're going to talk about altruism. I'd say we've done more to inadvertantly prop up that regime than to undermine it. There are 3 nominally communist countries left in the world, from a high of dozens -- Cuba's one of them, and probably the closest to actually being communist (China and North Korea being technocratic-capitalist and pharaonic, respectivel…

Vietnam is too, in name, but is similar to China, from what I understand. Laos is communist is well, IIRC.

Vietnam and Laos are socialist countries, not communist by any means.

Re: US Secretly Built 'Cuban Twitter' To Stir Unrest

#58

Post by ianhawes »

matthewsimon wrote: post #16

You could read this as a cautionary tale about the difficulty in launching a social networking service: Even with $1.6 million cash (earmarked for a development project in Pakistan) and 500,000 mobile phone subscriber records (stolen from the incumbent telecom), their free service couldn't reach 5% market penetration and was shut down when it ran out of money.

There was simply no way to monetize the service.

Re: US Secretly Built 'Cuban Twitter' To Stir Unrest

#59

Post by paulhauggis »

moo wrote: post #37
morgante wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Overthrowing governments is completely at odds with humanitarian missions Is it? Oppressive regimes can pose a direct threat to human well-being and sometimes the best thing you can do for people's humanity is to overthrough said regime.

Human well-being, along with literacy, are Cuba's strong suit. They send doctors all over the world, such as during environmental disasters. During the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the U.S. sent troops, weird. But I guess the Haitians are free to eat mud cakes. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/jul/29/food.internatio...

why are all of the anti-us comments being up voted and the the reverse down voted? I feel like the voting system here on hn does nothing but push one specific agenda/view
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