Cuba’s System vs. Caribbean Capitalism
HAVANA TIMES, Jan. 22 — Writing for guardian.co.uk, journalist Stephen Kinzer poses engaging questions about Cuba and some of its neighbors today in his article titled Caribbean communism v capitalism.”
Kinzer writes: “Visiting unhappy Cuba is especially thought-provoking for anyone familiar with its unhappy neighbors.
“Cubans live difficult lives and have much to complain about. So do Jamaicans, Dominicans, Haitians, Guatemalans, Hondurans, Salvadorans, and others in the Caribbean basin who live under capitalist governments. Who is worse off? Does an ordinary person live better in Cuba or in a nearby capitalist country?
“Questions such as these require each of us to decide what we value in personal, social and national life. Comparing the two political and social systems also reminds us that for many people in the world, a truly fulfilling life is unattainable. In this vale of tears there must be compromises – but which are the right ones to make?”
To read the complete Guardian article click here.
The Guardian article by Kinzer is good. It draws a comparison of which every US citizen should be aware.
At first I thought the article was a bit mealy-mouthed, but then reflected that it’s often better for a writer to pose questions than to draw conclusions for the reader. Kinzer presents the comparison, and let’s us make up our own minds. This seems to make the article almost “interactive.” So, yes . . . a good article. It gives those of us living in the monopolist monster a valuable insight into the lives of the Cuban people.
Another HT article that gives good insight is Yusimi Rodriguez’s article The ‘Potential Emigrant,’ in the January 22, 2010 issue of HT (two days ago). Did I say “good”? I meant “really, really good!”