Today in Cuba, out of 10 million, 9 million live in abject powerty and Castro's version of worker's paradise ($10 a month, lousy food, horrible housing etc.
The catch is - many of them never lived better. They are the backbone of Castro's regime. They take the pride of "defeating U.S.A.", they are the consumers of Castro drivel. Without Castro, they would be lost.
Around 1 million, those with access to American dollars live in different world. Tourist industry, sex workers, people who get remittance from abroad, they live different life. And the majority of them knew of better times before Castro. A 10 minutes stroll in Havana shopping mall with shops selling merchandise for dollars will show that. It caters to 1 million Cubans who want DVDs, German cars and other symbols of consumer society. Only if they could afford.
As it is today, Castro could organize free elections, invite international observers and win counting on the votes from 9 million.
As long as embargo is in force, Castro can foam about "Yankees are destroying Cuba that's why we have problems." Without U.S. embargo, Castro would be lost.
The key of dismantling dictatorship is not addressing 1 million, they know it already. The key is getting another one or two million out of 9 million Castro supporters.
If Hose can work for Star*ucks and earn per day what he was earning per for a month with Castro, Hose's family and friends will wake up and smell the coffee.
This can be achieved with the gradual and careful lifting of embargo and the property rights of American citizens and opening of new businesses can be neatly tied together. Carrot and stick policy.
One has to be pretty naive to believe that U.S.was capable of dismantling the entire Eastern block and can not unseat the Old Man.
Methinks, U.S. and Castro are jointly keeping 10 million Cubans in the prison. The only thing I do not know why. Preservation of resources, perhaps.