Published Friday, October 19, 2001 in
The Miami Herald
Cuba's dictatorship is miffed that Russia is pulling the plug on its massive
spy station south of Havana. The only question is what hurts worse: Cuba's loss
of $200 million in yearly rent or the clear sign that Fidel Castro and his
regime are increasingly irrelevant -- to Russia as well as to most of the rest
of the world.
Built in 1964, the military intelligence base in Lourdes was a key Soviet
asset during the Cold War. Like Castro, it is now a relic of once-antagonistic
relations between the Kremlin and the White House. The facility was designed to
eavesdrop on U.S. telephone, fax and computer communications transmitted via
satellite or microwave towers. But increasing use of fiber-optic cable, which it
is not equipped to monitor, was turning Lourdes obsolete. Once the 1,500 Russian
technicians and troops now at Lourdes are withdrawn, the last vestige of the
Soviet military presence, which dominated the island for three decades, will be
gone.
Not that Cuba will miss the Russians. Castro's regime long had a love-hate
relationship with the Soviet Union, bolstered by Cold War politics of
convenience. The two governments united against their mutual enemy -- the United
States -- but had plenty of bitter rifts, too.
Cuba, though, certainly will miss Russia's money: the yearly $200 million
rent for Lourdes and another $100 million its maintenance. Worse, this comes
after the Sept. 11 attacks have further weakened tourism and remittances, Cuba's
primary sources of hard currency. Sadly, life will become more desperate for
Cuba's people as a result.
Displeasure at Russia rang clear in a Cuban government statement. To retire
Lourdes was "a concession to the U.S. government that constitutes a grave
danger for Cuba's security.'' A reference to the "damage'' caused to Cuba's
economy by the Soviet Union's collapse suggests that Castro hasn't forgiven
Russia for ending yearly subsidies of $4-$6 billion in 1991. Never mind Cuba's
unwillingness to recognize as much as $20 billion owed Russia in Soviet-era
debt.
Russia, however, made it clear that the Cuban nation -- and its economy --
aren't priorities. Russian President Vladimir Putin framed it as a financial
decision. The money invested at Lourdes will be better spent on military
training and weapons for the fight against terrorism.
The geopolitical landscape has shifted considerably since Sept. 11. The new
war on terrorism has dealt the final blow to the Cold War. Russia is not a U.S.
enemy now. And Cuba's anachronistic regime, along with its outdated rhetoric,
will continue to fade until it is buried in the graveyard of cruel and failed
ideologies.
Copyright 2001 Miami Herald | 
