CUBANET ... CUBANEWS

April 24, 2000



And the Loser Is...Castro

By Jay Taylor. The New York Times. April 24, 2000

Miami's Cubans and Congressional Republicans weren't the only people disappointed that Elián González was removed from the home of his Florida relatives. Fidel Castro probably wasn't entirely happy about it either.

Although the Cuban leader has proclaimed a "shared victory" with those Americans who opposed the "Miami mafia," he undoubtedly would have preferred to keep the circus going. A desire to have the drama drag out was likely one of the reasons he did not allow Juan Miguel González to come quickly to America for his son.

The boy's plight has provided a political and psychological boost for Mr. Castro's tottering regime. Once again, the Miami Cuban community has been perceived around the world as irrational. Washington appeared to the world as indecisive and afraid of the Miami Cubans. Moreover, it became clear that in any similar case the next administration, be it that of Al Gore or George W. Bush, would support the view of the exiles in Florida.

Now, however, the affair will be in the hands of the federal courts, where we can expect a rational and open process that will contrast with the picture of America that has been so helpful to Mr. Castro for four months. As more photographs of Elián reunited with his family appear, the negative image left by Saturday's military-style snatch will fade. And Juan Miguel González will be free to decide what he wants to do, even defect.

Mr. Castro has made a spectacle of the affair primarily for domestic effect. Cuban propagandists worked overtime putting up ubiquitous billboards and posters, producing daily two-hour talk shows on the subject, and turning out public rallies.

Despite the hype and distortions, most people on the island recognize that Elián would in important respects be much better off and certainly much more free in America than in Cuba. Still, the overwhelming majority think it is right that the boy be in his father's custody. The implication of the Miami Cubanss position (and only slightly less so that of Mr. Gore and Mr. Bush) was clear: Any child in Cuba would be better off in America with relatives never seen before than on the island with a surviving parent and other close kin. This claim is insulting to ordinary Cubans, including the majority, who would kick out the Castro regime if given a free vote.

By giving Mr. Castro the opportunity to defend the Cuban family, the Elián case helped him mend his badly tattered moral authority at home. This sort of ploy has been key to his survival as the Cuban economy has foundered and the egalitarian myth has badly frayed. If the boy returns home, Mr. Castro may, as he has promised, restrain his triumphalism, avoiding parades. But the Cuban people can only think ruefully, "He and the Miami community did it again." As for Elián himself, perhaps Mr. Castro will name him foreign minister. Or perhaps his father will decide to stay in America. Either way, he will likely have a bright future.

Jay Taylor was chief of the United States Interest Section in Havana from 1987 to 1990.

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