re: #394 Patricia Kayden

His friendship with Castro, Arafat, and Gaddafi was based on the fact that they helped him during his struggle against Apartheid. There is absolutely nothing wrong with Mandela maintaining his friendship with those who helped him when he and Black South Africans needed them most. Especially since most Western nations either helped the Apartheid government outright or were passive.

I appreciate Castro’s support of liberation movements throughout Africa and have never thought of him as the monster that some Americans try to portray him.

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One wonders how Cuba would have developed if we hadn’t spent 50 years being pissy about the revolution.