[fluffy0000]

Cuba
I've been to Haiti, Honduras, Panama, Columbia - etc, and Cuba is way better off than any of it's neighbors especially it's healthcare. Your 'e arguement about foreign or domestic puppet governments is a non starter.
FYI the evil empire ( USSR ) collapsed in 1989' and support especially oil etc was shut off.
Cuba is not a puppet except in your imagination.

regarding US auto industry-
dude, you have got it wrong again about what happened to US auto industry and the US manufactoring base during the 70's and 80's especially in the wake of the first wave of oil crisis.
The reason the US auto makers and the whole US northeastern industrial base collapsed has nothing to do with superior imports, especially autos?

The US auto industry and northeastern industrial belt represented a highly paid , union organized base of workers. Note UAW United Auto Workers, AFL-CIO etc, unions through it's membership and pension fund ( money ) translated into political clout.

During the 70's and 80's the US through a economical model of rolling back wages and destroying organized labor - the US deliberately decided to force domestic wages down and roll back organized labor by relocating the US industrial base overseas where cheaper labor and regulation would let them operate unrestrained.