Comments on: Dangerous Nation: another look at the Spanish-American War (Part I)

By: expat

expat — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 20:46:53 +0000

My info about the Spanish American war was similar to yours. Although I have often wondered why Spanish imperialism has never received the same scrutiny as that of other European countries, I never suspected camps.
I guess I have to add another book to my “to read” stack. Thanks for the thought-provoking post.

By: Ed on WestSlope

Ed on WestSlope — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 21:39:43 +0000

I have wondered how much the situation in Cuba is considered to be improved, now we are past the century mark. I personally think the present is better than the former but, the present is still bad, very bad.

By: jng

jng — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 22:41:42 +0000

“I have wondered how much the situation in Cuba is considered to be improved, now we are past the century mark.” (Ed on WestSlope)

Let me dig deeper, Ed. Why has Cuba endured such a calamitous political history? Can someone supply basic reasons, perspective, or sources?

By: Richard Aubrey

Richard Aubrey — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 00:38:58 +0000

jng.
Somebody, Prescott, or P. J. O’Rourke, opined that Latin America was settled by the turbulent spirits who had nobody to fight once the Reconquista ended (1492).
The English Civil War ended and downsized the armies. Those unemployed soldiers didn’t go to the Colonies. They went to Ireland.
Latin America was settled by people whose economy went sour when they threw out the Jews (1492), with an obsolete, crusading religion, and with the labor management skills of conquistadores..
Culture, culture, culture, and it has inertia.

By: Ymarsakar

Ymarsakar — Sat, 17 Mar 2007 04:18:00 +0000

Why has Cuba endured such a calamitous political history?

They experienced Marxist-revolutionaries personally. That tends to crap on anyone’s day, in any century.

By: sergey

sergey — Sat, 17 Mar 2007 12:47:12 +0000

“Latin” means Catholic. And Catholicism was historically rather totalitarian in its spirit and never was able to counterbalance totalitarian movements, both Marxist and fascist. All anti-totalitarian elements in Christian culture embraced Reformation, it had more appeal for them. So the political results were fairly predictable.

By: sergey

sergey — Sat, 17 Mar 2007 15:13:38 +0000

To impose democratic political system on a nation that never had adequate political culture means create Weimar Republic situation, inherently instable and prone to degeneration into fascist regime. This was done with Germany after WWI. After WWII Allies knew better and attempted much more deep and ambitious society transformation: they taught Germans democratic culture in all its important issues, staying there as imperial, occupational force for decades. This is long and costly effort. Real choice is not between imperialistic conquest and liberation: the former is a necessary prerequisite for the latter, if you want any long-standing results.