Question of the day: How much trade with the Castro dictatorship will bring freedom to Cuba?

Babalú Blog

By Alberto de la Cruz

It is a simple question borne of the constant argument presented by "Cuba Experts" that the key to democratic reforms and freedom in Cuba is doing business with the murderous dictatorship of the Castro family. Therefore, based on trade figures released by the European Union, one has to ask: Just how many billions of dollars in trade by "free and democratic" nations with Cuba's apartheid dictatorship will it take to finally bring freedom to all Cubans?

Take a look at the graph below excerpted from the EU report. Three of the top 5 countries doing business with Cuba are "free and democratic" and are responsible for more than $3 billion in imports, nearly a third of the nation's total imports.

Click on image to enlarge

So, how many more billions will make Cuba free?

Or a more pertinent question: How much freer are Cubans today thanks to the billions that poured into Cuba from free nations in 2012? If you remember, that is the same 2012 that saw a record number of political arrests on the island and the blatant murder of opposition leaders.

I guess we will have to wait for the "Cuba Experts" for clarification because as Cubans, we are not qualified to answer these tricky questions.

H/T Punto Cuba