Re: Cuban revolutionaries in 1890's

To go back to the original premise, there's another factor to consider in such revolutionary situations - the gap between the local elite who are connected and adept at influencing the outside world in enlisting ( or resisting) American intervention and the general populace. The latter may not speak English, be familiar with mordern media, be literate or have experienced much beyond the horizon of their own village, yet their attitude may be determinative to the outcome of any American mission.

In the case of Cuba, the light skinned, well-educated economic elite in contact with Pulitzer and Hearst reporters who struggling against Spanish rule had different objectives from the mostly black Cuban agricultural laborers in revolt in the interior. Guess which group gave the USMC the most problems after the Spanish-American War and which one misled American authorities in the first place as to the nature of peasant grievances ?

We have to be very careful not to be snookered by the friendly, smiling locals who speak excellent English. They have invaluable local knowedge but usually came by that information by running the system prior to our arrival and they intend to run things again after we leave. We need to be plugged in to the non-elite as well simply to keep our own frame of reference in reality rather than in some fantasy zone our " friends" wish us to be.