Today would have been Fidel Castro’s 99th birthday. Anyone on the face of the earth under the age of 67, including me, has never known a SINGLE DAY when Cuba 🇨🇺 was not under the dictatorial rule of his Communist party. Nonetheless, myths persist that Cuba’s Communist leaders are the good guys and the Cuban people are happy with this uarrangement. Anyone who believes these myths by now is willfully delusional. If Cuba were a socialist paradise, the regime wouldn’t be terrified of its own people, and would be willing to hold elections with candidates independent of the Communist Party.  Let’s examine some of the myths: Myth 1: The Communist dictatorship has lifted the standard of living of average Cubans, especially in the areas of education and health. But after 60+ years of one-party Communist rule, the quality of life in Cuba is abysmal and getting worse. Don’t just take my word for it: by the regime’s own statistics, at least TEN PERCENT of the Cuban population has fled the island in the past three years alone. Basic services like electricity are collapsing, and mortality rates for children under 5 have increased by more than 50% since 2018. The Cuban regime and its apologists love to talk about Cuban doctors deployed in other countries. But these doctors aren’t engaged in charity; rather, they’re the Cuban regime’s LARGEST source of hard cash (ahead of tourism or cigars) and the regime itself pockets the payments. Once the world’s largest sugar exporter, the island is now a net sugar importer, and the recent harvest was the worst since the 19th century. Access to food and basic medical supplies (aspirin, bandages) for average Cubans is sketchy at best. The average salary for a state worker is about $16/month, and pensioners earn about $5/month.  Again, nobody’s flocking to Cuba (not even Russian tourists!); rather, the Cuban people are racing for the exits.

This morning, @UnderSecStateP and I convened the foreign ministers and political directors from 28 allies and partners to coordinate our efforts in Afghanistan. It’s the fourth time we’ve spoken as a group in a week. This is the work of diplomacy. Since August 14, the United States has helped evacuate 70,700 people from Afghanistan. The @StateDept’s diplomatic outreach makes sure everyone has safe places to go.