Ricardo Pascoe Pierce
In view of the ominous presence of the high command of the Cuban dictatorship in Mexico, and the sweet words of affection and congratulations expressed by the Mexican President, it is necessary to take a break to evaluate what is being celebrated.
Cuba was initially a revolutionary project seeking freedom and progress in the face of a repressive government. Over time that project dissolved, becoming what it had fought against and overthrown: a civil-military dictatorship, now the longest-lived in Latin America.
At first, the revolution wanted to build a strong State, capable of promoting economic and social development with equality. Contradictions were quickly felt with the U.S. neighbor, which had large economic interests invested in the island and was not pleased with this new “strong state” in the making. Decolonization in the world was gaining momentum, and Cuban revolutionaries were no strangers to these libertarian impulses. Cuban leaders echoed those demands, and African countries, including the Maghreb, were frequently visited by Cubans.
In times of tension due to the Cold War between the capitalist and socialist blocs, the Cuban leadership chose to associate with the Soviet one. And so began the formation of a centrally planned economy, a system of universal social services, a single-party political regime, and the promotion of the “world revolution from Cuba”, starting with Latin America.
With the honorable exception of Mexico, all Latin American countries suffered from guerrillas imported from Cuba. Today Colombia’s ELN is the last surviving guerrilla organization of that era, promoted by Cuba.
All that effort of planned economy, universal social services, and war in Latin America was totally financed by the Soviet Union. Cuba went from being a colony of the United States to being colonized by the USSR. The Cuban economy did not have at that time, as it does not have today, the capacity to generate the resources to finance its system. Proof of this is that when Soviet support disappeared in 1991, the so-called “Special Period” began, which resulted in the general impoverishment of the population, accompanied by a significant deterioration of the State’s medical and educational services.
The idea that Cuba enjoys a superior health and education system today is a myth. It was true during the time when the Soviet Union was practically the sole support of the economy. For the USSR, Cuba was a shiny shelf in Cold War political propaganda. Today Cuba’s shelves are empty.
But the worst thing was that Cuba adopted the Soviet totalitarian one-party political system. At some point Stalin decided that the Marxist recipe was the single party. Neither Marx, Trotsky, nor Lenin said that. But it was convenient for the new socialist State to consolidate itself under that slogan. And so it happened in Cuba. The slogan of the Cuban State is “Patria o Muerte”(“Homeland or Death”).
Cuba quickly evolved into a totalitarian regime, even more repressive than the Batista government they defeated at the time. Today it is ruled by a non-proletarian dictatorship of a civilian-military class of businessmen who enrich their families with international trade. They hide their wealth in banks abroad, in addition to real estate and business with other dictatorships, such as North Korea, China, Russia, Iran, and Venezuela. They also do business with Cubans who “lend” their services to governments and international companies, at slave prices.
Inside Cuba they preach the revolution and imprison those who dare to demand more freedoms, while outside, they do juicy personal business, albeit on behalf of the national government. The juniors of the revolution are the operators abroad.
Cubans who demand political freedoms, democracy, and respect for human rights are considered a danger to state control over the population. That is why a song entitled “Patria y Vida” (Homeland and Life) is, today, a revolutionary slogan and foreshadows the inevitable collapse of the totalitarian regime in Cuba.
The struggle in Cuba can be summarized in two slogans: “Homeland or Death” of the government and “Homeland and Life” of those who wish and promote democratic change.
To uncritically and slavishly support that regime, as López Obrador does, can only have two explanations. One would be that the Mexican President is guided by limited knowledge of what is happening on the Island, and ignores the real situation prevailing there, as his advisors have other interests. And the other explanation would be that his infatuation with Cuba is due to the fact that he sees in that system the political-economic model that he would like to repeat in Mexico.
And you, which option do you think explains López Obrador’s positioning?
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