Cuba, living without the US?

Authors:
Luis Alberto López Rafaschieri and José Alberto López Rafaschieri
www.morochos.net

"Latin American peoples can live without the United States as Cuba has shown for over fifty years", Fidel Castro said in his Reflections on January 10. Which could be taken as true, of course yes, but only if the Cuban dictator was talking about a game of dominoes, or subjects that have nothing to do with the island's politics and economy.

Trying to catch the point of the communist leader, we could talk about what Fidel understands for "living", because being a citizen of a country where workers are exploited without the restrictions of a labor rights system is not what we would call a dignified existence. Or we could make mention of the irreplaceable scapegoat role the U.S. has played in the Cuban socialist myth, which has served to justify 5 decades of internal oppression. However, it seems best to comment on some economic data that completely contradicts the argument of the alleged Cuban independence from the U.S.

All Cuban newcomers in United States follow 3 key steps: First, seek political asylum; second, look for work/housing; and third, ask where is the nearest office of Western Union.

Thanks to formal money transfer services, Cuba receives annually about one billion dollars to refresh its economy, not including what is sent through informal channels. Not a great figure compared with the overall volume of the Cuban GDP, but since the 90's, remittances represent for Cuba the first source of dollars, providing more than any other export sector of the island. And most of these funds comes from the United States Fidel says is irrelevant to Cuba.

Ironic, but true, since the Castros installed their family dictatorship, Cuba has had the need to change its communist godfathers. The USSR and China in the initial stage, Chavez's Venezuela in the present. However, the only external economy that has never failed to send dollars to Cuba is a different country: The United States of America.

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