麻豆精品

Summer 2015 | By Mary Frances Emmons

麻豆精品 S淟et me tell you a story, 麻豆精品 S� says Cuban-American poet Cecilia Rodr铆guez Milan茅s, 麻豆精品 S渟o you know where I 麻豆精品 S檓 coming from. 麻豆精品 S�

Born in the U.S. to Cuban parents, the UCF associate professor of English first traveled to the island in the late 1970s, 麻豆精品 S渨hen Castro opened doors to the exile community. 麻豆精品 S� She remembers visiting family in Havana and in the much poorer interior, where her relatives made do with thatched roofs and dirt floors. 麻豆精品 S淲hen you think of campesinos [farmers], that 麻豆精品 S檚 exactly what they were, 麻豆精品 S� she says. 麻豆精品 S淰ery little backyard, a chicken or two 麻豆精品 S� that 麻豆精品 S檚 all they owned. Everything else belonged to the pueblo, the government. 麻豆精品 S�

Fast-forward to 2011 and another trip to Havana. She noticed that a cousin her age had an Acer computer 麻豆精品 S渏ust like mine, with a huge monitor, and I was, like, 麻豆精品 S榃hat?! 麻豆精品 S� 麻豆精品 S� 麻豆精品 S淪o of course we had to go to the interior. But there, their lives had not changed. They were just as poor as they had been, 麻豆精品 S� with open pipes where faucets should have been and a toilet that worked 麻豆精品 S渨ith a bucket, 麻豆精品 S� she says. 麻豆精品 S淭hat 麻豆精品 S檚 a contrast I didn 麻豆精品 S檛 expect to see. 麻豆精品 S�

This tale of two Cubas 麻豆精品 S� of the divide between the bold and eager to modernize and the vulnerable and impoverished 麻豆精品 S� is what Cuba experts in the UCF community warn will be one of the many challenges faced by the U.S. as it tries to overcome 50 years of distrust and move toward a new normal.

Not So Fast

On Dec. 17, 2014, pundits everywhere hailed a thawing in the five-decade freeze between the United States and Cuba, dissolving the last remnants of the Cold War. But many authorities are sounding a more cautious note: It may be a long while until there 麻豆精品 S檚 a true flow of ideas, goods and travelers between these neighbors separated by 90 miles of open water and more than a century of misunderstanding.

麻豆精品 S淚 麻豆精品 S檓 not sure how much of a thaw we 麻豆精品 S檙e really going to see, 麻豆精品 S� says international relations researcher Paul Vasquez, a lecturer in the Department of Political Science who is of Cuban ancestry. 麻豆精品 S淭otally open trade and tourism won 麻豆精品 S檛 be possible in the immediate future because of laws passed on our side.

麻豆精品 S淎 host of technical details could be stumbling blocks to whether we move ahead, 麻豆精品 S� Vasquez says, citing Republican opposition in Congress, the future of the U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay and support for Cuban dissidents 麻豆精品 S� although the removal of Cuba in May from a U.S. list of states that sponsor terrorism eliminated one major hurdle to normalization. Vasquez predicts that internal politics in the U.S. may play a greater role in how the process unfolds than any discussions between the two nations.

麻豆精品 S淚t 麻豆精品 S檚 more of a thawing than a thaw, 麻豆精品 S� says Rosen College of Hospitality Management Professor Robertico Croes, who studies international tourism demand on small economies. 麻豆精品 S淭here 麻豆精品 S檚 always been a fascination with Cuba in the U.S. and the challenge it represented, especially with the large Cuban population in Florida, 麻豆精品 S� says the associate dean of administration and finance. 麻豆精品 S淔rom a tourism perspective, it 麻豆精品 S檚 something new and different; it [has fired] the imagination of Americans 麻豆精品 S� for 50 years 麻豆精品 S� and they will want to visit, for sure.

麻豆精品 S淚n the long term, a lot depends on how things on the ground play out, 麻豆精品 S� says Croes. 麻豆精品 S淲hat will be the real policies of the Cuban government? That 麻豆精品 S檚 the wild card here. 麻豆精品 S�

Ironically, according to Vasquez, the convictions that led the Obama administration to make this overture may hamper its progress. 麻豆精品 S淥bama has tried to deal diplomatically without making a sustained, public media offensive in the U.S. as to why [restoring relations] might be a good thing, 麻豆精品 S� he says. 麻豆精品 S淲ithout effort at home to remind the public what those reasons are, it makes it easier for critics to take potshots. 麻豆精品 S�

More Harm Than Good?

Assuming that normalization proceeds, the effect of re-establishing relations is likely to be complicated for Cubans and may bring more harm than good, some UCF experts fear.

The possible positive effects are easy to comprehend: The introduction of retailers like Wal-Mart and The Home Depot could mean 麻豆精品 S淐ubans will finally have access to goods that they could not afford previously, 麻豆精品 S� says associate professor of economics Mark Soskin. 麻豆精品 S淚t will be a huge boon to their quality of life and standard of living. 麻豆精品 S� But according to Cuban history expert Luis Mart铆nez-Fern谩ndez, the personal cost of that prosperity may be higher than the average Cuban is prepared to pay.

麻豆精品 S淗aving followed the way in which the thaw is coming along, I don 麻豆精品 S檛 see positive change for the Cuban people, 麻豆精品 S� says the UCF professor of history, who was born on the island and raised in the U.S. and Latin America. For foreign capital to succeed in Cuba, 麻豆精品 S渋t will depend on continuation of an authoritarian regime that limits Cuban labor, limits labor unions, limits Cuban workers, 麻豆精品 S� Mart铆nez-Fern谩ndez explains. He says U.S. businesses are motivated to enter Cuba not out of humanitarian or democratic interests but 麻豆精品 S渢o create a miniature floating China 90 miles from the U.S. coast. 麻豆精品 S�

Soskin agrees that much depends on whether Cuba decides to take 麻豆精品 S渁 China path, 麻豆精品 S� which he describes as when countries enact a business plan that 麻豆精品 S渟hortcuts what the U.S. does, leaving out some of the messy things like democracy 麻豆精品 S� and a free economy. 麻豆精品 S淢y biggest concern is we 麻豆精品 S檒l go back to 1898, 麻豆精品 S� says Mart铆nez-Fern谩ndez. 麻豆精品 S淐uba was bankrupt, and the Cuban elite had been impoverished by 30 years of war. [The elite] lost control, and U.S. capital flowed in without the ability of Cubans to contest. It created an economy of enclaves. 麻豆精品 S�

Returning U.S. investment could re-establish such enclaves 麻豆精品 S� enormous resorts, major port facilities, 麻豆精品 S渁reas in which U.S. capital dominates, similar to how the sugar plantations used to be, 麻豆精品 S� Mart铆nez-Fern谩ndez explains. 麻豆精品 S淲hat I see is a rather unholy alliance between extreme capitalism and authoritarianism on the island. It 麻豆精品 S檚 a wonderful opportunity for Ra煤l [Castro] to prop up an insolvent regime without having to yield any power. Cuban dissidents have been vocal in warning that the U.S. should not give allowances to the Cuban government without demanding better human rights. 麻豆精品 S�

麻豆精品 S淐uba needs the United States more than the United States needs Cuba, 麻豆精品 S� says Cuban-American Jos茅 Fern谩ndez, dean of the College of Arts and Humanities. 麻豆精品 S淭he issue of human rights in Cuba must be at the top of the agenda. 麻豆精品 S�

The price of normalization for the Cuban government could be higher expectations of exactly those sorts of rights, says political scientist Vasquez. 麻豆精品 S淚 would expect the Cuban government will change its policies to help the average Cuban or face greater threat of revolution. Normalizing takes away the Cuban government 麻豆精品 S檚 biggest excuse. They can 麻豆精品 S檛 use Uncle Sam as the fall guy. 麻豆精品 S�

Writer Rodr铆guez Milan茅s also worries what the future may bring. 麻豆精品 S淲hat I would hope is that the island doesn 麻豆精品 S檛 get divvied up again by corporations, 麻豆精品 S� she says. 麻豆精品 S淢ultinationals have no allegiances. How do we help [the Cubans] without destroying all their resources? 麻豆精品 S�

A Sweet Deal

The effects of a relations thaw on the U.S. are likely to be less obvious, because of differences in the size of the populations and economies, according to Soskin. And Americans could be in for some surprises.

One positive change could be lower prices in U.S. restaurants and grocery stores, the economist explains. Soskin says the trade embargo has contributed to U.S. consumers paying among the world 麻豆精品 S檚 highest sugar prices, and the warming relationship could help that situation. 麻豆精品 S淭here 麻豆精品 S檚 an enormous movement back to sugar in the U.S. as a preferential ingredient of choice. An end to the embargo would mean a substantial decline in prices for all kinds of food products in supermarkets and eating places, as well as export opportunities for U.S. food manufacturers. 麻豆精品 S�

On the downside: According to Croes, the U.S. is already seriously late to the party in Cuba.

麻豆精品 S淩ight now Cuba has a lot of tourists already, from other countries, 麻豆精品 S� he says. 麻豆精品 S淐uba already knows about tourism. Will [businesses] like Travelocity be allowed to operate there? Will companies like that be allowed to participate in the process? Will the market be allowed to function? 麻豆精品 S�

Then there 麻豆精品 S檚 the question of Cubans living in the United States. 麻豆精品 S淲hat will happen with their compensation, the expropriation of their property [from 50 years ago]? 麻豆精品 S� Croes asks. 麻豆精品 S淎ll these are open questions right now. 麻豆精品 S�

The Heart of the Matter

The rift between Cuba and the United States isn 麻豆精品 S檛 just political 麻豆精品 S� it 麻豆精品 S檚 social, cultural and highly emotional. And according to some Cuban-Americans, each side has an image of the other that may be hard to give up.

麻豆精品 S淎mericans who are not of Cuban descent have a hard time understanding what it 麻豆精品 S檚 like to have your family torn apart, 麻豆精品 S� says Cristina Calvet- Harrold, 麻豆精品 S�01, a first-generation Cuban-American. 麻豆精品 S淭hey only see the island as a new place to vacation, not what their dollars will support by visiting. 麻豆精品 S�

For her mother, Olga Calvet, 麻豆精品 S�71, an exile born in Cuba who now serves as chair of the UCF board of trustees, rapprochement with the Castro regime strikes close to the bone.

麻豆精品 S淵ou have to understand that no matter what transpires, there are still a lot of feelings exposed after all these years, 麻豆精品 S� Calvet says. 麻豆精品 S淸Many people] lost everything they had worked for, lost family, had to start lives all over again as exiles. It hurts. Those feelings are very raw. 麻豆精品 S�

It doesn 麻豆精品 S檛 help that a generation after the revolution, Americans not of Cuban descent often don 麻豆精品 S檛 have a cultural context for the situation, Rodr铆guez Milan茅s explains.

麻豆精品 S淭here 麻豆精品 S檚 always been this beautiful, romantic image of Cuba that came from people who were capitalists and upper-class people [who] went there as their playground 麻豆精品 S� this paradise in the Caribbean with casinos and resorts and shows, 麻豆精品 S� she says. 麻豆精品 S淲hen the revolution surged, it became a romantic leftist paradise. So many writers I admire talked about revolutionary Cuba as a great thing, and I was like, 麻豆精品 S楴o, you don 麻豆精品 S檛 really know what it 麻豆精品 S檚 like. 麻豆精品 S� 麻豆精品 S漈oday Rodr铆guez Milan茅s is living the duality faced by the Cuban diaspora.

麻豆精品 S淧eople sometimes say, 麻豆精品 S榃hen did you leave Cuba? 麻豆精品 S� I guess I never left, 麻豆精品 S� the American-born writer explains. 麻豆精品 S淚 麻豆精品 S檓 not from there, but I am. That 麻豆精品 S檚 my heritage, my husband 麻豆精品 S檚 heritage, my children 麻豆精品 S檚 heritage. I would love to be able to go back and forth, to have normal relations 麻豆精品 S� not just country to country, but people to people. 麻豆精品 S� And how to achieve that? 麻豆精品 S淲e need to listen to what Cubans want. Not the leaders, but the people on the street, in the interior, in the market, 麻豆精品 S� Rodr铆guez Milan茅s says. 麻豆精品 S淚 know they want freedom to express themselves, to not be afraid, to communicate with loved ones, to travel. 麻豆精品 S�

Listening with a poet 麻豆精品 S檚 ear, Rodr铆guez Milan茅s seems to capture what Cubans and Cuban-Americans both hope and fear, expressed in the last stanza of her poem 麻豆精品 S淐uban American Manifesto 麻豆精品 S�:

“Just because I let you in my house
don 麻豆精品 S檛 mean you can take my stuff
because mi casa no es tu casa
and mi coraz贸n, my soul is
not for sale.”

Illustrations by Jonathan Burton