Heres a more realistic view of USs policy and motives regarding the Zunzuneo campaign. I find the OMGs about USAID to be quite laughable given the history of US policy and practice in Cuba. There has never been a moment since 1959 in which the US has not tried to subvert the Cuban government through one means or another, and the US is not the only country that spends oodles of money trying to figure out how to beat internet activists at their game. Radio and Telemarti reach far more Cubans that Zunzuneo ever did but I dont see the Guardian or AP jumping on those US government projects. Why single out USAIDs failed social media campaign when Google, Facebook and Twitter are all proud to be deeply involved in assisting opposition groups in Iran, the Middle East, Venezuela and elsewhere?Dont think for a minute that those companies wouldnt be happy to expand their presence in Cuba! And why only look at how the US tried clumsily to expand internet and social media access to Cubans when plenty of US allies in Europe have similar efforts that are more effective? In the final analysis, Cuban exiles are the greatest financial contributors to the expansion of Cuban social media; their payments support most of the cell phone and internet usage in Cuba and their technical support ensures that independent journalists, artists, bloggers, political prisoners and activists have a voice.
Posted on: Mon, 07 Apr 2014 14:01:14 +0000
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