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Politics : About that Cuban boy, Elian -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: nealm who wrote (2327)	4/24/2000 8:22:00 PM
From: Lane3	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 9127

<<Interesting post. But, I believe you oversell the notion that nations exert influence on other nations in the way individuals influence other individuals.>> Yes, I agree. Trying for brevity, I gave up clarity. I don't for a moment think that normalizing relationships with such countries would change the hearts and minds of the world's Castros. I was thinking about the ordinary people. If they are kept isolated, they're more likely to believe the propaganda. If they have occasion to interact with democratic capitalists on a business or personal level, they find out that we are for the most part very nice people and that we live a life style that they can barely dream of. They may still live under the thumb of despots, but they no longer buy into the rhetoric and, over time, that erodes the power of those despots. I've never been to Cuba and have met only one Cuban Cuban in my life (back in the old days), but I've been to China recently and have seen how entrepreneurial and industrious so many its people are--very well suited to capitalism. Sooner or later the change occurs. With Cuba, as you say, it will probably be the death of Castro, which can't be all that far away. Better for everyone if, when that end comes, there are experienced democrats and capitalists there to help the Cubans find their way. The U.S. won't be there because our foreign policy is so influenced by the folks in Little Havana, but the Canadians and Europeans are well established and will be there to help (and to reap the benefits, ironically, I think, at the expense of the Cuban Americans). Karen