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Cuba and the U.S. will begin to normalize relations

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Re: Cuba and the U.S. will begin to normalize relations

#61

Post by waterlesscloud »

ceejayoz wrote: post #38
tormeh wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Putin seems to like turning back the clock on that kind of thing. Just because it's irresponsible doesn't mean he won't do it. He's a rational actor in terms of his own grip on power and nothing else.

Again, Cuba's no longer a vassal state. I suspect they have little interest in hosting Russian nuclear missiles, and I suspect the US would be more than happy to help them resist a Russian effort to restore the Cold War situation.

They do have an interest in hosting a re-opened Russian spy facility, just this summer.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/16/russia-reopenin...

Re: Cuba and the U.S. will begin to normalize relations

#63

Post by valarauca1 »

johnward wrote: post #44
valarauca1 wrote: post #5

This is actually (amusingly) incredibly unpopular in cigar circles who are calling this the "end of an era". Most discussions seems to center around the doom and gloom of quality dropping and prices increasing as the US/Cuban cigar market opens and the demand for CC increases. No discussion on the legality of owning CC changing amusingly. As apparently everyone forgets that smoking a Cuban Cigar can be considered an…

My understanding, as a non cigar smoker, is that the quality of Cubans has decreased and they are only popular because of illegality of them.

As a larger cigar smoker. This is largely marketing from non-Cuban companies. While a lot of Caribbean tobacco is very very good, Cubans are the best without question. And this isn't so much like wine where experts fail to recognize quality in double blinds. A proper cuban cigar has a very distinct veining pattern, and far more almost oily texture. You can tell by touch alone with little training.

Seasoned critics can name the nationality of a cigar just by touch its actually very cool to see (I'm nowhere near that good lol a few different countries are too similar for me).

And the "golden age" of Cuban cigars is often cited as before WW2 so either way its long pasted.

Re: Cuba and the U.S. will begin to normalize relations

#65

Post by glup »

joezydeco wrote: post #17

The timing seems really clever here. The USA and OPEC flood the market with oil (literally), crashing prices and sending the Ruble into a spiral. Just as Cuba starts to worry about Russian support going forward, the USA swoops in to provide some economic bracing.

This analysis is a little off-- Cuba has received only symbolic support from Russia since the fall of the USSR. However, dynamics in the oil market are significant for Venezuela, their chief ally (and main supplier of energy resources!).

Re: Cuba and the U.S. will begin to normalize relations

#66

Post by skywhopper »

hughw wrote: post #30
joezydeco wrote: post #17

The timing seems really clever here. The USA and OPEC flood the market with oil (literally), crashing prices and sending the Ruble into a spiral. Just as Cuba starts to worry about Russian support going forward, the USA swoops in to provide some economic bracing.

Literally?

I have to drive through six inches of crude every time I go to the market, don't you?

Re: Cuba and the U.S. will begin to normalize relations

#67

Post by o0-0o »

sremani wrote: post #24
refurb wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The one thing I don't understand is how the US embargo is to blame for the lackluster Cuban economy. Cuba is free to trade with most Western countries including the EU and Canada. How much of the economic misery is due to the Castro government and how much is due to the US embargo?

An american embargo on Mexico will effect Mexico in spades even if it can trade with others. I am not glorifying Castro, but we have hardly hurt Castro, the idea behind the embargo is to make it unbearable for Cubans and make them revolt against Castro - that did not happen in 50 years and so its about time to change the tactics. US is the giant that can infuse a boat load money via tourism, or capital or through acc…

The ChiComs are more hostile than ever. The Chinese people are more like sheep than ever before IMHO. I don't think that part of your comment is accurate, but the rest is pretty clever.

Re: Cuba and the U.S. will begin to normalize relations

#68

Post by polarix »

debacle wrote: post #55
hyperbovine wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When I was in Cuba, a lot of people I talked to were obviously in favor of lifting the embargo, but others expressed misgivings about what it would do to their culture and society. Cuba is an indescribably weird place where almost everybody is (on paper anyways) poor, yet education, health care and the arts flourish. Violent crime is virtually unheard of, say what you will about how they achieve that. They are very p…

Cuba flaunts the US hegemony from right under their noses, but they have great wealth in their geographic location, and their society. Cuba could become the Switzerland of the western hemisphere given the right outset.

What does "given the right outset" mean?

Re: Cuba and the U.S. will begin to normalize relations

#69

Post by ecoqba »

lumberjack wrote: post #37

Since this is HN, does anyone know what the IT sector is like in Cuba? Apparently they have a university dedicated to IT stuff[1] but I don't read Spanish and I couldn't really find any projects/research page on there. The only thing that seems to be portrayed is a Linux distro called Nova.[2] [1] http://www.uci.cu/ [2] http://www.nova.cu/

There are lot's of different projects internally. You have to remember that the cuban people does not have direct internet access, so is harder for Cubans to distribute their open source projects.

Re: Cuba and the U.S. will begin to normalize relations

#70

Post by dragonwriter »

refurb wrote: post #21
sremani wrote: post #14

In 2008 G W Bush has removed North Korea from Embargo list, and embargo has to be renewed every year based on "some" Enemy Act of 1917. Cuba is the only country in US embargo list, I understand it is personal as Cuba is just few miles away from US, but still the embargo is inhumane and people are suffering. John Oliver has a very interesting piece on his HBO show.

The one thing I don't understand is how the US embargo is to blame for the lackluster Cuban economy. Cuba is free to trade with most Western countries including the EU and Canada. How much of the economic misery is due to the Castro government and how much is due to the US embargo?

The US embargo -- and the palpable external target it presents -- is a major source of the longevity of the Castro regime (and the longevity of the regime itself motivates the maintenance of the embargo), so in a very real sense all of the misery resulting from the regime also can be blamed on the embargo, and vice versa. They aren't independent factors.
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