The President’s abrupt announcement of an imminent détente with the tropical gulag run by the Castro Bros. has sent reporters and pundits scurrying to analyze the broader political implications of this seeming diplomatic breakthrough. On the economic front, the observation by former Mexican Foreign Secretary Jorge Castenda that the cutoff of Venezuela’s oil subsidies to the island nation has forced it to seek another benefactor is undoubtedly accurate. As is the conclusion drawn by the Washington Post’s editorial board that this new policy will in effect-if not in intent-serve as an American bailout of an economy entering the terminal stage of Marxist decline.
The reality of a first world, capitalist-for the time being-nation riding to the rescue of a regime which has turned what was once one of the most robust economies in the Western Hemisphere into a stagnant pool of human misery is something that El Jefe’s apologists are loathe to accept. A situation that Michael Moynihan deftly skewered in a Daily Beast post recounting some of the more imbecilic remarks tweeted by Castro sycophants, most of whom have probably never set foot inside a Cuban hospital.
Steve Sailer, on the other hand, has mooted a fascinating and original point which I think most of our readers would be interested in contemplating. To wit, that the relaxation of diplomatic relations between our two nations could potentially lead to the export of scores of Cuban migrants who pose economic and political problems for a faltering Communist dictatorship. Although the analogy to the Marielitos is tempting for a number of reasons, it’s not necessary to consider a seaborne invasion in order to foresee how immigration could be dramatically impacted by this diplomatic thaw.
While drawing any firm conclusions as to what will happen in the future regarding Cuban-American relations is impossible at the moment, is it that outlandish to consider the possibility of thousands-or a possibly greater number-of Cuban refugees being admitted to the United States as a result of a bilateral agreement between this administration and the caudillo in Havana, with or without congressional input? Based upon recent history, I don’t believe it is. Only time will tell whether this démarche is the beginning of a new era in American foreign policy or something much more cynical and unromantic.
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