Fidel Castro is still fighting the battles of the Sixties. He doesn't seem concerned with the fact that history has moved on and he is left behind with his anachronistic view of the world, of government, of the political realities of the new millennium. We have written many times in the pages of this publication about the need for a change in the way the United States deals with Cuba.

It is unfortunate that the decision to lift the embargo seems captive of the political requirements of the Republican party in Florida and the anti- Castro lobby in Washington. But the main enemy of peace is Fidel Castro himself. It is no coincidence that as the relations between the two countries were becoming friendlier and there was talk in Washington of taking another look at the issue of Cuba, Fidel took charge of matters. Taking advantage of an incident of hijacking by three men who sought to escape from the island but failed in the attempt, Fidel proceeded to create an incident to sabotage any efforts to normalize relations.

The men were summarily executed, Fidel stridently proclaimed that they were part of a plot to undermine his government and promised to dole out equally severe punishment to any other potential deserters of his paradise. There is an evident disconnect from reality in the proclamations of the Cuban government, which continues to blame this country for their lack of economic progress and the concomitant unhappiness of many Cubans with their lot. Fidel refuses to look inside because he must fear the answers. It is much easier to continue to point the finger at his perennial nemesis, accusing the United States of trying to destroy his government.

But there is blindness on our side also. How is it possible that Washington, the Bush administration, the leaders of Congress cannot see the results of continuous contact and commerce with the former Soviet Union and its satellite countries? It was precisely the exchange of information and the increased activity in commerce and tourism that helped those nations to contemplate a different reality and do something to bring about change. It was not just Reagan's arms race or Gorbachev's vision that brought about the fall of the Soviet Empire. When the Iron Curtain was lifted the movement towards freedom became a force that could not be stopped. And then the people-to-people contact, the flood of information, allowed them to compare what they had with what was possible. The satellite nations realized that Russia was not invincible and began to flex their muscles.

The Soviets gave up trying to contain the massive changes in those countries and were helpless to stop the implosion of their own regime. Castro has endeavored to create a society that fears change, fears the United States, and fears the advent of commercial exchanges that could only benefit their society. We have seen that he has allowed some musicians to travel outside Cuba, but only because he can profit from that cultural exchange. Americans who have visited Cuba express amazement at their society and the apparent joy of the average Cuban. But they also decry the poverty and physical decay that they witness.

Cuba seems frozen in the Fifties and the random contacts have not changed that reality. We need more contact with Cuba, not less. We need to let them experience freedom and realize that they have a choice. That can be achieved only by lifting the ineffective embargo and by allowing free travel between the two countries. Until that happens. Fidel will continue to blame us for his failures and the Cuban people will have reason to doubt that we are interested in helping them to improve their lives.