CUBAN TRANSITIONS

On one of our last days in Cuba, while leisurely perusing books in the Plaza de Armas with Kelsey, I came across an interesting book entitled La Ultraderecha Cubano-Americano de Miami, translation The Cuban American Far Right in Miami. Which got me thinking about the relationship between Cubans and their counterparts in Miami and what Cubans really thought about them.

While we were in Cuba we were constantly berated with images and knowledge about the Cuban 5, their innocence and negativity surrounding Cubans in Miami but I never really fully understood why the relations between Cubans and Miami based Cubans had gotten so tense.

According to the book reasons for the tense relations between Cubans and Miami based Cubans begin with the movement of Cubans to Miami directly prior to the revolution and a continued migration of anti-revolutionist Cubans to Miami ever since. With such a large group of politically involved and economically stable cubans in the Miami they become a threatening political force in the United States, a fact which worries Cubans who believe they will continue to suppress the revolution and its ideas.

The book continues on to discuss the Helms Burton Act and its success as an far right conservative victory. The Helms Burton Act is a US federal law that stands to strengthen the US embargo against Cuba. The law sprung forth from the Brothers to the Rescue tragedy when 2 private planes operated by anti-Castro refugees support members were shot down by the Cuban government. The book talks about this spying and aide and other acts by the Cubans in Miami as acts of terrorism and manipulation by the far right anti-Castro organizations. The last couple chapters have names like The problems with the far right, terrorism, and a distinctive future for Miami, all indicative of the content contained, although informative, that tends toward biased and anti-american government sentiments.

Under the Problems with the Far Right chapter the book discusses the heavy corruption and manipulation that Cuban americans in Miami have inflicted on the United States government particularly dealing with electoral corruption. The chapter goes on to discuss how Miami based Cubans have literally infiltrated the political systems in Miami and influenced the political outcomes of the United States against Cuba.

La ultraderecha cubano-americano de Miami is a typical example of the opinions of political Cubans towards Cuban Americans and a perfect example of the subtle propaganda that is circulated through literature in Cuba.