Julia Sweig on the radical new phase in Cuba going largely unnoticed

[flamingdem]

Absent at the Creation

By JULIA E. SWEIG

A radical new phase in Cuban history is unfolding in plain sight. But unlike the rest of the world, Washington appears not to notice.
Under President Raúl Castro, preserving the Revolution is now about evolution: land reform, property rights, real estate investment, progressive taxation, small businesses, privatization and government lay-offs — a half-million will start next month, with more to come.

In practical terms, this means ending the system where everyone is paid but almost no one works, and where the state doles out a long list of freebies but has little productive tax base to finance its expenditures.

Starting next month, Cubans running businesses in a huge range of goods and services will pay income, payroll and social security taxes. And the Cuban state will spend the new revenue on health care, education and infrastructure.

READ MORE HERE:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/02/opinion/02iht-edsweig.html

[maddezmom]

1. flamingdem

Do not post entire copyrighted articles. If you wish to reference an article, provide a brief excerpt and include a link to the original source. Generally, excerpts should not exceed three or four paragraphs.

thanks in advance

[flamingdem]

2. Hi Thanks but there is no link for this I received it on a private mailing list

Julia Sweig is an academic and I wonder if the rules are the same if it's from an academic list?

[flamingdem]

3. I just found a link for it so problem solved thanks nt

[Judi Lynn]

4. Went to look for a photo of the author of your article. I couldn't believe what I saw!

Looking for Julia Sweig's photo, I stumbled across this fantastic photo. You'll recognized the shirt on former President Castro: it's one he wore when photos of him were taken one day and published in the newspaper recently.

http://cache.daylife.com.nyud.net:8090/imageserve/00xoa8e7t88pL/610x.jpg

Reuters Pictures 1 month ago

Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro, (2nd from L), U.S. journalist Jeffrey Goldberg (2nd from R)
and U.S. Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) Director Julia Sweig (L) watch a performance with
dolphins at Havana's Aquarium August 29, 2010. Picture taken August 29, 2010.

(Have NEVER seen that trick anywhere!)

http://www.cfr.org.nyud.net:8090/content/publications/images/sweig_julia.jpg

Julia Sweig

It was good hearing what a member of the Council of Foreign Relations had to say on the last changes. Thanks, a lot.

[flamingdem]

7. Great find Judy! Waiting for comments about what is wrong with the socialist dolphins! nt

[bherrera]

5. They understand communism does not work

It is interesting, Castro realizes communism does not work. I believe a speech will be given soon by Fidel, to state this in a clear fashion. He does not want to lose his revolution, and understands, maybe too late, his life has been used to support an impractical system based on flawed understanding of economics and human nature. Maybe they will also understand a single party society is not sound, and leads to more, not less, poverty.

[Billy Burnett]

6. More of the same unoriginal "Castro this, Castro that" obsessing.

Right. the Revolution is a failure, and uber capitalism is such a success.

An '08 thread, chock-full of the failures of the Cuban Revolution ...

Cuba: Before and After the 1959 Revolution
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x4653650

[bherrera]

10. I don't think Cubans care about 1959

It's 2010. Batista was an evil dictator, and a thief. I'm ashemed we allowed him to come to Spain. This doesn't mean the Cuban communist model is a failure. It continued to promess success and never did work. One could argue the US embargo was partially to blame, but a realistic politician doesn't sit next to a very large wolf, insult it, tease it, and expect the wolf not to bite. Realism and pragmatism are needed in a politician. Sometimes this is too extreme, for example when Stalin signed the agreement with Hitler. Or when the USA made the agreement called the Iran-Contra affair. But some realism is part of the equipment of a true statesman.

Capitalism is a better success than raw communism as practiced in Cuba. We can compare a system such as used in Chile, which is mostly capitalist with some socialist content, and it does look better. The same applies to the system in Brazil, which of course evolves, but seems to be more effective than the communist system used in Cuba. After all, didn't Fidel Castro already say the Cuban communist system doesn't work even in Cuba?

One sign of an intelligent person is seen when the person honestly re-examines his position when new data is available. Fidel Castro has 50 years worth of data, and this tells him he made a serious mistake adopting the marxist style command economy, the single party state with lack of democracy, and other traps which are set by Marxism-Leninism. Those two guys, Marz and Lenin, were economic incompetents, and the results are easy to see.

The socialism we have in Spain, or they have in Brazil, is a lot more sensible.

[naaman fletcher]

13. I agree

I agree that Cuba is better than before 1959. What does that mean though? does that mean that anything Castro does is good so long as Cuba as a whole is better than it was in 1959? At what point does Castro get judged on his own record, rather than by comparison to 1959?

For what its worth, I agree that Venezuela is better off with Chavez then before.

[Billy Burnett]

15. Just compare Cuba's current social stats to the rest of the region.

I agree that Cuba is better than before 1959. What does that mean though?

Plenty of reports and charts online comparing longevity, infant mortality, mortality, education, and equality indices and you'll find that Cuba ranks well right now.

Before the Revolution, Cuba was "thriving" under capitalism, with the vast majority suffering under the capitalist system, lacking education, basic health care, clean water, etc etc.

Since the Revolution, including to present day, all Cubans fare much better. And they share what they have, what they can with the world, and the world is a better place because of it.

does that mean that anything Castro does is good so long as Cuba as a whole is better than it was in 1959? At what point does Castro get judged on his own record, rather than by comparison to 1959?

Surely you understand that one man, Castro, would have to be some kind of superman to have done all that Cubans have done, all by himself. By obsessing on Castro so, as you do, you make him out to be just that. So ... I'll assume that by "Castro" you mean the accomplishments of the Cuban people who made these great strides happen.

Not just better than 1959 ... better than most, right now.

The people best suited to "judge" the Castros and their part in the Cuban Revolution are the Cuban people. So far, they approve of them (if not revere them as the living revolutionary heroes that they are) and they approve of the people's Revolution.

It would be better for you to move on from the 1950's and consider what Cuba has been since, including up the present.


Cheers

[Judi Lynn]

8. Spend some time trying to learn about the subject FIRST, before you speak on the subject.

Learn from Cuba, Says World Bank
By Jim Lobe, IPS, 1 May 2001

WASHINGTON, Apr 30 (IPS) - World Bank President James Wolfensohn Monday extolled the Communist government of President Fidel Castro for doing "a great job" in providing for the social welfare of the Cuban people.

His remarks followed Sunday's publication of the Bank's 2001 edition of 'World Development Indicators' (WDI), which showed Cuba as topping virtually all other poor countries in health and education statistics.

It also showed that Havana has actually improved its performance in both areas despite the continuation of the US trade embargo against it and the end of Soviet aid and subsidies for the Caribbean island more than ten years ago.

"Cuba has done a great job on education and health," Wolfensohn told reporters at the conclusion of the annual spring meetings of the Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). "They have done a good job, and it does not embarrass me to admit it."

His remarks reflect a growing appreciation in the Bank for Cuba's social record, despite recognition that Havana's economic policies are virtually the antithesis of the "Washington Consensus", the neo-liberal orthodoxy that has dominated the Bank's policy advice and its controversial structural adjustment programmes (SAPs) for most of the last 20 years.

Some senior Bank officers, however, go so far as to suggest that other developing countries should take a very close look at Cuba's performance.

More:
http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/43b/185.html

(My emphasis)

[Billy Burnett]

9. Judi, obviously the WB mis-named their report. Should've been: "Learn from Castro"

:rofl:

The cult of personality (re Fidel Castro) is on this side of the Strait.

[bherrera]

11. I know the subject very well

And I conclude the Cuban regime is a failure. And I suspect this will be the subject of a speech by Fidel Castro, which will be issued very soon. A friend tells me he understand he has to drive change. The revolution in Cuba, which has become the establishment, is now to evolve into a system which who knows where it will end.

They are in a naive fashion thinking the introduction of the small entrepeneur to solve the ailments of this very poor Cuban society will be sufficient. But they are about to create a capitalist cast, and these guys will want to grow their business. And because they know they have a lot of money available from Cubans in the diaspora, they will press for more reforms. This should lead to a collapse of the communist party rule within 10 years. They can not stop the inexorable march of history, which tells us social democracy replaces communism and raw capitalism.

[Name removed]

12. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[bherrera]

14. The social record isn't really so good

If we consider the poverty the island finds itself. In other words, their social record is good for a very poor country. But the same regime which makes them very educated also makes them very poor.

[Billy Burnett]

16. Their social stats rival the top nations.

If you are here for some honest discussion it would be helpful to you for you to click the links posted for you.

While you're at it, try reading the stories and reports at the link posted for you to read.


As to your revisionist post, I'll make it easy for you ...

Learn from Cuba say World Bank President
http://www.twnside.org.sg/title/learn.htm

snips

It has reduced its infant mortality rate from 11 per 1,000 births in 1990 to seven in 1999, which places it firmly in the ranks of the western industrialised nations. It now stands at six, according to Jo Ritzen, the Bank’s Vice President for Development Policy, who visited Cuba privately several months ago to see for himself.

-

“Six for every 1,000 in infant mortality - the same level as Spain - is just unbelievable,” according to Ritzen, a former education minister in the Netherlands. “You observe it, and so you see that Cuba has done exceedingly well in the human development area.

-

Indeed, in Ritzen’s own field, the figures tell much the same story. Net primary enrolment for both girls and boys reached 100% in 1997, up from 92% in 1990. That was as high as most developed nations - higher even than the US rate and well above 80-90% rates achieved by the most advanced Latin American countries.

-

Public spending on education in Cuba amounts to about 6.7% of gross national income, twice the proportion in other Latin American and Caribbean countries and even Singapore.

There were 12 primary school pupils for every Cuban teacher in 1997, a ratio that ranked with Sweden, rather than any other developing country. The Latin American and East Asian average was twice as high at 25 to one.

The average youth (age 15-24) illiteracy rate in Latin America and the Caribbean stands at 7%. In Cuba, the rate is zero.

-

Similarly, Cuba devoted 9.1% of its gross domestic product (GDP) during the 1990s to health care, roughly equivalent to Canada’s rate. Its ratio of 5.3 doctors per 1,000 people was the highest in the world.

Got it?

That was 2001. Some of the stats are even better now.

So much for your BS claim.