For the first time in history, the president of Cuba sits down with a US outlet to share his thoughts on the future of Cuban socialism, the US blockade, and the economic difficulties facing the island nation.

For the first time in history, the president of Cuba sits down with a US outlet to share his thoughts on the future of Cuban socialism, the US blockade, and the economic difficulties facing the island nation.

In late September, The Nation’s publisher, Katrina vanden Heuvel, and its editor, D.D. Guttenplan, met with Cuban president Miguel Díaz-Canel for an exclusive interview in New York.

It was the president’s first-ever interview in the United States. They discussed the economic crisis facing his island nation, the future of its socialist model, and the impact of continued hostility from Washington.

read more: https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/interview-cuban-president-diaz-canel/

archive link: https://archive.ph/4Aady

  • Awoo [she/her]
    ·
    1 year ago

    Seems good. Nothing he's saying glaringly scares me.

    Not sure what the goal is here? Seems like this is aimed at getting more of the soft-left on Cuba's side and building on the already strong international support. I'm not really convinced that any amount of international or domestic pressure can convince the american bourgeoisie to open up though.

    If Cuba had something that America needs it would have a position of far greater capability to negotiate, like Venezuela with their oil now getting engagement from the US because of the situation in Ukraine and the Middle East. This might be an unpopular opinion here but if I were Cuba I'd probably look at niche manufacturing in the world and see whether it is possible to corner one of the things currently manufactured in China that America needs. They would potentially open up to Cuba if it served their goals of disconnecting from China.

    • albigu@lemmygrad.ml
      ·
      1 year ago

      Technically they already do have something the US citizens desperately lack, healthcare services. They're the country with the most doctors per capita in the world, and regularly strikes deals with other poor countries for health and medical personnel aid. It just so happens that the US ruling class is more than happy to let their citizens die or go bankrupt through healthcare.

      • Awoo [she/her]
        ·
        1 year ago

        Yeah there's not a people-based approach here. The US doesn't care about people.

        Material things though? Circuitry? Chips? I don't know, something important that currently is only made by China that could be replaced by Cuba could result in a softening of relations. I understand this is not as easy as it sounds to do with no supply chains and it would be in competition with China too who can do everything at scale. However I think the US might be willing to take something that costs more than China if it's closer to home and also something strategically important in the event of disconnecting.

    • star_wraith [he/him]
      ·
      1 year ago

      Yeah at this point I don’t think the blockade serves any critical interest of the American bourgeoisie anyway. And also now that Florida is no longer really all that competitive for Democrats, if Cuba can provide something that the Americans want I could see the embargo lifted.

      They could also try and work with cruise lines and hotel operators to lobby the government. Maybe allow US companies to operate the hotels under contract but not own the buildings or something?