The Caribbean loses a friend

Because it is now left to be seen whether the recent amplified rapprochement between the nemesis of the United States, literally on America’ door step, and America itself will assume new meaning and significance.

If one is to take in to consideration, the reaction of President elect, Donald Trump — very far from being the world’s leading diplomat — calling Fidel a brutal dictator mere hours after the Cuban leader’s death, the road to normalising relations between America and Cuba is not going to be cut and dry.

One has to put in the mix that while Castro endorsed all the diplomatic initiatives that resulted in the re-establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, it is known that while giving his brother Raoul a free hand to further the process, Fidel himself was lukewarm in welcoming the ties with the US.

And who can blame him. After all, it was the US that had the might to flex its muscles, and this it did with an iron fist, imposing crippling sanctions on the island including banning travel from the US to the country for most of the five decades of his revolution.

But Fidel remained defiant, prolonging the Cold War, and even heating it up under John F Kennedy who was prepared to take the world to war if missile- bearing Russian boats were to make it to Cuba to install the ominous weaponry almost within sight of the Miami US coast line. Luckily for the region and the world, the Russian President at the time, Nikita Khrushchev, although up to the last minute, was not prepared to see whether Kennedy was bluffing.

That crisis over, Fidel continued with his revolution, under a one party system, and reportedly executing hundreds of supporters of the man he over threw.

Batista. with hundreds of supporters of the Batista government executed and others against him languishing in jail. His heavy rule gave the northern Caribbean its own boat people, with thousands fleeing the country to escape his wrath and establishing a Cuban outpost in Miami with an avowed mission to see his end.

These people and their descendants were celebrating Fidel’s demise as they took to the streets of Miami yesterday.

The United States and its allies sought to capitalise on the “free” world’s nervousness over Castro’s embrace of Russian style communism giving him the title of the only remaining communist leader in the world as leftist countries revolutionised their systems one by one. But Fidel’s charisma among his own people would transcend the American constant drubbing and Castro would become a symbol of the left around the world, especially revolutionaries in Latin America.

Fidel countered every effort to oust him including the infamous Bay of Pigs invasion and several reported assassination attempts.

remaining widely popular at home and in countries battling the dictates of developed nations.

A midst the negatives were quite positive achievements taking place under Fidel in Cuba, particularly in the field of medicine.

Cuba was also one of the few countries’ that was able to successfully initiate measures to contain the HIV Aids epidemic in this part of the world.

Cuba also became an exporter of highly trained doctors to many countries including Trinidad and Tobago. One also remembers former Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister, Patrick Manning turning to Cuba as he sought to resolve his cardiac problems.

Fidel was described as a friend of the Caribbean by the Caricom Secretary General. The converse in this context is also quite true because it was the Caricom countries who were championing the cause of Cuba to have normal relations with the region. Indeed, the Caribbean has lost a friend.