Quote Originally Posted by matt4x4 View Post
I'm not saying Castro's great, I doubt his reign will be prolonged - mainly because his ailing health can't really be reversed, and if/when he passes on, it won't be kept a secret for long. Likely, his successor, whoever it will end up being, will better the country's economic state through abandoning communism, however, I feel strongly that at this point in time, the country will be taken advantage of by mightier powers who have been waiting to get their hands on every little bit of potential profitability and take it with reckless abandon.
His reign has already been prolonged. Mostly by the Soviets who propped him up for most of 40 years but also by those who do business with the despicable excuxe for a human being that is Castro. The dollars (and Euros and pesos, etc) that he gets through tourism and through the export of sugar, rum, and cigars enable him to continue to hold on and may allow Raoul to keep it going for years longer. This is true whether you buy your cigars in Canada or Cuba.

What you call being taken advantage of I call investment. When the communists do fall, capital will be the cure for what ails Cuba. As it doesn't exist in bankrupt Cuba, that capital will come from foreign investors. That will lead to economic growth and economic and political freedom for the people. I don't see the downside.