50 Years of Fidel

2009 marks the 50th anniversary of the communist takeover of Cuba. It is a somber occasion for most Cubans, marked by contempt for the Castro regime and also lamentation for the loss and deterioration of their homeland.

I believe the time has come to end the embargo, but I can't say that it wasn't the right thing to do almost 50 years ago. That question has little bearing on what should now be done. There arew thorny legal issues involved in this question as well. For some U.S. firms, like Bacardi, to return to Cuba for business would likely open up the question of how their property, appropriated by the Cuban government in the takeover, should now be treated.

The human side of modern Cuba is illustrated in this story from the New York Times. Cuba remains a source of real personal pain, 50 years after the revolution.