Cuba Democracia y Vida

La voz en Suecia de los cubanos cívicos de intramuros y del exílio

Editor y Redactor: Guillermo Milán Reyes, Miembro del Instituto Nacional de Periodismo Latinoamericano (INPL)

For more publications in English
or Swedish click on respective
flag above

Cantidad de Visitantes: 64 114 310

Google


Enlaces :
DIARIO DE CUBA
INFOBAE
CUBANET

14 Y MEDIO. DIARIO HECHO EN CUBA.



MEDICINA CUBANA
BUENAVISTA V CUBA WEBLOG
RELIGION EN REVOLUCION.

PATRIA DE MARTÍ EN ESPAÑOL. DEL POLITÓLOGO Dr. Julio M. Shiling.

NOTICIAS MENTIROSAS. Contra la propaganda de Rusia: nuevo portal de verificación.

CIBER CUBA.
WEB DE YOUTUBE DE LA UNIÓN PATRIÓTICA DE CUBA LAS GLORIOSAS FUERZAS PACÍFICAS UNPACU.

DIARIO LAS AMÉRICAS.COM



Observatorio Cubano de Derechos Humanos.
FOROFILO: Blog de Filosofía del Dr. Alberto Roteta Dorado.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCW8puy8WjMABrA7e7FUvG-A
CANAL EVTV
LA PATILLA. WEB VENEZOLANA DE NOTICIAS.






CUBITA NAO.
EL PITAZO
PANAM POST: NOTICIAS Y ANALISIS DE LAS AMERICAS.
DOLAR TODAY
EL NACIONAL. CARACAS VENEZUELA.
ABC.ES INTERNACIONAL
EL NUEVO HERALD
EL PAÍS
FORO ANTITOTALITARIO FANTU


 

Buena Vista V Cuba

Blog de Medic Cubana

Blog de Montaner

Blog Religión en Revolución

Blog Omni Zona Franca

Patria de Martí

Cuba Ind. y Democrática

Cubanet.org

Cuba 1952- 1959



Self-Employed Set for Repression, Not Liberation. By José Azel.
  
11-05-2015

web/article.asp?artID=28257

History Lessons for the Architects of the New US-Cuba Policy
Self-Employed Set for Repression, Not Liberation
By José Azel
PanAm Post
May 11, 2015

http://www.cubademocraciayvida.org/web/article.asp?artID=28257
Two self-employed trying to make a living in Cuba - photo Yusnaby Pérez

Following President Barack Obama's announcement of a rapprochement with the Cuban regime, US government officials have offered that fostering the small-enterprise sector in Cuba is a centerpiece of the new policy.

Architects of the new US-Cuba policy rationalize that unconditionally ending economic sanctions will strengthen Cuba's self-employed sector and, thus, foster a civil society more independent of the government. Eventually, they explain, this more autonomous civil society will function as agents of change, pressuring the regime for democratic governance.

This is an ethnocentric proposition anchored on economic determinism that overweighs economic variables and fails to understand the Cuban regime. For example, in a totalitarian system, those in self-employed activities remain bound to the government for the very existence of their businesses. Self-employment in a totalitarian setting does not confer independence from the government. On the contrary, it makes the newly minted entrepreneurs more beholden to the government in myriad bureaucratic ways, as few are willing to risk their livelihood antagonizing their all powerful patrons.

History instructs us as to the outcome we can expect. During the student protest in Tiananmen Square, China¡¯s business community did not come out in support of the students. More recently we also witnessed a similar situation in Hong Kong. Sadly, these business communities were not willing to jeopardize their positions and support the students promoting democratic change. What makes administration officials think that a Cuban business community bound to an all powerful state for their very existence would act differently?

Supporters of the new policy believe that a critical mass of self-employment will make it very difficult, if not impossible, for the regime to resist the social pressures for change. That is, thousands of micro-firms operating in Cuba would be an unstoppable force for change. From this perspective of economic determinism, governments under such pressures must change or collapse. Again, this fails to account for the nature of the Cuban regime. We can look for instruction in Cuban history.

Beginning in the early days of the Cuban Revolution and climaxing with Fidel Castro's "Revolutionary Offensive" the regime embarked on an effort to eliminate all private property. First came the expropriations of foreign enterprises, followed by the expropriation of large Cuban-owned businesses, and finally all economic activity was taken over in 1968.

According to Cuban-government statistics, 55,636 micro enterprises, mostly of one or two persons, were confiscated. Among them, 11,878 food retailers, 3,130 meat retailers, 3,198 bars, 8,101 food establishments, 6,653 dry cleaners, 3,345 carpentry workshops, 4,544 automobile mechanic shops, 1,598 artisan shops, and 1,188 shoeshine stands.

Even with this sizable private sector in operation, the regime was able to exert total control. Moreover, this private sector had fresh memories of an imperfect, but significantly free pre-Castro Cuba. It was a civil society still imbued with the political principles of the 1940s Cuban Constitution enshrining liberty. And yet, this civil society was unable to prevent the communization of the island, or bring about change in the regime.

Not coincidentally, and perhaps correlational, this period was the most brutally repressive of the Castro era, with thousands of executions and tens of thousands of long-term political prisoners. A strong argument could be made that self-employment without political freedom requires intensified repression in order to maintain control. Thus, increased repression in Cuba could be one of the unintended consequences of the new policy.

The self-employment Cuba permits consists of permits to provide services in 201 subsistence activities, such as repairing umbrellas and peeling fruits. Its participants are mostly individuals born after 1959 with no living memories of political freedoms. So, on what grounds do supporters of the new policy formulate change championed by the newly self-employed?

Controlled laboratory experimentation is mostly unavailable to social scientists. Therefore, our analysis is necessarily based on the use of analogies, often borrowed from historical experience, as I have done above. The new US-Cuba policy is one that accommodates the Cuban regime for the continued denial of political freedoms. It is a condescending formulation that sets aside expectations of freedom without offering even an analogical defense for the thesis that freedom may come some day as a byproduct of economic engagement.

In the United States we believe in the presumption of freedom. And yet, the new policy abandons the historical US exigency for political freedom. Therefore, just as the burden of proof is on the accuser and not on the accused, the burden of demonstration on the efficacy of the policy is on those yielding on our core principle of freedom. The advocacy for liberty needs no validation.


__________________

 

Comentarios al artículo






 Get a new challenge


 
04-11-2023Robert Malley, key figure once behind U.S-Cuba policy and the most senior official focused on the Middle East both in the Biden and Obama administrations, is under FBI investigation, reportedly due to serious security concerns.By Maria Werlau.+videos
10-01-202263 YEARS OF OPPRESSION AND MISRULE IN CUBA. By Dr. Oscar Elías Biscet. Presidente de la Fundación Lawton de Derechos Humanos. Presidente del Proyecto Emilia. Medalla Presidencial de la Libertad.
12-02-2021The Left Confesses Its Election Sins.The executioners of this horrifically organized and plotted aberration of America’s democracy, are now in phase three: criminalizing the opposition. By Julio M. Shiling. El American.
10-01-2021The Crisis of American Democracy. By Julio M. Shiling. El American.
10-11-2020Cuba: Governmental Distortion of the Poverty Index. According to indirect estimates, 40-51% of the Cuban people live in poverty. By Marlene Azor Hernández. Diario de Cuba.
21-05-2020Cuba: The Tenaciousness of the Obsolete. By Fernando Dámaso. Translating Cuba.  
21-05-2020Cuba: Hoarding Versus Scarcity. Hoarding happens when there is scarcity. When the latter is eliminated, the former disappears. It cannot be eliminated by persecution, repression, or confiscation. By Fernando Dámaso. Translating Cuba.
30-12-2019The Voting Age in Latin America. By Carlos Alberto Montaner. LAHT.
09-11-2019A jailed Cuban activist is in grave danger. He must be released. The Washington Post Editorial Board.
01-11-2019The Destruction in Chile. By Carlos Alberto Montaner. LAHT.
29-09-2019Arbitrary Arrests in Cuba: Fact or Fiction? By Eloy Viera Canive. Havana Times/El Toque.  
25-09-2019The Case of the Cuban Diplomats Expelled from the US. By Juan Antonio Blanco. Diario de Cuba.
16-09-2019Mogherini's Visit and the EU's Deal with Cuba. By Osmel Ramirez Alvarez. Havana Times.
28-08-2019After Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua. By Miguel Henrique Otero. 14ymedio.
28-08-2019Summary of a report by Cuban economist Emilio Morales. By Vicente Morin Aguado. Havana Times.
22-08-2019Cuba fails to compensate for civil aviation victims as required by law. Cuba Archive.
17-08-2019The 5 Reasons for the Success of the Embargo Against Venezuela's Maduro Regime. By Carlos Alberto Montaner. LAHT.
17-08-2019Cuba: Reform or Violence? By Juan Antonio Blanco. Diario de Cuba.
20-07-2019Cubazuelas Diplomatic Debacle. By Juan Antonio Blanco. Diario de Cuba.
14-07-2019The Day Innocence Drowned. By Yoani Sanchez. 14ymedio.
14-07-2019Venezuela Today: The Left's Eyes are Bleeding. By Caridad. Havana Times.
25-06-2019Economic Minister Gil on Accommodating Cuba's Import Mentality. By Elías Amor Bravo. Translating Cuba/14ymedio.
23-06-2019Will the Cuban Revolution Survive a New Special Period Crisis? By Osmel Ramirez Alvarez. Havana Times.
17-06-2019Venezuela, Cuba and How Political Power is Never Surrendered by Peaceful Means. By Carlos Alberto Montaner. LAHT.
01-06-2019Caracas, Between Oslo and Havana. By Juan Antonio Blanco. Diario de Cuba.
01-06-2019Cuba: The Third Time's the End. By Roberto Álvarez Quiñones. Diario de Cuba.
19-05-2019 Venezuela or How to Postpone the Crisis Using the Nicaraguan Model. By Carlos Alberto Montaner. LAHT.
10-05-2019Loyalty in Venezuela in Times of Crisis. By Carlos Alberto Montaner. LAHT.
07-04-2019Here in Venezuela We've Become Zombies. By Caridad. Havana Times.
17-03-2019Almost Two and a Half Million Cubans Didn't Vote Yes. By Ivan García. Translating Cuba.  
03-03-2019What We Gained and Lost with Cuba's Constitutional Referendum. By Osmel Ramirez Alvarez. Havana Times.
19-02-2019The Castroist Military Junta Is Above the New Constitution. By Roberto Alvarez Quiñones. Diario de Cuba.
17-02-2019Cuba: Constitutional Referendum, Food Shortage And Social Unrest. By Iván García. Translating Cuba.
13-02-2019Understanding China's Interests in Venezuela and Latin America. By Beatrice E. Rangel. LAHT.
04-02-2019The Venezuelan regime of Nicolas Maduro is sinking. What will Cuba do? By Carlos Alberto Montaner. 14ymedio.
04-02-2019Shortages of Essential Products Worsens in Cuba. By Osmel Ramirez Alvarez. Havana Times.
26-01-2019Cuba healthcare crisis deepens 8 years after mass manslaughter at Mazorra. Cuba Archive.
20-01-2019The Multiple Ways the Maduro Regime Kills. By Miguel Henrique Otero. 14ymedio.
11-01-2019It's Going to Be a Tough Year in Cuba. By Irina Echarry. Havana Times.
11-01-2019In Bolivia, the Emperor Truly is Nude. by Beatrice E. Rangel. LAHT.
11-01-2019Venezuela: A cautionary tale. By Notes from the Cuban Exile Quarters.
08-01-2019Wealth Doesn't Only Come From Work, There's More. By Elías Amor Bravo. 14ymedio.
05-01-2019Cuba 2018: Neo-Castroism and an Economy in Hibernation. By Iván García. Translating Cuba.  
04-01-20192018 ends with Latin America trapped between hope and despair. By Beatrice Rangel. LAHT.
02-01-201960 Years of Permanent War. By Ariel Hidalgo. 14ymedio.
27-12-2018Sixty Years After the Drunkenness. By Carlos Alberto Montaner.
10-12-2018Recovering Cuba's Pre-Castro human rights legacy. By John Suarez. Notes from the Cuban Exile Quarter.
20-11-2018A Very Interesting Account of Events, at a Hospital in Holguin, Cuba. By Osmel Ramirez Álvarez. Havana Times.
08-11-2018Cuba and the Power of a Just Principle. By Veronica Vega. Havana Times. 
30-10-2018Why We Must Defend Nicaraguas Bishops. By Carlos F. Chamorro. Havana Times/Confidencial.




                                       
    Eitores y Redactores  

Guillermo Milán Reyes. Artículos, Entrevistas y Documentos.

Entrevistas realizadas a Guillermo Milán Reyes, editor y redactor de esta página Web "Cuba Democracia Y Vida.org", por varios periodistas de importantes periódicos en Maputo-Mozambique, a mediados del 2004. CUBA DEMOCRACIA Y VIDA.ORG

Colaboradores:

Dr. Alberto Roteta Dorado: ARTÍCULOS Y OPINIONES SOBRE CUBA Y LA SITUACIÓN MUNDIAL.

Dr. Eloy A. González: ARTÍCULOS SOBRE LA SITUACIÓN CUBANA Y ASUNTOS RELIGIOSOS DE CUBA.

Imgemiero Químico Roberto L. Capote Castillo:

Profesor José Vilasuso Rivero. Artículos y Documentos sobre el Che Guevara.

Julio M. Shiling

Lcdo. Sergio Ramos

Domingo Lezcano, colaborador de nuestra Web CubaDemocracia yVida.ORG: ARTÍCULOS Y OPINIONES.

Referencia en línea
Diccionario, enciclopedia y más
Palabra:
Buscar en:
Diccionario de español
Diccionario de inglés
Diccionario de alemán
Diccionario de francés
Diccionario de italiano
Diccionario de árabe
Diccionario de chino (S)
Diccionario de polaco
Diccionario de portugués
Diccionario de holandés
Diccionario de noruego
Diccionario de griego
Diccionario de ruso
Diccionario de turco
Sólo en inglés:


  
 
  
 Canal YouTube
de CDV.ORG
CANAL YOU TUBE DE CubaDemocracia y Vida.org
 
 
PRESOS POLITICOS 
 
 REPRESORES CUBANOS
 REPRESORES CUBANOS 
 
 
 
 Cuba: Derechos Humanos.
DERECHOS HUMANOS : HUMAN RIGHTS

CUBA:
REPRESORES CUBANOS.
ESBIRROS CASTRISTAS
Cuba: PÁGINA PARA REGISTRAR A LOS REPRESORES O ESBIRROS DE LA TIRANÍA DE LOS CASTRO.

 Cuba: Represión.
REPRESIÓN EN CUBA

Videos de UNPACU
CUBANOS DE A PIE OPINAN. VIDEOS REALIZADOS POR LA GLORIOSA UNPACU:

Noticias sobre Venezuela:
TODO SOBRE VENEZUELA.

 Sobre el Mártir Oswaldo Payá:
OSWALDO PAYA SARDIÑAS: NOTAS DE PRENSA, DOCUMENTOS, VIDEOS, NOTICIAS.

Sobre Orlando Zapata.
ORLANDO ZAPATA TAMAYO. MÁRTIR DE CUBA. VIDEOS, ARTÍCULOS, OPINIONES, DOCUMENTOS Y NOTICIAS.

Cuba: Damas de Blanco.
DAMAS DE BLANCO

Canal VIMEO de CDV.ORG
 Canal VIMEO de CubaDemocraciayVida.org

Dr. Médico  Oncólogo
Eloy A. González
     NUEVO LIBRO:       
 “Una Patria atesorada para  
muchos y perdida para otros”

MÉDICO Y ESCRITOR ELOY A. GONZÁLEZ: EXCELENTE NUEVO LIBRO:  “Una Patria atesorada para muchos  y perdida para otros”
MÉDICO Y ESCRITOR ELOY A. GONZÁLEZ: EXCELENTE NUEVO LIBRO:  “Una Patria atesorada para muchos  y perdida para otros”

 

Haga Click en la imagen abajo para
comprar este excelente libro del
Escritor, e
Ingeniero Químico
Roberto L. Capote Castillo.

 Nuevo Libro N° 48: "Desde las orillas del Sena". Tomo XXVII. Serie “Cartas a Ofelia”. Por Félix José Hernández.

BIBLIOCUBA:  Crónicas coleccionables. Libros “Cartas a Ofelia” . Félix José Hernández

NUEVO LIBRO DEL ABOGADO Faisel Iglesias: "DOLOR Y PERDON" LA HISTORIA DE LA MUSICA CUBANA A TRAVÉS DE BENNY MORE (En español)

 Libro: "ASÍ  SE VOTA EN CUBA": Cuba es una pequeña Corea del Norte. Dijo el autor del libro Leandro Querido.

Haga CLIC AQUÍ
para comprar el libro
en la editorial de origen
.
 

ESCRITOR ELOY A. GONZÁLEZ:
NUEVO LIBRO:
Notas sobre
la religiosidad del
cubano bajo una
dictadura  prolongada.
CLICK LA IMAGEN DEBAJO

NUEVO LIBRO DE ELOY A. GONZÁLEZ: Notas sobre la religiosidad del cubano bajo una dictadura prolongada.

La Habana bien
vale unos Títulos
Por el Dr. Eloy A González.
CLICK  LA IMAGEN DEBAJO
“La Habana bien vale unos Títulos”. Una selección de artículos sobre Salud, Medicina y Educación Médica en Cuba. Por el Dr. Eloy A. González.

  Click debajo y Compre
este
hermoso libro
de Manolo Pozo.
"Aurora-Poesía": Nuevo libro de Manolo Pozo. Escritor, Periodista Independiente, fue durante 14 años columnista del periódico "20 de Mayo", Ex-Prisionero Político cubano y Miembro del Nuevo Presidio Político Plantado.

 MOVIMIENTO CRISTIANO LIBERACION
EL BLOG DE DANILO MALDONADO, "EL SEXTO".
RADIO REPÚBLICA CUBA
ATeVe
ICLEP: INSTITUTO CUBANO POR LA LIBERTAD DE EXPRESIÓN Y PRENSA.
YUSNABY POST.
CUBANOS DE ADENTRO Y DE ABAJO
PUENTE DEMOCRATICO
VIDEOS DESDE CUBA: CRIOLLO "LBERAL".
PRO CUBA LIBRE
NEO CLUB
ARCHIVO CUBA
LIBERTAD DIGITAL
TELEVISIÓN ESPAÑOLA EN VIVO. TRES CANALES EN DIRECTO: CANAL 24H, CANAL 1 DE LA TVE Y CANAL DE DEPORTE.
BLOG DEL DR. MICHAEL LARRONDO: Médicos Disidentes sin Censura.
 



Content Management System SimpleCMS

©2005-2024 Cuba Democracia y Vida.
E-mail: info@cubademocraciayvida.org