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comment by blackfox026
blackfox026  ·  3633 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Obama's historic US-Cuba Deal: what you need to know

    Clearly Obama hopes that opening ties will force them to clean up a bit.

What exactly do you mean by this? I highly doubt the U.S. government is lifting restrictions in order to benefit the people of Cuba.





user-inactivated  ·  3633 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Why?

bioemerl  ·  3632 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Because it is not the responsibility nor the goal of a government to help the citizens of other countries, unless those being helped are allied and supportive of itself.

If nation's goals were to help others, there would never be war.

user-inactivated  ·  3632 days ago  ·  link  ·  

    Because it is not the responsibility nor the goal of a government to help the citizens of other countries, unless those being helped are allied and supportive of itself.

This has been the explicit goal of the government of the United States for many years, for better or worse.

    If nation's goals were to help others, there would never be war.

Patently false, unfortunately.

bioemerl  ·  3632 days ago  ·  link  ·  

The US has had the goal of spreading democracy and freedom.

While that is very good, and it is the best way for people to live, I don't see the US trying to prop up and help countries that regularly limit freedom, and if we do assist those countries, it is usually under the assumption of changing them (see: cuba).

We are readily screwing over russia right now with sanctions.

user-inactivated  ·  3632 days ago  ·  link  ·  

    and if we do assist those countries, it is usually under the assumption of changing them (see: cuba).

    Clearly Obama hopes that opening ties will force them to clean up a bit.

I said this, and you began arguing with me.

Although I now note that it was someone else and you continued the thread. Rereading, you opened with a non sequitur to begin with. blackfox said he doubted the US was reaching an accord with Cuba to help Cuban citizens, I asked why he thought that, and you said "Because it is not the responsibility nor the goal of a government to help the citizens of other countries."

This is a spectrum-specific argument about why Obama shouldn't talk to Cuba for the purpose of helping Cubans, but unless you have very misguided ideas about what Obama stands for, you don't believe it's a valid answer to blackfox's original doubt.

EDIT: I should mention that if you think the US does not routinely prop up regimes that limit freedom, there's a large gap in your knowledge of the history of the 20th century. I'm not attacking you, I'm just trying to mitigate what I consider a false statement.