Great piece from the Heritage Foundation’s Ray Walser. A key excerpt (emphasis mine):
The Cuban economy has grown in recent years with the generous assistance of President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela and from tourist dollars and euros and higher commodity prices. The U.S. plays its part as a prime supplier of licensed food and medical sales. American agricultural and business representatives urge easier access to and credits for the Cuba market.
Yet, the state still controls 93 percent of the economy. The average income of the ordinary Cuban working under “socialist distribution” is less than $20 per month. Foreign investments allow the regime to profit heavily on the labor of a docile, poorly compensated labor force.
That’s why I’m not dying to see sanctions on Cuba lifted.