<p>“I’m sure if we just held out a few more years the US embargo would have proved a roaring success.”</p>
<p>Maybe so. Raul is in his early eighties. He can’t stay in power (or alive) for that many more years.</p>
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<p>Ease up on your sharpshooting… <a href=“U.S. Relations With Burma - United States Department of State”>http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/35910.htm</a> “U.S. relations with Burma” updated September 2014</p>
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<p>Cuba needs to get its economy cranked up and get some money moving around and into its citizens’ hands. It has tremendous assets that have been underutilized and not developed resulting in a stagnant flat-lining economy. If Cuba really cranked up its sugar cane production acreage it could produce all sorts of ethanol fuel that could be exported. Cuba has much potential that could be brought to economic life if allowed by powers that be, or could be, in Cuba. Unfortunately for Cuba demand for ethanol fuel is down now probably with current low oil prices. Cuba best buddy Venezuela is hurting now with low oil prices and Venezuela can’t pour money into Cuba like it has past years…hence Cuba trying new things like getting cozy with US now.</p>
<p>Cuba can do many things but it should also make sure American companies don’t come and steal all of Cuba’s national assets for a song and a dance. My bet however is that the odds of Cuba getting a good deal is slim to none.</p>
<p>Lizard, do you know anything thing about Cuba…oh wait, never mind…</p>
<p>As someone who actually LIVED behind the Iron Curtain, I can tell you that openness to the west was HUGE in helping East Europeans bring down communism. They did it en masse, peacefully, without a whole lot of direct help from the US or western Europe. I believe the same will happen eventually in Cuba. Isolation isn’t good for any nation. Just take a look at North Korea.</p>
<p>I’m not a Cuba expert. I know Cuba is about 90 miles from Florida. I know little can be said about Cuba that isn’t politically charged.</p>
<p>I hope and pray that you are right, katliamom!!</p>
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<p>The embargo and official hostility probably did more to help prop up that government over the years by giving it a convenient foreign enemy to blame all of the country’s problems on.</p>
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<p>Only if they insist on continuing the economic ideological aspects. Cuba may end up trying to emulate Mainland China…nominally calling themselves “communist” while actually morphing themselves into an authoritarian regime run along capitalist lines a.k.a. “Socialism with Chinese/Cuban characteristics”.</p>
<p>If anything, Mainland China’s economic system is much closer to the US’ Gilded-Age era of laissez-faire capitalism…complete with labor abuses, false advertising, and lack of basic oversight and adequate safeguards to ensure consumer safety in areas of food and other areas. </p>
<p>In some ways, scandals like the contaminated milk scandal a few years back is reminiscent of how Upton Sinclair’s book “The Jungle” ended up galvanizing the upper/upper-middle classes into action which brought an end to mystery ingredient medicines and brought about basic government safeguards we take for granted…like the FDA. </p>
<p>I think ucbalumnus hit the nail on the head. We’ve been propping up Cuba for years by providing the Castros with a great excuse for all their economic problems. </p>
<p>@soccerguy315 just because the US government wants to call a place by a certain name doesn’t make it the right name. That’d be like me saying that your name was really footballguy instead of soccerguy. You may accept it instead of fighting it, but it doesn’t make it right. It may just mean you don’t feel like fighting it.</p>
<p>The Cuban people are thrilled with the news of the embargo being lifted. That alone is a good enough reason for me. </p>
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<p>They haven’t been rolled over by European and other investing countries, so I doubt if the US is going to just waltz in and steal their assets for a handful of beads.</p>
<p>I don’t think trade embargo has been lifted yet. Improved relations between US and Cuba have a long way to go yet, opening diplomatic relations more is a solid first step toward normalcy.</p>
<p>Congress has to approve lifting the trade embargo. </p>
<p>Point taken. Just substitute “easing of sanctions” for embargo in my statement. </p>
<p>Isn’t it true that Cuba has produced more doctors than they need? With our huge number of people who are getting old in the next few decades, they may provide us some of their surplus doctors (assuming that they speak English and we trust the quality of the doctors trained there, this could help bring down our healthcare cost further.)</p>
<p>Alternatively, send our sick and poor (old) patients there – it has the potential to help manage our Medicare cost too. (Is it “inhumane” to do something like this?) Setting up nice facility for the medical tourists with quality service there could be another good idea - a much shorter hop than a hop to, say, India (shipping their best doctors to Cuba to serve our old/sick/not so rich.)</p>
<p>Hmmm…if it is safe enough there, I may be tempted to retire there due to its lower cost of living. It is just a very small place, so their government may have an easier job to make it a safe place to live, as compared to most countries in central america. If only it could become a city as safe as, Singapore (am I dreaming?)</p>
<p>Also, Havana in Cuba could become our next popular “second-tier” med school destination, just like Caribbean now! The business men are generally very good at making this kind of thing happen when/if there is business opportunity.</p>
<p>How come I feel like I am an evil capitalist this morning?!</p>
<p>@MCAT2 I would say that the med school in Havanna is better than the Carribean med schools, though not as good as the US schools, so maybe a 1.5 tier instead of a 2nd tier. It was worked hard so that its US students have a decent shot at US residencies. And, it is a free school, does not cost anything (at this point in time.)</p>
<p>It does take 6 years instead of the normal 4, though.</p>
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<p>A part of that is because Cuban med schools, like those of many other countries accept students straight out of high school rather than insist on a BA/BS as a prerequisite before entry. </p>