The United Nations Development Agency has ranked Cuba, whose people are on the verge of starvation and whose economy is comparable to that of Haiti, as the world's second-best nation at combating poverty, behind Trinidad and Tobago but ahead of Chile, Singapore, and Costa Rica, all of which are economic success stories. The U.N. cites Cuba's ability to narrow differences between genders and social classes.

According to official Cuban statistics, the country's GNP has fallen by about 20 percent since 1991, and the average Cuban worker earns a monthly wage of 203 pesos. Even if the nonconvertible currency's official exchange rate is taken seriously, it still means the average Cuban worker earns about $140 per year, less than an American minimum wage earner earns in a week. This is occurring despite a considerable level of investment by Western governments defying American policy.

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