A few of America’s favorite villains are up to their old tricks again. In Cuba, Fidel Castro’s brother Raul has just assumed the padded red throne of presidential rule. Fidel’s failing health forced him to step down from 49 years of ruling the country. This hardly demonstrates the revolutionary spirit that Cuba and Fidel pride themselves on, since a Communist dynasty is no different than a royal one when family members are shoe-ins to national leadership roles.

In Russia, December’s elections were fraught with questionable strong-arm tactics perpetrated by President Vladimir Putin’s party. A recent New York Times article exposed various abuses of democracy throughout Russia, including coercion and blackmail toward voters. In the city of Nizhny Novgorod, factory workers were told by foremen to vote for Putin’s party and to report back to supervisors in order to avoid disciplinary action.

As the Times article explains: “Behind a facade of democracy lies a centralized authority that has deployed a nationwide cadre of loyalists that is not reluctant to swat down those who challenge the ruling party.” This sort of autocratic mindset ignores popular opinion and hinders change. The president and the Kremlin argue that it’s necessary for stability.

It’s remarkable that even after the “fall” of communism in Eastern Europe, we still see totalitarian behavior in Russia and Cuba. It’s like seeing two of our old Cold War buddies, still drinking together at the Smothered Peasant bar and grill. You’d think that Fidel would have croaked by now, after being wreathed in a steady cloud of cigar smoke for the better part of his life, or that a band of pitchfork-raising townspeople would have rushed the Kremlin and demanded Putin’s head on a platter. But these governments stifle their opposition.

We ought to expect the continuation of Cuban communism until Fidel buys the farm. Cuba legally allows for one political party, despite the clandestine existence of several others.

Whether the general populace of Cuba will accept Raul’s rule remains to be seen.

Our trade embargo still stands and shows no signs of lifting. For everyone still craving Cuban cigars and Havana Club rum stateside, it may be years. Until then, we’ll have to settle with Bacardi and Captain Morgan, and pretend that we’re A-list rappers as we puff away at second-rate Dominican stogies.

The United States still has a love-hate relationship with Russia. They send us ex-KGB guys to start auto-theft rings, and we still spy on them like it’s 1969. The days of glamorous espionage have faded, and now every new James Bond movie has to get really creative with villains. There was something enthralling about the space race and the lingering possibility of worldwide thermonuclear war. It sure made for some interesting art, music, movies and books. Russia’s economy is improving ever so slowly, but it’s hard to be of help, since we’ve never really wanted borscht or cheap vodka that badly.

Stale governments have a tough time learning new ways of working. In this season of political fervor in America, we can really learn to appreciate what we’ve got. We are allowed to attend political rallies, and to vote for whom we choose.

We can disseminate information freely. Even if our choices are limited, there’s still choice, and a chance to speak your mind. It wouldn’t be easy for many of us to live in a country where choice has been robbed from the average citizen. And it’s a blessing to have the freedom to disagree with your government, even if it seems like it doesn’t listen sometimes.

Now is the time to get involved. The world, especially the part of it that doesn’t have the privilege of publicly disagreeing with their hegemonic governments, is watching us.

Vote in the November elections for whomever you want, and celebrate living in a free country.

You’ll help inspire the people of Cuba and Russia.

[Reach columnist Jackson Rohrbaugh at opinion@thedaily.washington.edu.]