My mom's friends went there. Said it was a physically gorgeous country, but there is extreme poverty. No surprise. It has so much potential. Maybe one he's gone, it'll improve.

Why is this so hard, America is a natural market for Cuba tourism and without the embargo tourism and trade will increase.

You may be right.

Things got really bad in Cuba during the mid-1990s because they lost their main trading partner. But over the last 10 years, things have gotten a lot better as they have found new trading partners. Today their largest trading partners are European countries, Canada and China -- the same countries we trade with.

Yes, if you compare Cuba to the United States, then you would consider them a poor country. But the same would hold true for any other Latin American country. But if you compare them to the other Caribbean countries, you will see how well their system has worked.

In 1950, Cuba was no better off than any other Caribbean country. Most of the people lived in extreme poverty, and 70% of the population was illiterate. There was not even a public school system in Cuba in 1950. Only the wealthy were educated because they attended private schools. Today Cuba leads all Latin American countries in areas like health care and education.

I suppose if the embargo was lifted, things may very well improve there. But I doubt you will see any major changes in their economic system, which is what I think some people were hinting at. A whole generation of Cuban people has been indoctrinated with Communism. And unlike the failed Soviet and Eastern European communism, Cuba has faired very well and the system is very popular there. I doubt there are going to be any changes in that area.

During the recession of the mid-1990s, they allowed a limited amount of capitalism in a hope to jump start the economy. But they have since repealed most of those laws and closed down most of the business that were opened during that time period.

Sounds like a description of every other Caribbean and Central American country. ;)

News flash....Fidel isn't the problem 40 year old policy against the country is :)

:iagree:

:iagree:

Don’t forget Raúl Modesto Castro Ruz....

eric was right. nothing will change until (1) Raul is gone (2) the people want revoluccion.

Its a pathetic little island that is nothing now that the soviet union is gone; it only stayed the way it did because of the USSR and communism.

Now it has napoleanic paltry little dictators (moron and his little brother), and nothing much more than white sand, sugar cane, and nasty prostitutes.

I think that his death will give the US a reason to drop the embargo.

I don't know about you but most people like white sand and water.