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Learning Annex: Communist Chinese Torture Taught at Gitmo

LibertySugar — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 11:00:00 -0700

Does an interrogation class covering "coercive management techniques" like sleep deprivation, prolonged constraint, and exposure sound like something that would be conducted in modern America, or 1950s communist China? The answer is both!

During the Korean War, the US Air Force studied Chinese "torture" tactics used to obtain often false confessions from captured Americans. Recently, CIA and Guantanamo interrogators have become students of the tactics, according to the New York Times. Specifically, an entire interrogation class taught at Gitmo in December 2002 focused on the coercive techniques. To find out how the teachers explain the purpose of the class,

Communism Today: Russians Grab SPF, Cuba's Elian Joins Up

CitizenSugar — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 11:00:49 -0700

Landlocked by Communist rule for years, Russians were denied life's many pleasures, especially travel. But now as the middle class grows strong, they have money to spend and are taking it to the beaches of Turkey.

A mini-industry has popped up on the Turkish coast that has begun to cater to the whims of Russian tourists. The New York Times explored this trend in an article on one popular resort, Kremlin Palace Hotel, which they described as "Las-Vegas-does-Moscow by-the-shore extravaganza." This picture looks every bit as . . . glitzy as it sounds!

But what's more important is what traveling abroad illuminates about the new Russia. Between 1995 and 2006, the number of Russians traveling abroad grew from 2.6 to 7.1 million — a 4.5 million increase — according to the Russian government.

Under Soviet rule, citizens were held back by bureaucratic passport lines that, even if approved, required classes on proper behavior and avoiding foreign influence. Those who were not in the government's good grace stood little chance of leaving, and even those that were and gained approval required chaperons across borders. While restrictions eased in the post-Soviet era, few Russians could afford to go anywhere.

Vladimir Putin, the former president and current prime minister, is largely credited for Russian's newfound normalcy, prosperity, and ability to travel. Though Russian's are spreading their post-Communist wings, one famous face has joined up. To see how,

Russia Tightens and Cuba Loosens Technology Freedoms

LibertySugar — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 13:00:23 -0700

Russia and Cuba, two countries with a history of repression, are both adjusting government regulation of technology. Cuba is giving the green light to more personal freedoms, while Russian authorities are bringing expression to a screeching halt.

Yesterday, Cuban president Raul Castro lifted the ban on the sale of computers, DVDs, and video players. While Cuba's new leader is showing mild signs of loosening government control, Russia is moving to muzzle opposition.

Russian prosecutors have just filed criminal charges against a blogger who wrote that the police should be publicly incarcerated. The blogger's comments came after police raided a newspaper critical of the government. Unlike communist Cuba, Russia is at least nominally a democracy.

The internet has given government resisters a medium to voice outrage, when all other outlets are in the tight grip of dictators. Do you think loosening in Cuba will inevitably lead to more freedom? Can countries like Russia ever wipe out opposing voices from the virile internet, as it has from newspapers and television?

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Cuban Cyber Rebels Undermine Government Restrictions

LibertySugar — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 11:00:30 -0800

All you need to be a modern Cuban rebel is a digital camera, a memory stick, and an underground internet connection. Today, the New York Times highlighted "cyber rebels," Cubans that are rendering state control of the internet ineffective.

In February, university students captured compromising video of the president of the National Assembly. When confronted by fervent students about Cuba's travel ban, the president answered that if everyone who wished to travel could, there would not be enough airspace for the planes. The absurd video spread like wildfire on the digital underground, damaging the party leader's reputation.

The article discusses other manifestations of dissent that are passing from "flash drive to flash drive." Officially, there is only one cyber cafe in Havana, which costs $5 per hour, one-third of the average Cuban monthly salary, but the people are effectively using the black market to get around the government's control.

The cyber rebels say that the underground internet is the only aspect of Cuban life not regulated by the state. Do you think that a swelling movement could eventually lead to more freedoms in Cuba? Or, do you think the government will react harshly, as the Iranians, who plan to shut off the internet completely during legislative elections.

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Fidel Castro's Resignation Marks an End of an Era

LibertySugar — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 16:00:11 -0800

Here's one more look at the resignation of Fidel Castro. It marks the end of an era, which has lasted since the communist rebel took power in 1959. Castro outlasted nine US presidents.

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Castro survived several US backed assassination attempts, an economic embargo by the US, and the collapse of the Soviet Union. Given the history of Cuba shown in these fabulous vintage pictures, I wonder what is in store for his younger brother Raul, who officially took over Sunday.
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