THE ASIAN INDEPENDENT UK
Protect Cuba to ensure success of ideals of Socialism, Social Justice, Dignity and Sovereignty of people, Cuba must not be allowed to go the Gaza way for the sake of multipolarity and rule based world order
Vidya Bhushan Rawat
Feb 23
Cuba faces the biggest challenge to its sovereignty and independence at the moment as the brutal and repressive economic blockade violating all the international norms and practices are showing its impact on the tiny island nation. While Donald Trump and his team want to virtually strangulate Cuba for showing its independent foreign policy, the rest of the world is expressing its solidarity with Cuba. Unfortunately, Europe including Canada have shown no interest to protect Cuba. As far as India is concerned, the less said about it is the best. The foreign policy of the current government in India is in complete mess and lack direction. It shamelessly kept quiet on Venezuela and now its complete silence on Cuba is on predicted line. The tame surrender to US is done to protect the Supreme leadership for being targeted by the American media as well as the Deep State which is expert in blackmailing leaders across the global South.
Cuba is not merely a tiny South American nation. It is an inspiration for the entire world. We all remember how we all were in awe to see President Fidel Castro handing over the baton of the Non-Aliened Movement to Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Cuba is not a Venezuela; it does not have vast energy resources. It is not bombing countries. It has one of the best educational systems in the world. It sends doctors and medicines abroad. During Covid, the world saw how Cuba supports international effort in fighting the pandemic. Is it not surprising that a country that speak about people’s right is hell bent to destroy a well-established country. Why is the United States obsessed with Cuba? Is it because the Cuban revolution built a nation which has one hundred percent literacy? Is it because Cuban medical system is better than the US and its doctors and medical services are much in demand particularly in the global south. Is it because Cuba inspired an entire generation of anti-colonial struggle? The answer to all these questions is actually in the affirmative. The mighty and most powerful nation of the world want a ‘democracy’ in Cuba which is favourable to its business interests and allow the Maimi transnationals to extend their ‘Bay Watch’ and ‘Yachts’ in the Cuban Island. Basically, it is the ‘Epstein industry’ which would like to have their fiefdom in Cuba. Yes, the American capitalists’ imperialists have been peeved with Cuban revolution as it became the most powerful statement of resistance against the mighty neighbour. It was Cuban revolution that inspired other revolutions in not only Latin American countries such as Venezuela and Bolivia but also influenced many African countries. For American elite, Fidel Castro and Che Guevara were the biggest terrorists of the world but for the rest of the world they inspired a huge generation of youngsters.
Cuba was occupied by Spain in 1492 and remained with it till 1898. A US Spain conflict brought it under the occupational control of USA from 1898 till 1902. The US elite enjoyed Cuba and invested heavily there. Cuban dance, music and wine was popular in the United States. Trade between the two boomed as Cuba exported sugar, tobacco to the U.S while United States was the biggest market for Cuba. American oligarchs in Miami invested heavily in—sugar plantations, railroads, utilities, tourism and became dominant partner in Cuban economy. So, Havana became a hotspot for American tourists, gamblers, and celebrities. Cuban love for baseball and its music, food and literature had numerous patrons in USA particularly in its Miami region.
On July 26th, 1959 revolution led by Fidel Castro overthrew the US puppet Batista. The U.S. recognized the new government but Castro regimes nationalisation process antagonised the American leadership. The pain was not that Castro was a ‘revolutionary’ or a ‘dictator’ as the US would have wanted us to believe but Castro provided an alternative to corrupt and brutal capitalist system that was exporting ‘democracies’ to control the resources and the leadership in the Americas, the backward of United States.
Once in control, Castro nationalised oil refineries, sugar plantation and other industries widely controlled by the US businessmen. The situation got aggravated because the US wanted compensation for the same but Castro declined to do so. They still claim it around USD 1.7 billion as today. Further, Cuba raised taxes on U.S. imports in the country. The biggest ‘sin’ committed by Cuba was to align with the Soviet Union and be part of the ‘Communist world’. The 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis still haunt the United States when the Soviet nuclear missiles reached in its backyard. Under Fidel Castro, Cuba enriched its internationalism and became part of providing training to revolutionary guerrilla movements in Latin America as well as Africa.
CIA made numerous attempts to assassinate President Fidel Castro yet failed. It is not that Cuba was a powerful nation which could take the mighty USA on its own. The fact is that all this was possible because of strong support of Soviet Union. That way, the dismantling of Soviet Union was the biggest damage to the global South. We would not have seen the crisis that happened in Venezuela or Iran if Soviet Union were there. The last decade of the 20th century was the worst for bipolar world but the disappearance of Soviet Union emboldened the Western Imperialist forces and they started regime change operations on their own even without taking any permission from the UN Security Council. Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, Yugoslavia (Kosovo) were attacked their legitimate leaders were either killed or captured. Russia was too weak to intervene in these circumstances. Though Vladimir Putin slowly brought Russia back to its glory yet he is still playing safe and giving diplomacy more time but the Syria and Iran were disasters as Russia could do little in the beginning. After the Venezuelan operation in which the CIA captured Venezuelan President Nicola Maduro, the US president Donald Trump became emboldened and he immediately asked for a regime change operation in Cuba apart from threatening Iran with the same. Cuba is a test case. If the Russians are unable to protect Cuba at the moment, then it will clearly mean that they neither have military strength nor diplomatic control vis a vis United States. Russian business interests and energy clients are the direct target of United States.
As far as India is concern, people like us had not much understanding about the US economic embargo on Cuba in the mid-1990s when the left parties were campaigning in solidarity with Cuba and collected grains for them. Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro became a role model for the world. An intellectual, Fidel’s speeches and talks inspired not only countries fighting against colonialism but also the youths. Cuba was not merely a ‘revolutionary’ country speaking against ‘capitalism’ but also providing true leadership to the global south. It provided socialist alternative to the world.
While communism in India is always understood in terms of ignoring the caste question as a majority of its leadership emerged from the dominant caste Hindus. It is therefore extremely important to see what was Fidel Castro’s role in addressing the race question in Cuba and whether he addressed it or not.
Castro led revolution removed American puppet Fulgencio Batista on January 1, 1959 and it resulted in massive support for him not merely Cuban indigenous people but also the African descent people. The revolution inspired anti colonial anti-imperialist movements in Latin America and Africa. In his historic speech after the revolution in 1959, he said, ‘that Cubans could dance with whomever they wanted as long as they danced with the revolution’. It is said that this resulted in the decision of two lakh fifteen thousand ‘White’ Americans to leave Cuba till 1963. It is reported and suggested in many analysis that it happened because the white elite would not support a revolution that ended segregation which was still part of American society and blacks were being treated as secondary citizens. So, the Cuban whites would feel comfortable in the company of American whites in Miami but would not like that segregation in Cuba is ended. So, most of these affluent Cuban whites resented government effort to end racism and segregation in Cuba hence left their country. It is also reported that legally segregation ended in Cuba but practically it exists there.
Castro’s Cuba outlawed all forms of formal discrimination and institutional racism in the very beginning of the revolution in 1959. The aim to end segregation was basically to provide common and quality schooling and education system for both African descent and white citizens of Cuba. The Afro Cuban citizens who are at the margin benefitted from the wide range of economic and social reforms. The focus on housing, education and health services changed the things and the representation of black people got increased in different professions. There were common recreational centres for all citizens of Cuba. The fact that Castro felt the issue of segregation was extremely important finally helped push the socialist agenda involving all the citizens of Cuba but it was disliked by the powerful white elite which preferred to leave for the USA than living with their fellow countrymen. They were not ready to mix up with the black community people.
The history of Afro Cuban is in fact the darkest chapter of the slave trade initiated by the European white supremacists and colonisers. They pushed the indigenous communities farther and brought slaves from Africa to work in their plantation fields. It started in the year 1513 when the first batch of enslaved Africans were brought to Cuba to mostly work in the mines too. There were revolt and rebellions in these mines. The capital city of Havana developed into a hub for local trade and the only port that could ship goods to Spain. The rivalry of the imperial powers too resulted in reduced or increased number of the slaves from Africa. After a 7 years war with Spain, the British occupied both Havana and brought over 10,000 African slaves to work in the sugar factories. Both the Spanish as well as the British used the slave labour to prosper their business interests. It is said that by 1840 number of African slaves in Cuba grew up to 40% which made Cuba the world’s largest sugar producer and ‘Havana became the largest market for enslaved Africans in the Caribbean by 1839, importing around 10,000 slaves a year as per a report’.
‘Between 1810 and 1870 Cuba acquired about 600,000 slaves and although Britain prohibited the Transatlantic Slave Trade, Africans continued to be sold into slavery in Havana’s markets until the last slave ship arrived in 1867’.
In 1886 Cuba abolished slavery but that did not end the discrimination against them hence their resistance for their rights continued and allied with all those who were fighting for Cuba’s independence. The struggle of Afro Cuban led by the legendry poet philosopher Jose Marti against racism, discrimination and Spanish colonialism remain an important chapter of the revolutionary movement’s history in Cuba. The elite whites knew the number and size of Africans had grown widely curtsy their ‘import’ of slave labour from Africa and hence to maintain the ‘white’ hegemony the rulers brought over four lakh Spaniards to Cuba.
Total Population of Cuba is nearing 11 million with nearly one hundred percent literacy. At the moment there are 1.6 million Cuban immigrants of which 60% have become naturalised citizens of the United States.
Today Cuba is suffering with the extraordinary economic embargo by the United States as it is not allowing friendly countries to send oil and other shipments. It is shocking that the ordinary citizens of United States have been deliberately kept in dark by the big corporate media part of the deep state system and deliberately bring out narrative about the ‘authoritarianism’ in Cuba. One need to understand well that the ‘revolutionary authoritarianism’ in Cuba provided world class doctors and proved their worth during the Covid period by providing their services to different countries. Cuba needs international solidarity as it is a shining example of success of socialist project which has become a role model for the global south. The Barbaric blockade and economic embargo imposed by US President Donald Trump has caused huge humanitarian crisis in the island nation. Cuba now face serious energy crisis as no cargo ships are allowed to reach Cuba. International embargo has devastating consequences on Cuba but are they bigger than its freedom, autonomy and people’s right. The so-called ‘democracy’ is nothing but installation of puppet regime in Cuba that would allow the American business interest safe at the cost of the local people. Entire Latin America has seen how CIA has intervened right from Guatemala, Bolivia, Argentina, Colombia, Honduras to Nicaragua.
It is disappointing that the economic embargo imposed by USA remain unchallenged at the moment despite the fact that the UN Security Council has declared it unlawful with a huge majority. We have seen what happened in Gaza where the Israel bombed and completely destroyed the city, killing thousands including children and older population as well as making millions of people homeless and refugees in their own land. Israel could not have done so without open and brazen facedly shameful backing of the US and its NATO allies. Killing of children, bombing of hospitals and schools did not melt the power elite who are now speaking of bringing ‘peace’ in Gaza without any involvement and engagement of the local people and Palestinian government. It is clear that Gaza will become a backyard of US corporate. Is Donald Trump having the similar dream for Cuba which is basically in the backyard of US ? Russia, China, India, Brazil, South Africa, BRICS and other countries of global south must stand in solidarity with Cuba today.
Cuban model is international acceptance of Socialism and power of international solidarity. It is about the idea of Cuba that the US hate it or want to control it as it fears if the idea of Cuba is allowed to spread in its backyard, then it might overgrow with threatening consequences to its capitalist model. Frankly, these fears are overstretched or over stated as Cuba is definitely not comparable to US and its strength. It is much smaller than majority of states of the US. The problem is that President Trump wants to work for the business friends who are still waiting to get their ‘losses’ after their industries were nationalised by Fidel Castro in Cuba without compensating them monetarily. Castro is no more but Cuba still lives under the shadow of his legacy. Today, Cuba is fighting its battle valiantly. It has turned to solar energy as people are facing enormous difficulties but it also reminds us that these are the moments when the will of a nation and its solidarity with others is seen. Cuba is an idea which is relevant. In the entire Latin America, Cuba with its 244 medals in 25 summer Olympics and 30 winter Olympics (from 1896 till 2026) followed distantly by much bigger countries Brazil 171 medals, Argentina 80 and Mexico 77. Cuban cigar and its Bacardi are still ruling the market along with the portraits, T-Shirts and cap of Fidel Castro and Che Guevara. Cuban people are fighting for their dignity and sovereignty from a mighty never. Shouldn’t global south and all the anti-colonial forces join hand and fight for Cuban people’s right. The regime change operation does not begin suddenly. It starts with building of narrative such as authoritarian, anti-people, undemocratic followed by talks of human rights violations, women’s rights being tempered and so on. The projects started long back but got defeated in most of the places such as Vietnam and Afghanistan. Iraq was destroyed in the name of having weapons of mass destruction. Libya plundered as its leader Col Gaddafi spoke about a United Africa. Syria was bombed and legitimate president of Venezuela was kidnapped along with his wife while Iran is still under the threat of a destructive war. When will this stop ? As United Nations is in complete jeopardy and Europe trapped in its own contradictions, it is time BRICS nations to join hand, develop a mechanism to protect the countries which might be the next in the hitlist of Donald Trump and his administration. We must now allow a repeat of Gaza in Cuba and if that happen then forget about multipolar world order, we will only see the whims and fancies of a unipolar world under the United States. Are we prepared for that?
