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President Obama has become the first U.S. president to visit Cuba since long before the Cuban embargo began:
President Barack Obama embarked on Sunday on a historic trip to Cuba where a Communist government that vilified the United States for decades prepared a red-carpet welcome. Lifting off from Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington, Obama headed for Havana where the sight of Air Force One, America's iconic presidential jet, touching down on Cuban soil would have been unimaginable not long ago.
The three-day trip, the first by a U.S. president in 88 years, is the culmination of a diplomatic opening announced by Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro in December 2014, ending a Cold War-era estrangement that began when the Cuban revolution ousted a pro-American government in 1959. Obama, who abandoned a longtime U.S. policy of trying to isolate Cuba internationally, now wants to make his shift irreversible. But major obstacles remain to full normalization of ties.
Ahead of Obama's arrival, plainclothes police blanketed the capital with security while public works crews busily laid down asphalt in a city where drivers joke they must navigate "potholes with streets." Welcome signs with images of Obama alongside Castro popped up in colonial Old Havana, where the president and his family will tour later on Sunday.
Also at The Guardian and live at The Washington Post. Voice of America reports that dozens of protesters were arrested hours before Obama's visit.
Extras:
How Canada played pivotal role in Obama's history-making trip to Cuba
How Raúl Castro broke with firebrand brother Fidel to jump start Cuba-U.S. relations
US hotel firm Starwood strikes historic Cuba deal
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 21 2016, @12:20AM
I don't doubt your story at all -- many left Cuba under very tough circumstances.
At the same time, the history I was taught and picked up along way (I started paying attention in college, early 1970s) is that the prior government in Cuba was *incredibly* corrupt. Some kind of revolution was inevitable. Also that the ruling/wealthy class was tiny and everyone else had no chance at all. Thus Castro was a pendulum swing, far in the other direction. Care to comment?
(Score: 3, Informative) by cmn32480 on Monday March 21 2016, @12:49AM
You actually paid attention in history class. Gold Star!
The Batista regime WAS corrupt and, unfortunately, US backed until 1958. It was not quite as bad many portray it to be, and certainly better than what came after 1959. My grandfather was a successful upper-middle class professional.
This article (from 2004) [pbs.org] describes the pre-Castro years in Cuba.
This blog entry [blogspot.com] seems to be rather even handed in describing his historical role, and the situation under which he could have handed the nation back to the hands of democracy and spared the people many years of communist rule.
Honestly, I am quite lucky that my father and his family were able to come here as refugees on an airplane via Jamaica, instead of the more well know transit to the Florida Keys via home made raft.
"It's a dog eat dog world, and I'm wearing Milkbone underwear" - Norm Peterson
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 21 2016, @05:50AM
'My grandfather was a successful upper-middle class professional.'
So your grandfather qualified as what the peasants/revolutionaries saw as the PROBLEM, not the solution.
Given that Castro in particular, and Cuba as a whole survived every attack, psyop, and bit of posturing set against them (save retaining control of Guantanamo all these years.) I would have to say that the majority either agrees with, or is content to live within the structure created as a result of the communist revolution there. That is the problem with majority vote, sometimes the minorities are singled out and persecuted. Maybe you should spend less time looking at your former home, and more time looking at how you can help others overcome similiar persecution in your current home instead.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Runaway1956 on Monday March 21 2016, @01:25AM
Ukraine had an incredibly corrupt government of it's own. The Cock brothers invested billions to have that incredibly corrupt government overturned, and to replace it with another incredibly corrupt government, more to their liking.
If you should take a look at our own military industrial complex today, you'll see that we are not competent to judge corruption.
There have been precious few governments in history that have NOT been corrupt.
Pendulum swing? Maybe. Castro deserves a little credit for standing up to the Pax Americana, in which banana republics were overthrown on a whim, and petty dictators bought and sold in bulk.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 21 2016, @01:52AM
No better government than a good king, no worse government than a bad king. It never changes.