Dr. William Trumbull: US/Cuba Relationship

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January 26, 2016:  Our speaker was Dr. William Trumbull, Professor in the School of Business at The Citadel. Dr. Trumbull is an expert on Cuba, having taken numerous trips there since 1998, many of which included students who were taking a course about Cuba.  He showed us pictures of the picturesque central historic area of Havana, but noted that within a few blocks the structures are in a state of disrepair and neglect.  In fact on any given day three 19th century crumbling buildings collapse from lack of repair.

Visitors have great interest in the American cars from the 1950’s that appear to be in excellent condition.  While many are indeed attractive they have no collectors’ value in that they have been repaired with parts made locally or by manufacturers around the world.  Those that appear to be in the best condition are owned by taxi drivers who are among the few persons allowed to have their own business. These drivers can earn 3 times a state worker’s salary in one day!  Thus they keep the cars looking inviting for the tourist trade.

The Cuban revolution was in 1959 but did not affect the people for the first two years. Gradually the economy merged into a soviet style of “communism”.  For a few years Cuba was able to trade sugar [its major crop] to the Soviet Union for weapons.  When the soviet empire collapsed Cuba lost its subsidies and its economy grew worse.  In 1984 they made the US dollar the measure of currency, which lasted for 10 years.  While almost all workers are employed by the state, individuals are permitted to raise and sell farm products.  For a time in the 1990’s there was an economic recovery but was short lived.  People began going hungry and having major health problems.  Hotels reopened for a brief time for Russian tourists’, but this income peaked in 1996. Cuba then experience the destruction of a major hurricane in 2001.

There has been an increase in trade with the US [the purchase of agricultural products from the US never stopped]. Private employment is very limited and not expected to increase under the rule of Raul Castro.  The basis of government is still socialist and no one has a prediction for the future other than the knowledge that Raul is opposed to an open society.  No leadership successor is in view.

In conclusion he noted that The Embargo has been bad for both sides; the US lost a huge economic market and the Cubans lost a source of needed goods. The Cuban economy of today is broken due to decades of totally incompetent leadership.

Fred Sales, Keyway Committee