Burden of the past

"Fidel Castro was obsessed with how history would judge him. " This sentence struck a cord in me. Changing, admiting you are wrong is unbelievly hard if your whole life is based on holding on what you claimed was truth. It takes more than courage. It takes true satin's nobility. Not many Christian preachers or believers gave up their faith when they found out that earth is round, they just tried their best to find a work around, like keep fighting longer war with science and progress. As so many other Communists, Castro spent his whole life fighting for creating a new world that is better than the existing one. That is the only and sole purpose and accomplishment of his life. He was a revolutionary. And admitting it's wrong, basically is taking away the whole purpose and value of his life. Fame and record in history is the only things that matter. But if some one gives what all his life about away, what is left in the record? Sounds selfish, but the reason why we intellectuals can easily talk about these, wrong or right, is because we have other purposes. Maybe computer science is our interest. Maybe it is a accomplishment for us to identify a better system, whether its capitalistic or communistic, doesn't matter. So sure we can easily talk about truth and judge. But it is not so easy to talk about what you do right? No one wants to admit their life's work is meaningless, and counter productive. Nobody is gonna talk others their jobs suck even sometimes they are.

I find it so similar to what China is right now. The leaders, the officials, they don't have any zeal or anything. They just kept repeating what was said, and even don't dare to quote Mao for those were way too radical. They are just waiting, that someone will let it go and open up. Because no one with his youth dedicated to the ideal would want to give it up. Betraying one's own youth is hard. They are just waiting, for the younger, for the ones that seek accomplishment not in the past, but in the future.

What lies ahead for Cuba?

I read the article “Cuba Lays Foundation for a New Leader” and I was astonished that there was just a first major change in leadership since 1959. It was the first time that someone apart from the Castro brothers has filled the second highest position in the Communist Party since Castro came into power and this step marked the possibility of a potential successor to Castro. The Castro brothers have been in charge for five decades and its no wonder all of these articles about what is going to happen to Cuba after Castro dies have been popping up in the news so recently. Everyone is wondering, what is going to happen to Cuba when the Castro brothers die? Everyone figured that Castro would choose a young Cuban to take his place and lead the country but instead he chose, Jose Ramon Machado who is 80 years old! If Castro wants to choose someone to take his position, why has he given it to someone a year older? I thought it was interesting that Castro acknowledged that his generation has not prepared younger leaders like they should have. He is to blame for this. If he wanted to have younger leaders to take his spot and carry on his ideas once he was gone then he should have given up some of his power. How are people supposed to know how to run and govern a country when he (Castro) has been in power for so long and does not let anyone but his brother help him? He limits people's rights and their ability to take action. He has prisoned people who have tried to go against him and his Communist ways and he has basically told the people in Cuba that it is his way or the highway.

Cuba's New LEADER?!

Cuba made the most significant change in its leadership structure and historical mediation since the 1959 revolution, "naming someone other than Castro brothers for the first time to fill the second highest position in the Communist Party....". Castro denied a future change in the Cuban governmental structure saying that "'The rebel army is the soul of the revolution'", there was also a hint by Castro saying that he may be selecting a new and much younger man to guide Cuba through the post-Castro era.

Next, Jose Ramon Machado was the man whom Castro had the most trust in, but being as the old age of 80- the memories of Castro fighting along side with him may be useless in making him Castro's successor. The likelihood is that Machado will be a tusted lieutenant to choose a now ruler and also develop the new/same structure that this successor will govern under.

Post Cuba

The article that i read for the homework assignment covered the topic of Castro, and how his lasting effect will be hard for other political figures to eradicate from the Cuban Society. Much of Castros regime was focused on gaining the influence of people to help advocate his plans he wanted to install in Cuba. Now that he is on his death bed many people are wondering who is going to replace him and if it is his brother will he be able to have a more powerful hold than his older brother. I enjoyed reading this because i felt like it took an um bias opinion on the subject and did a good job explaining all angles. Also its hard for Cuba to get rid of the Anti American view that Castro strongly promoted, this makes it hard for them to come out of the era of darkness which is Castro.

Cuba's Future

After reading the New York Times article about the future of Cuba after Castro's regime, I had several insights. Castro will die soon, as all people do. However, it remains unclear how Cuba will continue as a result of his passing. Will the government reform? Will his constituents demand change? The answer is most likely not. This is because he has created a lasting effect on many facets of the Cuban government which are essentially irreversible. Cuba's only remaining viable trading and government partner is China. China is another communist country but has its own distinct way of running its government and economy. If Cuba can strike a balance such as China has, by maintaining a communist government in the arena of a capitalist-esque economy, then perhaps there is a future for Cuba. I believe that in order for Cuba to avoid governmental and economic collapse, there needs to be a reform in its relations with the United States.

For a Post-Castro Cuba, Castro Lite

There seems to be a lot of speculation surrounding the fate and future of Cuba and what direction the country is going to go when/as a new leader comes into power. Raul Castro, who is 75 years old, is the one who has the power to change the fate of Cuba, but according to this article change will be hard to come by. There are not many choices for Cuba right now, but one of the ones that is talked about is turning to China as a model. There is a lot of discussion about how a new leader is going to make changes in Cuba, but also be able to keep Castro's ideals in mind. Despite the failures of Castro's regime and rule over Cuba, many people take pride in Castro and his anti-American views, so any discussion of a possible cooperation between the US and Cuba is not likely. This leaves few options for Cuba.

The New Leader of the Communist Regime... or Simply a Pawn

In the article entitled "Cuba lays a foundation for a new leader", it discusses the changes that have been made by the Castro Regime, including moving a man known as José Machado to second in command, a coveted position previously held by Fidel's brother Rafael. Many have questioned whether or not Castro is training Machado to ascend to his vacated seat when he dies. However, I find this sincerely doubtful for numerous reasons. The first being that Machado is as old as Castro is, perhaps a little younger. They had fought in the mountains together during the revolution, making them from the same period of thought. The article also mentions that Castro is bringing in a new congress to take over, but I believe that this is simply a show. The fact is that once Castro dies, his regime will die with him despite what some people say. People in Cuba are not allowed to speak freely or leave the country without permission. No one can manage a regime just like Castro, and I believe that he knows that as well. It is for this reason that early in Fidel's rise, he originally carried out everything himself, traveling to every part of the country to ensure that the job was done to his specifications. However, he still has yet to bring up a new generation into the regime for fear that they will even be more progressive than he. I believe that once Fidel dies, a revolution will take place just like that of the one that happened throughout Northern Africa in search of a new system of government. The US will seize this opportunity, befriend the protesters and help gain a democratic society once again in Cuba. At least this is what the US hopes will happen. But to answer the original question no, I don't think that Machado is the heir to Castro's empire, and that he will choose someone much younger, but he must do it soon before time runs out.

You Say Bay of Pigs, I Say...

This article discusses the difference in viewpoints about the same event: The Bay of Pigs/Playa Giron. The fiftieth anniversary of this event is approaching soon when this article is written. Playa Giron is a beach where the fighting took place which is what Monica describes. A discussion of the use of words is then written in the article. She explains that calling Fidel Castro "Fidel," is different from calling him "Castro." She then states that the two should not mix- and neither will the terms of The Bay of Pigs and Playa Giron ever mix. Although the parade is approaching, the article makes it sound like the people aren't as enthused as they should be. She states that the real issues in Cuba lie in the liberal economic policies- which are the main focus of conversation, not the parade. I found this article to be very interesting because I never really thought about the controversies that exist about historical aspects of Cuba.

Playa Girón...I mean Bay of Pigs

In the Article the author speaks about how there are two very different ways to look at what we call the Bay of Pigs. In America we call it the Bay of Pigs and in our view Patriots, with support from the CIA tried to liberate Cuba at a place called Bay of Pigs and it was a failure. Heres what it looks like from a Cuban point of view, Mercenaries under orders from the CIA attacked Cuba at a place called Playa Girón and holding them off was a success. What I got from this article is that no matter what the event is in history, there are always two different sides to the story. In this case they are so different to the point where one views it as a failure, where the other views it as a success. On Sunday the 50th anniversary will be held in Cuba and there is to be a huge parade celebrating this. I have not heard of any remembrance in the United States, and honestly if you ask a random person what Sunday was they would probably just give you the date. Once again, showing the two completely different sides to the same event.

...Playa Giron!

In Lizabel Monica's article "You say Bay of Pigs, I say...", she talks about the many contradictions of Cuban history staring with Fidel Castro and the revolutionaries. The article takes place as the 50th anniversary of the Bay of Pigs is right around the corner. She talks about how in Cuba, the Bay of Pigs is called the Battle of Playa Giron after the beach where the main fighting took place. She talks about how people love to "contaminate" words and fill them with "extraverbal connotations". She gives Fidel Castro as an example saying that if one were to say Fidel it would not be the same as if one said Castro. Fidel seems like a close friend where Castro seems like a "distant enemy". She concludes that this parade is just a cover up or distraction from what the people are really thinking and talking about which is the more liberal economic policies that Raul Castro introduced last year. I think that this is an interesting article because I had never even thought of the contradictions in Cuban history or even comparing Fidel to Castro, but it seems so true. The world can only sit back and watch as Fidel, or Castro, slowly passes into history and see what will become of Cuba

A Post-Castro Cuba, new beginning?

With the approaching death of Fidel Castro and his brother Raul not to far behind, many are wondering what is to become of Cuba. Who will their allies be? Who will be in control? Is this a new beginning for the relationship between the United States and Cuba? "Most of the 11 million Cubans on the island today were born after Mr. Castro came to power and have known only his Communism", even though many inhabitants lack basic necessities, they continue to glorify Fidel Castro because that is all they have experienced and what they have been exposed to.
All around Cuba Castro's picture is put on display, from televisions, to billboards, and newspapers. Because of this mass media and similar communist beliefs, Raul hopes to seek help from China. "Despite the brutal repressions of Mao's rule, most Chinese continue to admire him...China's ability to honor Mao, even as it tears down the economy he set in place, could provide a model for China". The Cuban people see that changes need to be made with the upcoming death of their leader, but they are clueless as how to go about these changes. One possibility proposed is to accept some sort of cooperation with the United States, but the majority of Cuba is brought together by their dislike of US policies and presidents.
Reading this article made me understand the ambiguity in the Cuban government right now. But to truly help the country as a whole, they need to stop wondering if Fidel will approve of their goals towards the future, and focus more on a freer economy with a better life for those who have been living poor and powerless.

What is that called again?

According to the article the parade that is (maybe has already occurred at this point) being created that will be a celebration of the Bay of Pigs. Not a celebration of killing so many people, but a celebration of Cuba being able to fight back. Cuba resisting the will of imperialist America. An intriguing thought, yet it seems like they are celebrating pre-maturely. Cuba has been unable to even come to an agreement about whether it was at a bay or a beach and all these other minor details. Of course the logical solution to this is presented by Adrian who says, “What we call Playa Girón is just one area within the Bay of Pigs,” Adrian points out, smiling, as if it’s that simple. “See? It doesn’t seem so difficult.” Such a simple could resolve this. Even though this solution has been given to finally solve this simple problem, the problem will persist because everyone wants to be credited with a true story, or more logically the just want fame. Regardless of this the parade will go on because it has to go on for the pride of Cuba.

bad-> no so bad

Fidel Castro outlasted 10 US presidents, almost all of whom tried in one way or another to "take him out" but ultimately failed..why??? I personally think it's because of his charismatic nature that incited the people to rally behind him and well also the fact the Soviets backed him.The most interesting thing about Castro was what seemd like his inability to know when enough is enough... such is the case of the Cuban missile crisis when he came to the ultimatum Cuba would get destroyed or Cuba would get destroyed for a reason. It's kind of hard for me to grasp fully that after the soviets lost the point where the could have missiles close to the US, after he had basically proposed a global thermal nuclear world war, why did they continue to support Cuba after they seemed to have lost their reason for being there and saw how boldly crazy Castro was. Did Castro's influence really run that deep that it overshadowed his disregard for "life".

Castro and His Youth

Oftentimes, when learning about, reading about, or watching a movie about, a huge historical figure whose name almost everyone in the world knows, the most interesting part of that person's life to me is his or her childhood. It was no different with the film about Fidel Castro that we just watched . It's always interesting, I think, to see if someone's youth mirrors at all what he or she did, or who he or she became in latter years. More often than not, the childhood does not fully reflect the adult years of people because no matter who they are, childhood generally remains a largely innocent time. There are elements of Fidel Castro's youth that do reflect who he was to become in later years, both in real life and in myth. There was an event in his childhood where Castro showed two different aspects of who he would become, both real and myth-based. As a child, after coming home from school once, his parents said they would not be able to send him back to the school he attended. Castro took exception to this and threatened that he would burn the house down if he was not allowed to go back to his school. He got what he wanted. This would happen in his later life as well, Castro would often get things he wanted, and was not averse to force or other such methods to get what he wanted. The other aspect of who he became that this speaks to was a myth-based one, propagated by the United States' opinion of Castro. Castro attained a status of being almost evil and his threat to his mother to burn the house down if he was not allowed to go back to the school he liked, is almost evil as well, or at least very dark and twisted especially when one considers that he was still quite young when he said it. His childhood was, interestingly enough, much more of a mirror into who he would become than is the case with most people.