Thread: An alternative view of the USA & some other countries

Originally Posted by capecoddah

USSR and USA had proxy armies and "advisers". But who gave away sold all 75 million of those AK-47s?

AFAIK, main exporter of AK was China. Well, isn't the idea of providing cheap reliable and effective weapon to everybody who wants in perfect correspondence with "American Dream"? God made men, but AK-47 made them equal.

I think Cuba just might be different if not for the USSR.

Maybe but USA undoubtedly always had much more influence on Cuba and its fate than USSR anyway. BTW Cuba is not so bad place now. Many people say that it is much better than it was before Castro's revolution.

Originally Posted by it-ogo

Maybe but USA undoubtedly always had much more influence on Cuba and its fate than USSR anyway. BTW Cuba is not so bad place now. Many people say that it is much better than it was before Castro's revolution.

Having lived in "North Cuba" (South Florida), I've met people from the Cuban Yacht Club that came to the US on rafts. Something about having to leave a country in such a fashion makes me think things aren't all rosy there. I know people that left during the revolution that hate Castro with every fiber of their being.
They have lovely tourist beaches there, but the locals can't go to them. They have a lot of lovely things the average Cuban never sees but is wonderful window dressing. I can count the number of present Cubans on this board with both hands behind my back (read: no internet). Satellite television is a criminal offense for most people there. Hell, Fidel took his family's farm (his mother never forgave him), and his sister spied for the CIA refusing payment. Cuba si, Castro no.

Central and South America are screwed up because of the Spanish and Portuguese. WAY before the Colonies became the USA.

Originally Posted by capecoddah

Having lived in "North Cuba" (South Florida), I've met people from the Cuban Yacht Club that came to the US on rafts. Something about having to leave a country in such a fashion makes me think things aren't all rosy there. I know people that left during the revolution that hate Castro with every fiber of their being.
They have lovely tourist beaches there, but the locals can't go to them. They have a lot of lovely things the average Cuban never sees but is wonderful window dressing. I can count the number of present Cubans on this board with both hands behind my back (read: no internet). Satellite television is a criminal offense for most people there. Hell, Fidel took his family's farm (his mother never forgave him), and his sister spied for the CIA refusing payment. Cuba si, Castro no.

So you listened to Castro's enemies (including US politicians) and did not listen to Castro's friends. You really expect your idea of Cuba to be adequate? According to some sources, before Castro there was a small class of relatively rich people, all the rest were extremely poor. Those formerly rich people are enough to hate but not enough to make noticeable resistance with all US help. Now poor people are still poor but they have relatively good medicine, education, sport etc. According to UN Human Development Index Cuba is about 4-5th place in Latin America, which is not so bad (remember that income is taken into account in this index). Maybe if they were able to sell to USA their cigars, they were 1st?

As for Yacht Club, yes, people always look for better life, especially when they expect some privileges because of the politics. And for those privileges they are ready to say whatever you like to hear. You know, how many people from democratic NATO Turkey moved to Germany? I don't speak about Mexico...

Central and South America are screwed up because of the Spanish and Portuguese. WAY before the Colonies became the USA.

Err... What is "screwed up"?

Spanish and Portuguese Empires provided Latin America with its contemporary population. Now they are no more for a long time. USA is still there, has great influence - political, economical, military - and use it, so USA is responsible for everything happened there in much bigger measure than USSR (which is BTW also no more). There is "white man's burden" and "white man's" responsibility whether you like it or not. Castro did not want USA people to use Cuba as a cheap brothel any more. He can be understood.