Here's the link:
http://www.economist.com/node/21551047
It has been known a while ago that underlying the Cuba's communist shell is the changing and reforming of the whole system into some form of capitalism. Even though Raul Castro might say that he doesn't want to dismantle the current system in Cuba, I think that's just mere words. And you know what - China and Vietnam also have to go through the same ruse - "no we're not trying to dismantle the (communist) system." It's just the way it has to be done. Just like China or Vietnam, I think that the capitalistic form of Cuba (in the future when they totally transform out of socialism) will be not quite similar to the US's.
Of course, the transition's biggest obstacle would be mainly political and oppositions from those that benefit the most from the system (which usually is the minority). It will be interesting to see how Cuba get out of this.
5 comments:
I can't help but tie leaders of failing socialist systems back to the fate of Gorbachev from the U.S.S.R. Although he legitimately was a believer in the socialist system, his attempts to reform it led to it's demise. I feel as though Castro may actually be trying to hold onto the socialist system, but that it is all semantics as the country will be unable to support a failing system with the current level of international support. It is also worth noting that the minority that you mentioned which benefits from socialism also happens to control the immediate fate of the country, encouraging political leaders to act for their own self-interest rather than the economic advancement of the state.
This was a really interesting article. I think its quite clear that with the privatization of farmland and being able to sell property shows the imminent transformation to capitalism. It will be interesting to see what the future will hold for Cuba. Will it be the next country to be globalized with FDI? The article warns that Castro may be moving too slow in the transformation, and that people are not responding well to the changes. It will be interesting to see what the reaction will be in the future as this economy becomes even more capitalistic.
I hope Cuba does move towards a capitalist economy because it could heal Cuba and American relations. I believe the key to the shift from socialism to capitalism is taking your time in the switch. After reading Globalization and Its Discontents, countries who switch as quickly as possible from socialism to capitalism, the switch has been disastrous compared to countries who have a slow gradual switch.
The article starts by claiming Cuba is a communist nation. Prof Skosples would not be pleased. That aside, socialism in the form the Cubans run is dead. They just haven't admitted it yet. The Cuban economy has been in shambles for a long time, and it has only been kept afloat by money from Venezuela. Like every socialist state before it Cuba is transitioning towards capitalism. If Cuba does something similar to the two-track method, I wonder how powerful the Cuban economy will become.
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