04) A TRIUMPH FOR SOCIALIST CUBA

 

People’s Voice Editorial

 

            Unlike the corporate think tanks operating out of Washington, we do not possess a crystal ball or any magic device to predict the future. Our ideological opponents are boasting that the re-establishment of diplomatic relations between Cuba and the US is a win for imperialism. Soon, they proclaim, Cubans will embrace capitalism with the enthusiasm they showed before “the beards” and their Soviet allies “imposed communism” in Havana.

 

            History is a more reliable science. The fact is that for centuries prior to the Revolution, Cubans were brutally oppressed and exploited, first by Spanish colonialism, and then by the Yankees and their pet dictators. Since 1959, despite the US blockade, Cuba has advanced to first place in many key socio-economic indicators among Latin American countries. Cubans are keenly aware that the restoration of capitalism in the USSR and other socialist countries was followed by a dramatic drop in living standards and social security. We believe that while the period ahead will be complicated, the Cuban people will defend their socialist principles.

 

            In reality, the decades-long diplomatic and political clash between the U.S. and Cuba has resulted in a decisive victory for the island of freedom. For example, the agreement to restore relations makes it clear that debates over human rights and democracy will apply to both countries, and Cuba is recognized as a sovereign independent country, not a vassal state of US imperialism. Of course, many outstanding issues remain to be resolved, such as lifting the blockade, the return of Guantanamo to Cuba, and ending US internal subversion and destabilization.

 

            For this reason, it is crucial to strengthen efforts to build friendship and solidarity between Canadians and Cubans. This is not just a moral issue; every victory for Cuba is also a victory for peace, disarmament, human equality, national sovereignty, and for a socialist alternative to imperialist barbarism.

 

(The above article is from the August 1-31, 2015, issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading socialist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $30/year, or $15 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $45 US per year; other overseas readers - $45 US or $50 CDN per year. Send to People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, BC, V5L 3J1.)