U.S. pays Venezuelan youth $5 an hour to undermine Cuba's sovereignty.

[TheWannabeAnarchist]

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/08/04/us-reportedly-dispatched-latin-americans-to-foment-cuba-political-change/



Beginning as early as October 2009, a project overseen by the U.S. Agency for International Development sent Venezuelan, Costa Rican and Peruvian young people to Cuba in hopes of ginning up rebellion. The travelers worked undercover, often posing as tourists, and traveled around the island scouting for people they could turn into political activists.

In one case, the workers formed an HIV-prevention workshop that memos called "the perfect excuse" for the program's political goals -- a gambit that could undermine America's efforts to improve health globally.

But their efforts were fraught with incompetence and risk, an Associated Press investigation found: Cuban authorities questioned who was bankrolling the travelers. The young workers nearly blew their mission to "identify potential social-change actors." One said he got a paltry, 30-minute seminar on how to evade Cuban intelligence, and there appeared to be no safety net for the inexperienced workers if they were caught.

"Although there is never total certainty, trust that the authorities will not try to harm you physically, only frighten you," read a memo obtained by the AP. "Remember that the Cuban government prefers to avoid negative media reports abroad, so a beaten foreigner is not convenient for them."

In all, nearly a dozen Latin Americans served in the program in Cuba, for pay as low as $5.41 an hour.

This is why Cuba has to crack down on political dissent sometimes. If they didn't, they'd be flooded with American provocateurs and propagandists and collapse in a week.:laugh:

[Ocean Seal]

Capitalism is too stingy to even pay counter-revolutionaries decent wages :laugh:

[consuming negativity]

Average FOX News reader: "Good, fuck those commies!" :rolleyes:

[The Red Star Rising]

Dear America; The Cold War ended twenty three years ago, please stop acting like it's still going on. Thank you.

Sincerely - The Red Star Rising.

P.S, I know you're depressed about no longer having the Soviet Union or Nazi Germany to be your worst enemy forever, but seriously, we all lose somebody near and dear to us. I think you'll find someone real soon. I hear China's looking for a rival, ever considered her?

[Red Commissar]

If you want to read the original story that broke this, check out the link here

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/us-sent-latin-youth-undercover-anti-cuba-ploy

They also have documents they acquired relating to it.

https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/1236328-cuban-travelers-documents.html

Might be recalled that this isn't the first time recently that the USAID program in Cuba has been shown to do this.

[Dr. Rosenpenis]

do they still feel somehow threatened by the idea of socialism, do they refuse to tolerate a latin american state that doesnt submit to it's imperialist agenda, or a combination of both? and there's always the resources, i.e. oil.

[Decolonize The Left]

do they still feel somehow threatened by the idea of socialism, do they refuse to tolerate a latin american state that doesnt submit to it's imperialist agenda, or a combination of both? and there's always the resources, i.e. oil.

I would say it mostly has to do with the expansion of capital (i.e. resources, markets, etc...). Cuba is so isolated that it doesn't really pose any socio-political threat to neo-liberalism. This is capitalist imperialism plain and simple.

[Christopher Johnson]

I read about this earlier, and I'm not surprised that something like this would happen. People in my area keep pretending as if US imperialism has nothing to do with what happens in Cuba internally. And although I have my reservations regarding the Cuban government, I often find myself confronting anti-Castro reactionaries and reminding them that:

1. The US and the Miami opposition have a vested interest in destabilizing the Cuban government in order to bring "democracy", and of course, with hopes that this "democracy" will be a vehicle to implement neo-liberalism.

2. Past and recent history of US intervention in the 3rd world shows clearly that either the US, nor them (anti-Castro reactionaries) cares about democracy in any meaningful way, if it does not lead to neo-liberalism and the oppression of the working class.

[TheWannabeAnarchist]

Is it really that isolated? I think Cuba's posed a pretty significant threat. They've inspired countless millions of revolutionaries around the world, from Hugo Chavez to the Zapatistas to the FARC. Just because they haven't invaded Miami doesn't mean they're worthless.

[TheWannabeAnarchist]

Is it really that isolated? I think Cuba's posed a pretty significant threat. They've inspired countless millions of revolutionaries around the world, from Hugo Chavez to the Zapatistas to the FARC. Just because they haven't invaded Miami doesn't mean they're worthless.

[Dean]

I read about this earlier, and I'm not surprised that something like this would happen. People in my area keep pretending as if US imperialism has nothing to do with what happens in Cuba internally. And although I have my reservations regarding the Cuban government, I often find myself confronting anti-Castro reactionaries and reminding them that:

1. The US and the Miami opposition have a vested interest in destabilizing the Cuban government in order to bring "democracy", and of course, with hopes that this "democracy" will be a vehicle to implement neo-liberalism.

2. Past and recent history of US intervention in the 3rd world shows clearly that either the US, nor them (anti-Castro reactionaries) cares about democracy in any meaningful way, if it does not lead to neo-liberalism and the oppression of the working class.
You're right but its worth mentioning that these little things are being done constantly to Cuba. not too long ago some scam social media company was uncovered in Cuba.

The US prefers autocratic regimes as they are easier to deal with.

[La Guaneña]

But imperialism is a farse!!!!1

[Decolonize The Left]

But imperialism is a farse!!!!1

This is a polite verbal warning: please do not post nonconstructive and/or spam one-liners. I encourage you to engage the discussion with more diligence. Thank you.