Another great article, Lau. My dad was in Cuba in ‘48 and my Brother in Law is in the Cigar biz and has been there a couple of times over the past 10 years or so. Havana Club Rum has gone downhill and so have the cigars, but we all would like to see some free market resurgence. Excellent point about the US embargo having little effect and no excuse for internal bureaucratic failure while Cuba traded with multinationals.
I worked with some Russians a few years ago who lived through the collapse and heard amazing and often hilarious stories of survival through the transition to a semi-free market.
Thanks, John. Interesting abut your dad… But, of course, it's not just the rum and cigars that have gone downhill. Remember, Cuba was the world's largest sugar exporter for most of the 20th century: 7 to 8 million metric tons a year at its peak. Today they produce under 1M and actually import sugar to meet domestic demand. Crazy stuff. And of course it wasn't because of the embargo either. The Soviet Union was buying it at 5–6x the world price through the 1980s. When the Soviets collapsed in 1991, Cuba lost its subsidized buyer, but still traded sugar with Canada, Europe, China, and many others. The problem, of course, was the industry itself: aging mills, no reinvestment, fuel shortages, labor flight etc. And, of course, the centralized pricing that killed any incentive to modernize. In 2002, they shut down half their mills voluntarily. It's a tale as old as time. Kill the incentives, and you kill the industry.
You’re absolutely right about the quality of Havana Club rum having gone downhill over the past decade. When I first tried it 20+ years ago it was so much better than any rum I had tasted before, last time I had a bottle it was like drinking Captain Morgan.
Another wonderful piece. You are very clear, concise and approachable. And I hope Cuba can once again be the beautiful and vital place it was before the commies took over. This time, even better.
But keep the old cars. They are evidence of real humanity and possibilities for the future.
Thanks for the real life history and update. I’m so hopeful that Cuba will continue along these capitalist lines, protect these new freedoms, and prosper. I’m cautiously optimistic as opposed to just ignorant, without a clue about what to anticipate next if I hadn’t had your summary. Yes!
well written and informative. Thanks Lau. you speak with credibility and knowledge. The socialists (in Cuba and the US) must only be able to live with themselves by having profound denial and defensiveness as major personality traits. Which is, of course, the case…. I share this on Facebook, even though I don’t usually do much on Facebook. I was thinking about putting it up on Bluesky, but those people there are total psychos— dangerous really. It’s best to not attract the attention of those sociopaths.
Thanks so much, John. You hit the nail on the head. Did you hear about everyone's favorite young champagne socialist, Hasan Piker, and his trip to Havana? The guy strolled around in expensive designer clothes and stayed in a five-star hotel that still had electricity while much of Cuba was sitting in rolling blackouts… then headed into the streets to rail against capitalism. It's incredible how completely out of touch these people are (and it goes way beyond economics). Anyway, I really appreciate the kind words, and the share, too. As for Bluesky... I'd stay away from that cesspool for your own sanity, if nothing else. 😄
Unfortunately not. But if the reforms hold and the market starts doing what markets do, the party may find itself dissolving in practice long before it does on paper. That's how it usually works.
You forgot to mention the smell of oil which sticks to your skin as soon as you get off the plane. And prostitution “Mamas House”. Other than that Spot on. A superb illustration of Havana.
I got stranded on the island for 17 days during “hurricane Ivan”, surrounded by whores which were bought by my then boyfriend’s brother who lived in Grand Cayman and his US buddies. These men told their wives they were going on a golfing trip to Grand Cayman… But when they couldn’t get off the island and had to fess up to their wives where they really were- I laughed.
I felt sorry for these girls who have been conditioned to behave the way they do. A sad sight/situation.
Thanks, Vivien. Seventeen days stranded during a hurricane is one hell of an extended tour. And you're right about the prostitution — it's impossible to miss. Funny, I remember being continuously catcalled by the ladies while working on my laptop at a street cafe. Never happened anywhere else in Latin America.
It was a trip and when I say “I laughed” it was with them 😂 as in “how the hell am I going to explain this one” not at them☺️. Being Irish, what else could we do but have the craic! Wives were worried sick “at the thought of hurricane Ivan”…..🤣
You're right, Vince. Remember, though, Cuba has 11 million people and an entire economy that's been frozen for six decades. A few connected families buying up properties in Havana Vieja doesn't mean the whole country is spoken for. If the reforms stick, the opportunities will be enormous and varied: agriculture, tourism infrastructure, real estate outside Havana, light manufacturing, tech services etc. It’s a long list. So, it’s a bit like saying you missed the boat on Vietnam in 1987 because a few overseas Vietnamese bought apartments in Saigon.
Interesting how countries continue to pursue socialist ideas when so many historical examples have shown the difficulties of sustaining a functioning economy without private property, entrepreneurship, and market incentives. Cuba isn't the first example, and unfortunately, it probably won't be the last.
The photo of the Lada brought back memories. I grew up in socialist Hungary, where this car—an old Fiat design built under Soviet license—was considered a treasure. You couldn't simply walk into a dealership and buy one; you had to place an order and then wait 3–5 years for delivery. When I got my driver's license, my father had an ochre-yellow Lada, and I was thrilled whenever he let me borrow it. Looking back, it's remarkable that we were so excited about a car that people in the West would have considered ordinary at best. That says a lot about how centrally planned economies shaped people's expectations.
A fellow survivor, I see :). Thanks for sharing. And yes, you couldn't just walk “into a dealership…” This actually reminds me of my father. He got his first Moskvitch through someone he knew in the communist party. Had to wait years for it. Finally got the car, and on the second day of driving he totaled it. Absolutely mushed. So much for the perks of knowing the right people.
P.S. 100% on your first point. Look no further than Mamdani's New York.
A fellow survivor indeed! 😊 The waiting lists and the importance of knowing the right people are things younger generations can hardly imagine today. In Hungary, getting a car often felt less like buying a product and more like winning a small lottery.
Funny how these memories overlap across the Eastern Bloc. 😊 By the way, in Soviet Lithuania, Hungarian products had an excellent reputation. Hungarian shoes and lecsó were favorites in many households. They were genuine deficit goods… you bought them whenever you happened to see them because they probably wouldn't be there tomorrow. My father even had army connections just to get hold of your pickled paprika. 😄
That's wonderful to hear. 😊 I had no idea Hungarian products were so appreciated in Lithuania. And yes, "buy it now because it may not be there tomorrow" was practically the unofficial motto of the socialist economy. The fact that your father had army connections to get Hungarian pickled paprika says everything about the era—and somehow makes me smile.
Just give the people enough fruit and some rope, and they’ll teach the government what is needed to solve the problems with the system. That was how Mussolini learned.
For what it's worth, I'd actually say go… just with your eyes open. It's one of those places that teaches you more in a week than most books do in a year.
Before Castro was Bautista- à brutal son of a bitch. Before Bautista, was the US military stepping to ‘help’ the Cubans in their very successful revolution against the Spanish. The Americans did not come to so much as to help the Cubans get rid of the Spanish, they came in to take over the island. So many people have no idea of what really happened in the past. And the rest is as they say- history. Guantanamo Bay is outlier, a scene of incredible brutality- not much different than what is going on all across the island today with the US denying basic human rights to the people thru threatening anyone who provides Cuba with petroleum. What did these innocent people ever do to the US??
Tragic and a joke at the same time what socialism has been according to what we know and have seen so far.. I am interested to hear your view of the rabid Western capitalism which is not faring any better in spite of the great successes it has achieved in our time? (from Johannesburg)
I was wondering if you thought the social sentiment in Cuba could sustain a guerilla conflict if the united states inserted troops to overthrow the government?
Shades of grey are important to remind us that the world, even though increasing digital, Is not binary. Blanket statements polarising good & bad, right or wrong - promotes division and an us versus them.
This categorizing into success and failure allows evolution to an improved model.
Example: Communist China bad: US democracy good.
This constant drumbeat smothers innovative thinking
As someone who grew up under a different communist party, I can tell you that shades of grey are a lot easier to appreciate when you're not the one queuing for eggs.
Another great article, Lau. My dad was in Cuba in ‘48 and my Brother in Law is in the Cigar biz and has been there a couple of times over the past 10 years or so. Havana Club Rum has gone downhill and so have the cigars, but we all would like to see some free market resurgence. Excellent point about the US embargo having little effect and no excuse for internal bureaucratic failure while Cuba traded with multinationals.
I worked with some Russians a few years ago who lived through the collapse and heard amazing and often hilarious stories of survival through the transition to a semi-free market.
Keep up the good work,
Jonathan
Thanks, John. Interesting abut your dad… But, of course, it's not just the rum and cigars that have gone downhill. Remember, Cuba was the world's largest sugar exporter for most of the 20th century: 7 to 8 million metric tons a year at its peak. Today they produce under 1M and actually import sugar to meet domestic demand. Crazy stuff. And of course it wasn't because of the embargo either. The Soviet Union was buying it at 5–6x the world price through the 1980s. When the Soviets collapsed in 1991, Cuba lost its subsidized buyer, but still traded sugar with Canada, Europe, China, and many others. The problem, of course, was the industry itself: aging mills, no reinvestment, fuel shortages, labor flight etc. And, of course, the centralized pricing that killed any incentive to modernize. In 2002, they shut down half their mills voluntarily. It's a tale as old as time. Kill the incentives, and you kill the industry.
You’re absolutely right about the quality of Havana Club rum having gone downhill over the past decade. When I first tried it 20+ years ago it was so much better than any rum I had tasted before, last time I had a bottle it was like drinking Captain Morgan.
Another wonderful piece. You are very clear, concise and approachable. And I hope Cuba can once again be the beautiful and vital place it was before the commies took over. This time, even better.
But keep the old cars. They are evidence of real humanity and possibilities for the future.
Thanks, Alan. Appreciate that. I agree... let's keep the old cars. They deserve to survive as museum pieces (not because people have no other choice).
Thanks for the real life history and update. I’m so hopeful that Cuba will continue along these capitalist lines, protect these new freedoms, and prosper. I’m cautiously optimistic as opposed to just ignorant, without a clue about what to anticipate next if I hadn’t had your summary. Yes!
Thanks, Jay. That's exactly the mindset I'm trying to have too. We'll see where she goes from here.
well written and informative. Thanks Lau. you speak with credibility and knowledge. The socialists (in Cuba and the US) must only be able to live with themselves by having profound denial and defensiveness as major personality traits. Which is, of course, the case…. I share this on Facebook, even though I don’t usually do much on Facebook. I was thinking about putting it up on Bluesky, but those people there are total psychos— dangerous really. It’s best to not attract the attention of those sociopaths.
Thanks so much, John. You hit the nail on the head. Did you hear about everyone's favorite young champagne socialist, Hasan Piker, and his trip to Havana? The guy strolled around in expensive designer clothes and stayed in a five-star hotel that still had electricity while much of Cuba was sitting in rolling blackouts… then headed into the streets to rail against capitalism. It's incredible how completely out of touch these people are (and it goes way beyond economics). Anyway, I really appreciate the kind words, and the share, too. As for Bluesky... I'd stay away from that cesspool for your own sanity, if nothing else. 😄
Is the self dissolution of the communist party of Cuba within this 176 items list?
Unfortunately not. But if the reforms hold and the market starts doing what markets do, the party may find itself dissolving in practice long before it does on paper. That's how it usually works.
You forgot to mention the smell of oil which sticks to your skin as soon as you get off the plane. And prostitution “Mamas House”. Other than that Spot on. A superb illustration of Havana.
I got stranded on the island for 17 days during “hurricane Ivan”, surrounded by whores which were bought by my then boyfriend’s brother who lived in Grand Cayman and his US buddies. These men told their wives they were going on a golfing trip to Grand Cayman… But when they couldn’t get off the island and had to fess up to their wives where they really were- I laughed.
I felt sorry for these girls who have been conditioned to behave the way they do. A sad sight/situation.
Never again!
Thanks, Vivien. Seventeen days stranded during a hurricane is one hell of an extended tour. And you're right about the prostitution — it's impossible to miss. Funny, I remember being continuously catcalled by the ladies while working on my laptop at a street cafe. Never happened anywhere else in Latin America.
It was a trip and when I say “I laughed” it was with them 😂 as in “how the hell am I going to explain this one” not at them☺️. Being Irish, what else could we do but have the craic! Wives were worried sick “at the thought of hurricane Ivan”…..🤣
You are already too late to make the easy $. The diaspora already bought up the best properties for pennies on the dollar. Using front men.
You're right, Vince. Remember, though, Cuba has 11 million people and an entire economy that's been frozen for six decades. A few connected families buying up properties in Havana Vieja doesn't mean the whole country is spoken for. If the reforms stick, the opportunities will be enormous and varied: agriculture, tourism infrastructure, real estate outside Havana, light manufacturing, tech services etc. It’s a long list. So, it’s a bit like saying you missed the boat on Vietnam in 1987 because a few overseas Vietnamese bought apartments in Saigon.
Interesting how countries continue to pursue socialist ideas when so many historical examples have shown the difficulties of sustaining a functioning economy without private property, entrepreneurship, and market incentives. Cuba isn't the first example, and unfortunately, it probably won't be the last.
The photo of the Lada brought back memories. I grew up in socialist Hungary, where this car—an old Fiat design built under Soviet license—was considered a treasure. You couldn't simply walk into a dealership and buy one; you had to place an order and then wait 3–5 years for delivery. When I got my driver's license, my father had an ochre-yellow Lada, and I was thrilled whenever he let me borrow it. Looking back, it's remarkable that we were so excited about a car that people in the West would have considered ordinary at best. That says a lot about how centrally planned economies shaped people's expectations.
A fellow survivor, I see :). Thanks for sharing. And yes, you couldn't just walk “into a dealership…” This actually reminds me of my father. He got his first Moskvitch through someone he knew in the communist party. Had to wait years for it. Finally got the car, and on the second day of driving he totaled it. Absolutely mushed. So much for the perks of knowing the right people.
P.S. 100% on your first point. Look no further than Mamdani's New York.
A fellow survivor indeed! 😊 The waiting lists and the importance of knowing the right people are things younger generations can hardly imagine today. In Hungary, getting a car often felt less like buying a product and more like winning a small lottery.
Funny how these memories overlap across the Eastern Bloc. 😊 By the way, in Soviet Lithuania, Hungarian products had an excellent reputation. Hungarian shoes and lecsó were favorites in many households. They were genuine deficit goods… you bought them whenever you happened to see them because they probably wouldn't be there tomorrow. My father even had army connections just to get hold of your pickled paprika. 😄
That's wonderful to hear. 😊 I had no idea Hungarian products were so appreciated in Lithuania. And yes, "buy it now because it may not be there tomorrow" was practically the unofficial motto of the socialist economy. The fact that your father had army connections to get Hungarian pickled paprika says everything about the era—and somehow makes me smile.
Just give the people enough fruit and some rope, and they’ll teach the government what is needed to solve the problems with the system. That was how Mussolini learned.
Yes, Kevin. If the reforms don't deliver, it’s a good bet the rope will make an appearance eventually.
Thanks for letting me know to cross Cuba off my list of places to go.
It saved me a lot of grief and wasted time and money!
For what it's worth, I'd actually say go… just with your eyes open. It's one of those places that teaches you more in a week than most books do in a year.
Yep, I wouldn’t really cross it off my list. It just isn’t near the top of my list.
I’m sure that it would be much more educational than enjoyable, thanks to its government. Sort of like Venezuela.
Before Castro was Bautista- à brutal son of a bitch. Before Bautista, was the US military stepping to ‘help’ the Cubans in their very successful revolution against the Spanish. The Americans did not come to so much as to help the Cubans get rid of the Spanish, they came in to take over the island. So many people have no idea of what really happened in the past. And the rest is as they say- history. Guantanamo Bay is outlier, a scene of incredible brutality- not much different than what is going on all across the island today with the US denying basic human rights to the people thru threatening anyone who provides Cuba with petroleum. What did these innocent people ever do to the US??
Socialism <> Communism
Tragic and a joke at the same time what socialism has been according to what we know and have seen so far.. I am interested to hear your view of the rabid Western capitalism which is not faring any better in spite of the great successes it has achieved in our time? (from Johannesburg)
Thanks, David. I’d be helpful if you could define the rabid Western capitalism…
Hi lau...
I was wondering if you thought the social sentiment in Cuba could sustain a guerilla conflict if the united states inserted troops to overthrow the government?
Hmm… I don't think that's on the table, and I hope it stays that way. The best revolutions are the ones where nobody gets shot.
Shades of grey are important to remind us that the world, even though increasing digital, Is not binary. Blanket statements polarising good & bad, right or wrong - promotes division and an us versus them.
This categorizing into success and failure allows evolution to an improved model.
Example: Communist China bad: US democracy good.
This constant drumbeat smothers innovative thinking
As someone who grew up under a different communist party, I can tell you that shades of grey are a lot easier to appreciate when you're not the one queuing for eggs.