The U.S. and Cuba got a divorce more than 50 years ago.
Since that time, the two bickering nations became deeply involved in betraying the very ideologies they so violently protect. In the U.S., there is a long trail of blood behind the failed brutal dictators propped up with U.S. cash and military hardware. In Cuba, there is a vein of gold accumulated by a small number of capitalists and, more recently, a policy of economic development centered on attracted the world’s affluent, capitalist travelers and industrialists.
Ben Rhodes, Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications for US President Barack Obama, commented in an interview with Vice Media about his experience crafting the new relationship with Cuba: “For what ever reason, it’s easier to bomb another country than it is to engage another country.”
Obama’s detente, something akin to annulling a divorce, has just gotten started, and, like in a traditional divorce setting, the parents’ bickering serves only to harm the children.
Meet some of the “children” caught up in the current rant.
Yrixa cares little about ideology but has found a new hope for her family through the financial independence she earns by being a private masseuse.
Maria’s family opened a cigar store in Santa Clara and loves to share her considerable knowledge of cigar making and smoking.
Yuniel doesn’t mind paying $900/month in taxes to drive his own taxi and pursue the freedoms afforded by financial independence.
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Isolina has been a dedicated artist all her life and was lucky enough to meet Michelle Obama during her visit to Cuba.
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The outdoor seating and positive energy from the employees of this legal, private restaurant (paladar) makes for an amazing dining experience.
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Rodolfo set up his bar in the parking lot and serves the tour groups visiting the Hemingway museum. The ingredients are simple, like all of the cocktails Hemingway loved: a few slices of lime; a wedge of pineapple; freshly-pressed guarapo (the kind of fresh where you’re there when they press the sugar cane) and Cuba’s most famous exported rum, Havana Club 7 Anos.
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Inspired by her father’s belief in her inner strength, Roxana turned her civil engineering studies and a passion for silversmithing into a thriving business employing more than 30 people with a growing international presence
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Jose and Ines renovated their home to accommodate the new flow of American tourists arriving in Santa Clara, Cuba. Starting earlier this year, three U.S. airlines began direct flights to Santa Clara.
Tony, a marine biologist, is now a diving instructor for Avalon, a company that operates a live-aboard diving and fishing operation in the Jardines de la Reina of Cuba.
Also among the new private sector operators is Cuba’s tech entrepreneurs. Read: Cuba’s Startup and Tech Scene on the Verge of Connection
