Translated "Avante!" article by Jorge Cadima, Member of the International Department
Raul Castro’s and Obama’s statements, announcing the Cuban patriots’ liberation and the resume of diplomatic relations between Cuba and the USA, deserved to be highlighted. The word “historical” was greatly used. And in reality, it concerns an important Cuban Revolution victory. The USA policy was altered, which for five decades isolated and strangled the unsubdued and sovereign Caribbean island. An island which dared to become free and build socialism at the gateway of the planet’s greatest imperialist power. Among all kinds of difficulties, and owing to the Cuban people’s heroism and resistance, leaders and heroes, as the Five, and internationalist solidarity, which always nurtured the Revolution, Cuba not but resisted as it became a hope lighthouse, inspiring a whole lot of Latin American revolutionaries and leaders, as Hugo Chavez. Insubmission encouraged resistance and struggle of a whole continent, extended to all other continents.
The USA political turn represents the recognition of a failure. Alias, it was Obama himself who recognized that fact when declaring “that the last 50 years proved that [ the USA’s] policy failed, and its time to try a new approach”. The blockade to Cuba was, in the last years, was an issue in which the imperialist super-power proved its own isolation ( not Cuba’s). The UN’s General Assembly requested Cuba’s embargo ending for many years and the USA remained isolated, in opposition to those resolutions ( together with the not recommendable Israel’s company). As they remain isolated in their permanent and non-hesitant support to the Zionist state terrorism. The support to Cuba becomes overwhelming among the Latin-American governments, and the OAS ( were the USA had imposed Cuba’s exclusion) was placed in a second level and currently, the USA has difficulties in attending the Americas’ summits.
But one ought not to have illusions on the USA’s policy deep turn concerning Cuba. The economic blockade carries on, as Raul Castro underlined. And all the planet’s reality, both in the passed and currently, tells us that conspiracy, aggression policy, subversion and war, is part of imperialism’s genetic code – in particular, the USA’s imperialism. There are new sanctions coming from Washington against Venezuela. Possibly in result of new tactics among the USA leader class, an imperial power in decline, but armed to the teeth. But, for the sake of the “new approach” or the old one, they are united on what concerns the objective of making Cuba and all Latin America return to the servile and subordination condition. No miracle coming from Pope Francis can change that reality. Only the peoples’ struggle, including the martyr American people, a victim for decades, of general impoverishment, racial discrimination and a more and more fierce and unlimited police repression.
The Cuban victory is important. But the struggle carries on. As in Cuba’s usurped territory, there exist prisoners, imprisoned for many years with the inexistence of a condemnation nor judgement – and no formal accusation. Many of them were kidnapped, are incommunicable and at the edge of no dignified law system. Prisoners who are tortured. Currently, at the USA Guantanamo military base. A base built within Cuban occupied territory and which the Cuban government has demanded for a long time. A base which is part of the vast torture arCIApelago, , recognized by the USA Senate. And has spread its tentacles to countries as Poland and Lithuania, where 25 years ago, imperialist “freedom” arrived. Therefore, there is much to be done, in order to insure the return of human rights and international legality, to all Cuban territory, the USA and throughout the planet. The USA war and aggression fierce machine, which carries on sowing death , destruction and terror ought to be defeated.
