Nine months of lowered tensions and new relationships with U.S. curb Cuba's official propaganda.
| Autor | Vazquez, Daniel |
Nine months after the Cuban and US governments announced their intention to resume diplomatic relations after 54 years of hostilities, Cuban society contemplates the accelerated changes, now more evident in the political plan than in economic advances, and the once fiery speeches, propaganda, and official marches against the neighboring enemy have almost disappeared.
Havana continues to be hard hit by shortages and deterioration, but the billboards against Washington have been lowered, people openly admire the richness of the neighboring nation without fear, taxi drivers now display both countries' insignias in their ramshackle US cars, and women sport the iconic stars and stripes painted on their fingernails and toenails. The US flag flies high in front of the US Embassy next to the Caribbean Sea, although an immense Cuban flag nearby tries to hide its neighbor's prominence.
The restoration of relations with the US has broken down the half century of rhetoric churned out by former President Fidel Castro, along with his brother, President Raul Castro, minister of defense for decades. Typically, the island was presented as a besieged territory, well-armed militarily, and perforated by underground shelters; a Messianic nation predestined to suffer, resist, and defend itself.
When Fidel Castro handed over direct control of the government in the summer of 2006 and his pragmatic, discrete, and not-the-least-bit-charismatic brother jumped to the forefront, there was a very evident, extensive transformation into a government that spends less on creating political platforms and parades. In contrast, it shows more willingness to control the local economy, resources, and productivity, although those reforms have had setbacks and met many obstacles in the indebted country with precarious infrastructure.
Raul Castro's rapprochement with the US seems to be the most difficult of all his decisions regarding economic and policy shifts, after former benefactors of the island, such as Russia, China, and Venezuela, faced their own economic difficulties and thus limited their once-abundant remittances and resources. Cuba now is trying to strengthen old ties and place itself into the orbit of its closest and most important market from the 18th century until 1959.
Progress in bilateral talks
On Sept. 11, a joint negotiations team met in Cuba to chart a course for the normalization of relations after the historic opening of embassies in Washington in July and...
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