Ok, let’ look at the situation Cuba has fallen into in the past 50 years. Let’ keep our minds clear, open and unbiased as we push all of our opinions and preconceptions out the way and just look at what happened. What went wrong.

It starts with the Batistas; corrupt and oppressive. Guerrilla bands rose up against them and sparked a revolution of thousands of hungry, supressed and poor people. These people fought a regime with the intention to free the land of wealth of their nation and share it equally amongst them, and this is what a true Communist movement should theoretically strive to do (even if the revolution was not specifically a Communist one until much later).

Then what? Ok, the USA gets interested. A nation in which the majority of wealth and power is locked away in the upper classes and the state, along with its corperate cohorts, are clearly interested in the expansion of their power. This can hardly be argued, it’ blatantly clear the United States has very little itnerest in developing its political system into anything more equal, it’ eye is clearly fixed on maintaining its grip over the world economy.

We all know that by the 60’ the US is one of the worlds most influential super powers, and seeing a country as close to home as Cuba attempt to form a socialist government, it is clearly not happy. If there is revolution in Cuba, then maybe there could be revolution in Mexico. Maybe even here! The ruling classes would obviously do whatever it took to keep their power and wealth from being redistributed in a socialist movement of any kind. So America put immense economic and political pressure on Cuba, and even military force is used in later years.

Now, someone tell me how it is possible to reduce a fuedal regime in a small and relatively poor country like 1960’ Cuba and ultimately rebuild a commune (obviously with the various steps in between), a political and economic system that has not truly existed anywhere in the world throughout all of human history, when you have the worlds most powerful country putting such immense pressure on your as America did? For a Communist system to ever be stable and develop into a commune, and realise the dreams of those who rose up against the Batistas, the country would have to be without any political or economic pressure at all, of course this is true!

So what happens to Communism in Cuba? The same thing that happened in Russia and to some extent, China. With such immense outside pressure, the government becomes paranoid and afraid. It becomes authoritarian and violently puts and end to any dissent in the hope that it can solidify the population and fend off the international opposition. And what happens when the government does this? Every principle of Marxism, every hope of peace and equality every peasent had for his nation dies, and the world places its blame on Communism.

So we are left with a world skeptical of Communism and afraid to help Cuba loosen back up and persue once again the road to the commune. The government faces continued pressure from the States and the economy begins to collapse as fear and mistrust spreads across the land. Poeple get poorer, the government gets more and more paranoid, and we are left with Castro sitting there claiming it is all part of the “dictatorship of the proletariat!”.“This is our next step! The working class with rule Cuba with absolute authority until we are ready for the commune!”. But where is the commune Castro? It has been 50 years and the step is not yet complete? How can you justify the silencing of descent Castro? It goes agains the very concept of Communism!

So what happens what Castro dies? The Americans see there chance! Annex Cuba! A 52nd state! In total political contorl of the USA, a capitalist system fueling their economy and more land, soldiers and arms for their “war on terror?”.

My point is, whilst Castro has done some terrible, TERRIBLE things, we can not be fooled into siding with the Americans. I say this with all the conviction in my heart, the Americans are not out for the good of the Cuban people, how many times must we watch the United States destroy culture after culture, movement after movement before we realize they are only out for themselves!?

The young of Cuba will soon decide the fate of a nation in termoil for the past 60 years. It may sees like the obvious choice to abandon the bastardised Communist regime that has oppressed them for so long and embrace the bold American frontier. But if this happens, Cuba will become just another Texas. Up go the factories, the power moves to Washington and all the dreams of peace, equality and solidairty go out the window.

I wish with all my heart that Cubans will be the ones that make Communism work. Give corperate greed the middle finger. Throw corrupt Stalinism out the door and head into a brave new hoirzon where the old dreams of freedom can come true.

Some of Yixian’ points need clarification. First, the US would convert Cuba into a territory on a par with Puerto Rico because it is more cost effective than full statehood. Secondly, China and Russia represent vastly different realities than Cuba’. Russia went broke from the arms race and grotesque mismanagement (i.e., bureacratic incompetence). China’ forays into free-market mechanisms are designed to achieve economic and military parity with the US. Once said parity is achieved, the spots of the leopard will reappear and the bourgeois class will be purged brutally.

Cuba is not paranoid. It has been in the cross-hairs of the US for 45 years and the victim of countless attacks planned and executed from US soil. It’ good terrorism if it happens to Cuba but it’ bad terrorism if it happens to the US.

I have been doing research on Jose Marti and came across an excerpt from his last letter (see below) written May 18,1895 just one day before being killed in battle. This passage painfully highlights the grotesque absurdity of Bush and the Cuban diaspora’ claim of philosophical affinity with this great Cuban patriot.

Marti clearly suggests that Cuba and Latin America should reject US influence at all costs. Members of the exile community living in Miami ruled Cuba before the Revolution in ways antithetical to the postulates of Marti. Specifically, they comprised a parasitic and predatory group of oligarchs (i.e., traitors) who allowed foreign marauders to rape and pillage La Patria in exchange for obscene wealth and power. Five percent lived like kings while the remaining 95% lived like rats.

The passage below clearly demonstrates that Marti would spit in their (gusano) faces given the opportunity today.

<<May 18, 1895. In his last letter, JosÈ Martí writes that it is his duty “to prevent, by the independence of Cuba, the United States from spreading over the West Indies and falling, with that added weight, upon other lands of our America. All I have done up to now, and shall do hereafter, is to that end… I have lived inside the monster and know its insides.”>>

Yes I admit I was a little inspecific and made a few errors, but my basic point remains.

Whilst the current regime has failed miserably in developing a socialist society, this doesn’t mean it should be left to the American vultures and does not mean that the new generations can not take hold of the countries future and head it into real social and economic progress. Not saying that it won’t be extremely difficult, only that it would be such a waste of those who gave their lives for a new Cuba to let it fall prey to corrupt beaurocrats or American greed.