Why Cuba is Still Communist

Recent years have seen the global collapse of Communism. All of the major Communist nations have abolished many of their Marxist and Leninist features, as have all but a tiny handful of minor Communist nations. Cuba is one of the few exceptions. I'm inclined to think that the US, and in particular, the Cuban exile community, are mostly to blame - after Castro, I mean. How so?

Our first mistake was welcoming Cuban exiles. Yes, it was the humane thing, but it also ensured that both those most hostile to the Castro regime and those most ambitious and talented would be out of Cuba and unable to influence its historical trajectory. The second mistake was carrying out an official and totally ineffective campaign to overthrow Castro. This gave Castro a totally convincing way of persuading many of the Cuban people that outside enemies were plotting against them. Nothing unifies a people like an external threat. Moreover, exile types like our correspondent Fernando frequently proclaim their desire to "kill all the Communists." Since Cuba is a one party (Communist) state, this give the entire political elite extra special reason to fear and oppose those outsiders.

The exiles, having never grasped the first principle of hole theory, remain resolutely determined to keep doing the same things that have failed utterly for half a century.

The US had plenty of reason to get rid of Castro. He was a very dangerous and destructive neighbor, a neighbor who nearly forced the US into turning Cuba into a sea of molten radioactive glass. We did manage to contain him, in a compromise that has worked for us for half a century. It was not so hot for the Cuban people - but probably better than being turned into radioactive ash.