The Summit of Obama and Castro

The Summit of Obama and Castro / Ivan Garcia
Posted on April 25, 2015

Ivan Garcia, 15 April 2015 — There were two Summits of the Americas.
The one that will be remembered by history is the one of Raul Castro,
wide-eyed in the presence of Barack Obama, like a boy waiting to ask for
an autograph from a movie star leaving a hotel.

When the tale is told of the VII Summit (which took place in Panama on
April 10 and 11, 2015), historians will recall General Castro's
48-minute speech and his flattering remarks about the U.S. president.
And Obama's comments.

Cuba in 2015 will be remembered for what it is: a country of autocrats
where human rights are limited to the right to life, work, universal
health coverage and education.

The remaining rights are, according to the regime, fairy tales of
bourgeois democracy. Presidential elections? For what? There is no need
for multiple parties when one will do. Public demonstrations in the
streets and at universities are only for those who support the Castros.

Raul Castro is like a contortionist. He has put away the daggers of
Fidel Castro's strongman, absolutist government and has begun to open
the door slowly. But his feet remain planted on the other side of the
threshold.

Capital investments and loans are only for foreigners. In terms of
foreign policy, it appears to be a normal country. The era of providing
material support for Latin America's guerrillas is over, as are attempts
to create one, two or a hundred Vietnams.

These are now part of the military's book of memories. For the
slogan-loving, anarchist members of the Jurassic left, there are still
the speeches of Fidel Castro and the berets of Che Guevara.

The strategy in the backrooms of power is to negotiate with the enemy,
trading military uniforms for guayaberas and postponing the construction
of a communist utopia in order to build state capitalism with former
generals and colonels in charge.

It's a makeover. A modern dictatorship. It is still intolerant of those
with differing opinions, but now no blood is shed. Only a few fractured
skulls, punches and brief detentions for dissenters.

The yin and the yang. Obama is banking on a change of course. Nothing
will be lost if the objectives are not met. The problem is Cuba. The
White House, ever pragmatic, thinks it is better to negotiate with Raul.

This is nothing new. They have dealt with vile figures such as Somoza,
Pinochet and Duvalier. One more dictator in the bag is no big deal.
Democracy can wait.

It would be even better if a flood of dollars and gum-chewing gringos in
Havana managed to undermine the island's totalitarian regime. Obama's
change of strategy could be the key to keeping 21st century socialists
in line.

Some of this was evident at the summit in Panama. Maduro, Correa,
Morales and Ortega were relegated to the background. Cuba, the
ideological parent, tamped down the old Hugo Chavez rhetoric.

It is yet to be seen if Obama's new policy will achieve its objectives
or will fail, but it is undeniably a different direction. Meanwhile,
Raul Castro has his own plans.

When he looks at himself in the mirror, he sees the saviour of the
Revolution he inherited from his brother. He foresees a lavish military
parade in 2059, staged by his relatives and countrymen to celebrate the
100th anniversary of the Castro dynasty.

The master plan involves business deals, social control and a modern
foreign policy. At this point the island's ideologues are more inclined
to look towards the late founder of independent Singapore rather than to
Deng Xiao Ping.

They will retain their old methods, of course, like confiscating the
passports of their most steadfast opponents or dispatching a squadron of
karate experts disguised as members of "civil society" to spar with them.

Cuba blatantly exports its acts of repudiation. With the snap of a
finger, they summon fanatical anarchists, convinced that imperialists
and their lackeys are heavily involved.

On a mission ordered by their boss, special agents crash parallel forums
at the summit in which Cuban dissidents take part. This is one side of
the Castros.

The other side is the one that flatters Obama. It provides caviar for
technology gurus, hoping they will invest in Cuba, and tries to convince
U.S. lobbyists that the island is an attractive market for food exports.

Something of a circus-like atmosphere surrounded the summit. It got a
lot of media attention but produced very few results. With the economies
of Latin American countries entering recession, the roaring economy of
the United States attracted the interest of the region's heads of state.

The Cuba of the Castros is one of nostalgia and an outlet for the
anti-American sentiment. A country of pure symbolism, it has many
doctors and ideologues but their contributions do not impact the GDP.

Obama knows this. This is why he is gambling on a strategy to tame the
lion tamer.

Ivan Garcia

Source: The Summit of Obama and Castro / Ivan Garcia | Translating Cuba
- http://translatingcuba.com/the-summit-of-obama-and-castro-ivan-garcia/