Communism can be helpful for very underdeveloped countries with near nonexistent infrastructure and a weak destabilized government, but it’s not some cure all. Cuba is far past that point, and communism does stunt growth past a certain point. Cuba needs to shift to a freer economy if they do want to see some strong growth both economically and in terms of living conditions.
Growth "past a certain point" is one of the foundational myths of capitalism, and ultimately just accelerates its own demise. Indefinite growth in a world of finite resources is impossible. I'm not saying that Cuba has the ideal steady-state economy or anything, but the idea that capitalism is inherently the solution to either living standards or authoritarianism is absurd: just look at what Pinochet managed to do to his country and the massive improvements that basic regulations brought once he was deposed.
As with many others in this thread, I don't think that either the status quo or its most prominent international critics have the solution to improving things in Cuba, and I hope that international forces don't get too opportunistic.
