“The Cuban model doesn’t even work for us anymore” -Fidel Castro

The Cuban dictator who implemented aggressive social, political and economic reforms has shocked the world; not with his radicalism this time, but with his nonchalant response to Jeff Goldberg, a writer for the Atlantic.

When simply asked if he still thinks the Cuban revolution and ideology can be exported to other nations, the former dictator vilified the very system he had put in place during the past half century.

Since the interview — which took place largely at a dolphin exhibit in Havana — Castro has come out publicly stating the Western media misplaced his quote; he said he was referring to the fact that the Cuban revolution cannot be systematically spread to other nations anymore.

Regardless of his corrections, it seems he meant in whole, or in part, that his system isn’t functioning anymore.

The response comes on the tail of several eye opening moves by Cuba. Castro recently issued a public apology to the Cuban homosexual community for persecution during the revolution.

They also released several key political prisoners; a request by the United States.

Furthermore, dear brother Raul recently announced the government would be cutting roughly 500,000 government jobs and making the current economic system more open to capitalism.

It’s enough to make any political science romantic swoon.

Overall, it would seem the once strictly communist regime has begun to move toward liberalization.

A little late, but we view these moves as a positive step for the island nation.

While the Cuban economy has been somewhat successfully egalitarian, it has failed to capture economic prosperity and growth.

It seems the communist government has realized the only way to better the lives of the Cuban people faster is to open the nation to global trade and capitalistic practices. Now the man who once disparaged capitalism has started a Latin American Perestroika.

What suddenly changed your mind, Castro?

Why couldn’t have this have happened 49 years ago? It appears, with old age comes wisdom.In light of these ongoing changes to Cuba, America needs to re-evaluate the Cold War embargo on the island nation.

Constructed in a completely different political climate, the embargo has failed its main purpose: to bring down the communist regime.

Some economists said ending the embargo would incentivize a more liberal political agenda. Furthermore, we all know the U.S. has traded with more infamously evil governments and still does.

As Cuba begins to change its policies as the U.S. has demanded, we must keep our end of the deal; not just for the betterment of relations, but for the benefit of the American and Cuban people.