1115.org

Since the United States shifted its focus from fighting Communism to fighting terrorism, it seemed only natural that Cuba would start feeling a little neglected. So the guy who started the whole trend of being a bearded arch-enemy of freedom decided to step up to the mic one more time:

Tens of thousands of Cubans rallied Monday, as Fidel Castro warned President Bush against launching a military attack on Cuba, saying it would provoke a mass exodus and an all-out ground war.

“Do not try crazy adventures such as surgical strikes or wars of attrition using sophisticated techniques because you could lose control of the situation,” Castro said in a speech addressed specifically to Bush before the morning.

Unless oil is discovered the axis of evil is relocated somewhere south of Miami, the prospect of the United States razing Havana with bunker-busters is pretty slim. Fidel Castro knows this. But he also knows the PR impact a good anti-America rally can create—he can remind the world that he’s still here, defiantly waving his middle finger at Uncle Sam in a gesture that reaches back to 1959.

A new wave of sanctions are set to go into effect against Cuba on June 30. Travel restrictions will be tightened significantly, and new Treasury Department rules will attempt to limit the amount of money Cuban-Americans can send to their relatives on the island. As usual, the sanctions are supposed to put pressure on the Communist leadership and build a foundation for democracy. And considering how well this policy has worked over the last 45 years, it’s hard to understand why we even bother anymore. Since the bad old days of the Cold War, Russia has become a democracy (sort of), relations with Vietnam have been normalized, and GM is now building Buicks in Shanghai. Yet we still insist on tightening the screws to Cuba, which seems to be less about “freedom” and more about appeasing a crucial group of voters in Southern Florida.

Does this really make sense anymore? Save for a few exceptions, Communism has proven itself to be a failed experiment. We don’t need to fear it anymore. But instead of providing the Cuban people with the best of America in the form of goods, services and ideas, we continue moldy policies that compound Cuba’s poverty and paint America as oppressors. One has to wonder which approach would have been a stronger push toward a future Cuban democracy.

Besides, I hear Cashilini is sick of having to travel to Canada just to get a good cigar.