Fidel Castro passed away at age of 90

My condolence to Cuban people. May Fidel Rest in Peace.

https://sputniknews.com/world/201611261047860407-fidel-castro-died/

He was one of the finest, humanity has created

Hasta Siempre Comandante

A real man of the people.

Hasta Siem barbudo. It wont be the same.without you. My day is officially fu.

Unbelievable, RIP.

Hasta siempre Comandante

Rest in peace comandante

They all tried to get him and he outlived every single one of them.

Game Over. Winner: FidelC

Rest in peace mi amigo, a true legend.

RIP Comandante ... retook his country from the US mafia who used/abused the island as a rich man's paradise who almost wiped out the island's ecology and thanks to Fidel he saved the island paradise's ecology

A great leader until the fall of USSR, RIP.

But I'm not going to pretend I ever approved of his politics and policies. He was a communist that learnt very little after 1991. His country is weak, his military power and ability has eroded since the fall of the Soviet Union. Cuba is in terrible shape.

kvs wrote:I hope Cuba does not get flushed down the toilet like Venezuela and Ukraine.

Surely not by people detached from reality like those celebrating today.

whir wrote:

kvs wrote:I hope Cuba does not get flushed down the toilet like Venezuela and Ukraine.

Surely not by people detached from reality like those celebrating today.

Or those that celebrated Raul's and Obama's restoring relations last year. Russia left Cuba a decade or so ago. Cuba will become a US ally sooner or later. Like Venezuala too. Russia refused to play ball in either of those places (seems like ball is played in Ukraine now, far far away from USA).

KiloGolf wrote:Or those that celebrated Raul's and Obama's restoring relations last year. Russia left Cuba a decade or so ago. Cuba will become a US ally sooner or later. Like Venezuala too. Russia refused to play ball in either of those places (seems like ball is played in Ukraine now, far far away from USA).

It's not the same not being hostile like for example Dominican Republic and becoming the next Puerto Rico.

KiloGolf wrote:

whir wrote:

kvs wrote:I hope Cuba does not get flushed down the toilet like Venezuela and Ukraine.

Surely not by people detached from reality like those celebrating today.

Or those that celebrated Raul's and Obama's restoring relations last year. Russia left Cuba a decade or so ago. Cuba will become a US ally sooner or later. Like Venezuala too. Russia refused to play ball in either of those places (seems like ball is played in Ukraine now, far far away from USA).

Cuba could become more than an ally, the problem is that with the new administration at the white house, Cuba isn't getting any closer to the US, so you can all breathe freely, 4 more years of May parades and under-priced vacations.

On the long run, Cuba is important only because it is different, once it gets done it will be left to rot for more pressing issues. And this many Cubans know...

KoTeMoRe wrote:

KiloGolf wrote:

whir wrote:

kvs wrote:I hope Cuba does not get flushed down the toilet like Venezuela and Ukraine.

Surely not by people detached from reality like those celebrating today.

Or those that celebrated Raul's and Obama's restoring relations last year. Russia left Cuba a decade or so ago. Cuba will become a US ally sooner or later. Like Venezuala too. Russia refused to play ball in either of those places (seems like ball is played in Ukraine now, far far away from USA).

Cuba could become more than an ally, the problem is that with the new administration at the white house, Cuba isn't getting any closer to the US, so you can all breathe freely, 4 more years of May parades and under-priced vacations.

On the long run, Cuba is important only because it is different, once it gets done it will be left to rot for more pressing issues. And this many Cubans know...

I wouldn't rule out Raul paying a visit to Trump tower sometime soon. I don't trust that he's pursuing Cuba's national interest as much as Fidel did. Cuba was a great opportunity for Russia between 2002 and 2014, to establish bases and so on. They missed that opportunity now. Hell they cut and run from it. Same in Vietnam.

KiloGolf wrote:

KoTeMoRe wrote:

KiloGolf wrote:

whir wrote:

kvs wrote:I hope Cuba does not get flushed down the toilet like Venezuela and Ukraine.

Surely not by people detached from reality like those celebrating today.

Or those that celebrated Raul's and Obama's restoring relations last year. Russia left Cuba a decade or so ago. Cuba will become a US ally sooner or later. Like Venezuala too. Russia refused to play ball in either of those places (seems like ball is played in Ukraine now, far far away from USA).

Cuba could become more than an ally, the problem is that with the new administration at the white house, Cuba isn't getting any closer to the US, so you can all breathe freely, 4 more years of May parades and under-priced vacations.

On the long run, Cuba is important only because it is different, once it gets done it will be left to rot for more pressing issues. And this many Cubans know...

I wouldn't rule out Raul paying a visit to Trump tower sometime soon. I don't trust that he's pursuing Cuba's national interest as much as Fidel did. Cuba was a great opportunity for Russia between 2002 and 2014, to establish bases and so on. They missed that opportunity now. Hell they cut and run from it. Same in Vietnam.

It would have been incredibly incendiary of Russia to set up shop in Cuba at any point in the 21st century, only now should such inflammatory action be considered. Geopolitical suicide is not Russia's forte.

OminousSpudd wrote:It would have been incredibly incendiary of Russia to set up shop in Cuba at any point in the 21st century, only now should such inflammatory action be considered. Geopolitical suicide is not Russia's forte.

Not more inflammatory than the current US missions and deployments in Latvia and Estonia, right on the border with Russia proper. Also if one example of geopolitical suicide can be remembered, on behalf of Russia, it's allowing the US to setup shop (meaning military bases, tanks and so on) a few kilometers from major Russian population centers, less than 20 years after being forced to withdraw their forces from these two countries.

KiloGolf wrote:

OminousSpudd wrote:It would have been incredibly incendiary of Russia to set up shop in Cuba at any point in the 21st century, only now should such inflammatory action be considered. Geopolitical suicide is not Russia's forte.

Not more inflammatory than the current US missions and deployments in Latvia, right on the border with Russia.

The game doesn't work both ways. You know that.

OminousSpudd wrote:

KiloGolf wrote:

OminousSpudd wrote:It would have been incredibly incendiary of Russia to set up shop in Cuba at any point in the 21st century, only now should such inflammatory action be considered. Geopolitical suicide is not Russia's forte.

Not more inflammatory than the current US missions and deployments in Latvia, right on the border with Russia.

The game doesn't work both ways. You know that.

Well if that's the case, non-participation, then one looses the game from the start.

KiloGolf wrote:

OminousSpudd wrote:

KiloGolf wrote:

OminousSpudd wrote:It would have been incredibly incendiary of Russia to set up shop in Cuba at any point in the 21st century, only now should such inflammatory action be considered. Geopolitical suicide is not Russia's forte.

Not more inflammatory than the current US missions and deployments in Latvia, right on the border with Russia.

The game doesn't work both ways. You know that.

Well if that's the case, non-participation, then one looses the game from the start.

The US is the pigeon that shits on the board. No matter how many times you throw a tantrum, chuck the pieces across the room, beat up your opponent, the game will still be there.
Non-participation is precisely not what Russia is doing, avoiding conventional warfare with an enemy that has exponentially greater power projection and is willing to pull the trigger at the drop of hat is called strategy. Re-building foreign relations (not just on a government level, but on a you and me basis) to the point the entirety of the West is slowly but surely realizing they do not have a leg to stand on when it comes to calling Russia the "aggressor", that's called strategy.

OminousSpudd wrote:

KiloGolf wrote:

OminousSpudd wrote:

KiloGolf wrote:

OminousSpudd wrote:It would have been incredibly incendiary of Russia to set up shop in Cuba at any point in the 21st century, only now should such inflammatory action be considered. Geopolitical suicide is not Russia's forte.

Not more inflammatory than the current US missions and deployments in Latvia, right on the border with Russia.

The game doesn't work both ways. You know that.

Well if that's the case, non-participation, then one looses the game from the start.

The US is the pigeon that shits on the board. No matter how many times you throw a tantrum, chuck the pieces across the room, beat up your opponent, the game will still be there.
Non-participation is precisely not what Russia is doing, avoiding conventional warfare with an enemy that has exponentially greater power projection and is willing to pull the trigger at the drop of hat is called strategy. Re-building foreign relations (not just on a government level, but on a you and me basis) to the point the entirety of the West is slowly but surely realizing they do not have a leg to stand on when it comes to calling Russia the "aggressor", that's called strategy.

I'm a pessimist, and I go for the worst case scenario for Russia here. Right now, as I see it, the death of Fidel is basically one more obstacle gone between the rapprochement of USA and Cuba.

KiloGolf wrote:

KoTeMoRe wrote:

KiloGolf wrote:

whir wrote:

kvs wrote:I hope Cuba does not get flushed down the toilet like Venezuela and Ukraine.

Surely not by people detached from reality like those celebrating today.

Or those that celebrated Raul's and Obama's restoring relations last year. Russia left Cuba a decade or so ago. Cuba will become a US ally sooner or later. Like Venezuala too. Russia refused to play ball in either of those places (seems like ball is played in Ukraine now, far far away from USA).

Cuba could become more than an ally, the problem is that with the new administration at the white house, Cuba isn't getting any closer to the US, so you can all breathe freely, 4 more years of May parades and under-priced vacations.

On the long run, Cuba is important only because it is different, once it gets done it will be left to rot for more pressing issues. And this many Cubans know...

I wouldn't rule out Raul paying a visit to Trump tower sometime soon. I don't trust that he's pursuing Cuba's national interest as much as Fidel did. Cuba was a great opportunity for Russia between 2002 and 2014, to establish bases and so on. They missed that opportunity now. Hell they cut and run from it. Same in Vietnam.

From a short term perspective Raul is indeed trying to milk the US out tourists, the problem will happen when big names like Fourpoints, W, SLHOW etc will pour in many aspects of that will change. Double down with MickeyD's and other such "light industry" outlets and you'll have huge issues. Yuuuuge.

But it is the way of the world, the only possibility is for Cuba to go all Chinese (as in the Chinese model) and create chains and brands before the US chains and brands come in.

KoTeMoRe wrote:From a short term perspective Raul is indeed trying to milk the US out tourists, the problem will happen when big names like Fourpoints, W, SLHOW etc will pour in many aspects of that will change. Double down with MickeyD's and other such "light industry" outlets and you'll have huge issues. Yuuuuge.

But it is the way of the world, the only possibility is for Cuba to go all Chinese (as in the Chinese model) and create chains and brands before the US chains and brands come in.

Americans are lucky to switch from trashy Mexican cigars and horrible local rum to the likes of Cohiba and Havana Club.