Today the Diplomacist blog debuted a new feature, Partisan Response, which provides contrasting partisan commentary on international affairs issues from the Review and Progressive.
Here’s Executive Editor Joe Bonica’s response to the article titled “The Reality of Cuba’s Reforms”:
Though President Raúl Castro has acted on behalf of his Fidel brother to “liberalize” the economy by reducing Cuban state employment and allowing limited entrepreneurship, much more needs to be done to truly facilitate this transition, including allowing free access to information. Unfortunately, the Castro regime has a terrible history of real reform.
The position of the United States should therefore be one that is firm but non-interventionist at the same time, being especially steadfast in the need for information to flow freely in the country. Cuba is off to a fairly good start with its current liberalization reforms; the United States should encourage continued liberalization of the economy as the best engine to lift Cuba out of its terrible doldrums.
However, the United States should also inform the Castro government that a liberal economy functions best when full information is available to the purchasing public. It would also be hugely positive for the Cuban economy to allow free trade in the region. Perhaps, then, a deal could be worked out between the U.S and Cuba: if Cuba promises to vastly increase the flow of information to their own citizens, then the United States will either greatly modify or completely eliminate the decades-old embargo on the country. Whether or not this realpolitik will work waits to be seen, but if the Castros truly intend a liberalized Cuban economy, this will prove a very telling test.
