The World Must Continue to Support Cuba’s Call for The U.S. Blockade Against The Cuban Nation to End

The U.S. blockade against Cuba is not just an economic measure - it’s a violation of human rights and international law

The U.S. Blockade on Cuba: A Humanitarian Catastrophe Fueled by Geopolitical Arrogance

By Dr. Kevin J Turnquest-Alcena 

“Deo adjuvante, non timendum”

"With God as my helper, I have nothing to fear."

This Latin phrase beautifully encapsulates the unwavering spirit of the Cuban people in the face of the relentless U.S. blockade.  For over six decades, Cuba has endured an economic siege meant to cripple its progress and suppress its people.  Yet, the Cuban people, bolstered by faith and resilience, remain defiant.  The blockade is more than an economic imposition—it is an affront to human dignity.  But with God’s help, as the phrase assures, no challenge is insurmountable.

Another Latin phrase, "In necessariis unitas, in dubiis libertas, in omnibus caritas", meaning “In necessary things, unity; in doubtful things, liberty; in all things, charity,” reminds us that when faced with global crises, unity and empathy are essential.  The blockade against Cuba stands in stark contrast to this principle, as it continues to isolate the country instead of offering solidarity and support.

A Policy of Economic Strangulation

The blockade has turned Cuba into an isolated battlefield where economic deprivation is used as a tool to crush the human spirit.  From March 2023 to February 2024, Cuba suffered over 5.05 billion USD in losses, while the cumulative losses over six decades exceed USD 164 billion.  Losing 14 million dollars per day.  These figures reflect not just monetary deficits but lost opportunities for economic growth, healthcare, and education. 

As the Latin phrase goes, "Aegroto dum anima est, spes est", or “While there’s life, there’s hope.”  Despite these overwhelming numbers, Cuba’s hope lies in the resilience of its people and their unwavering determination to resist.  However, the blockade stifles their potential, prevents access to vital resources, and plunges the nation into deeper economic and social crises.

The Healthcare Crisis: The Human Cost of Sanctions

Perhaps nowhere is the cruelty of the U.S. blockade more evident than in Cuba’s healthcare system.  Once a global leader in providing high-quality, free healthcare for all its citizens, the Cuban health sector has been crippled, not by internal inefficiencies, but by U.S. sanctions that have blocked essential medical supplies and technologies.

 

“Vincit qui patitur,” meaning “He who endures, conquers,” illustrates the enduring struggle of Cuba’s healthcare workers and patients.  They fight on despite the severe limitations imposed on them.  The COVID-19 pandemic exposed this harsh reality even further.  The U.S. blocked Cuba’s access to ventilators, preventing the island from importing life-saving equipment at the height of the pandemic.

This policy has moved beyond economic sanctions to the point of moral bankruptcy.  By denying Cuba critical medical resources, the U.S. blockade transforms Cuba’s once-proud healthcare system into a casualty of geopolitical arrogance, leaving the most vulnerable citizens—children, the elderly, and the sick—without the care they need.

Food Insecurity and Education: Starving a Nation’s Future

In education and agriculture, Cuba is similarly stifled.  The Cuban government reports that due to the embargo, shortages have impacted over 437,000 school uniforms for the 2023-2024 academic year.  Basic educational tools such as textbooks, computers, and school supplies are increasingly scarce.  Agriculture is no better off.  Deprived of fertilizers, pesticides, and modern machinery, Cuban farmers have seen crop yields drop by 40%, which has led to food insecurity, especially among the nation’s most vulnerable.

Here we find relevance in the Latin phrase, "Veritas vos liberabit", or “The truth will set you free.”  The blockade is not merely an economic restriction—it is a violation of human rights.  The truth is that Cuba’s children, farmers, and educators are unjustly caught in the crosshairs of geopolitical gamesmanship.  It is not only the Cuban government that suffers; it is the Cuban people, whose rights to education, food security, and health are being systematically denied.

A Violation of Human Rights and International Law

The U.S. blockade is not just an economic measure—it’s a violation of human rights and international law.  Numerous international bodies, including the United Nations, have condemned the U.S. for its unilateral coercive measures, which disproportionately affect Cuban civilians.

“Fiat iustitia, ruat caelum”—“Let justice be done, though the heavens fall”—should resonate globally in the face of such egregious actions.  The Cuban people are not alone in their call for justice; the international community has, time and again, voted overwhelmingly in favor of ending the blockade.  However, the United States continues to ignore this global outcry, leaving Cuba isolated and under siege.

Biblical history also reminds us of the cycle of suffering and liberation.  Like the Israelites who were freed from Egyptian oppression, Cuba’s time of liberation will come.  Just as God delivered His people from bondage, we must believe that the Cuban people, too, will see an end to their suffering.

 

Lessons from History: Global Empathy and Responsibility

History teaches us that no policy of oppression goes unpunished.  As Mahatma Gandhi wisely said, “The future depends on what we do in the present.”  Just as leaders like Nelson Mandela, Voltaire, and Desmond Tutu fought against systems of oppression and inequality, so too must we stand up against this blockade.

The Bible reminds us in Galatians 6:7, “For whatever one sows, that will he also reap.”  The United States must recognize that sowing seeds of deprivation and suffering will only lead to more hostility, division, and unrest.  If we wish to sow peace, prosperity, and goodwill, we must begin with lifting this unjust embargo.

A Way Forward: A Call for Unity

The solution lies in the principle that the world is one family—"Una familia sumus"—“We are one family.”  The Bible teaches that we are all part of one body, and when one part suffers, we all suffer.  Cuba’s struggle is not just theirs alone, but a shared burden for humanity to address.  To lift the blockade is not merely a political decision; it is a moral imperative.

In 1 Corinthians 12:26, we are reminded that “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.”  The world must act in unity, recognizing that the pain of the Cuban people is a call for collective empathy and action.  With over USD 14 million lost in health investments due to the blockade, thousands of Cubans are deprived of life-saving care.  Ending the embargo will not just restore Cuba’s dignity but will reaffirm the global commitment to human rights, justice, and equality.

1. Immediate Removal of Cuba from the State Sponsors of Terrorism List

This designation is arbitrary, politically motivated, and has no basis in reality.  As Secretary of State Antony Blinken himself acknowledged in 2024, Cuba does not sponsor terrorism.  Removing Cuba from this list would not only correct a grave injustice but also facilitate financial transactions and investments necessary for the country's recovery.

2. Lifting the Blockade

The blockade’s repeal is the most direct and necessary step toward justice.  The blockade violates international law, as recognized by numerous U.N. resolutions, and constitutes a form of collective punishment against the Cuban people.  The Biden administration has the executive authority to make substantial changes, as seen in previous administrations, but Congress must ultimately act to end this outdated policy.

3. Humanitarian Cooperation

The pandemic has shown the interconnectedness of global health.  By lifting the blockade, the U.S. could engage with Cuba’s robust biotechnology and medical sectors to foster collaboration that benefits both nations.  Cuba’s COVID-19 vaccines and medical personnel have received international acclaim, and cooperation in this area would bolster global health efforts and restore goodwill between the nations.

4. Re-establishing Trade Relations

Once the blockade is lifted, Cuba could re-enter the global market on fair terms, allowing it to import vital goods at competitive prices and export its world-class medical and agricultural products.  This would stimulate both Cuban and U.S. economies, particularly in sectors like biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and tourism.

5. Encouraging Tourism and Cultural Exchange

The normalization of travel and tourism is a significant step toward reconciliation.  Cuba has much to offer, from cultural richness to natural beauty, and a restored flow of U.S. visitors would provide much-needed economic relief.  Furthermore, the lifting of travel restrictions would enable Americans and Cubans to engage in the people-to-people diplomacy that fosters mutual understanding and goodwill.

A Moral Imperative: The Role of Global Civil Society

The global community, particularly civil society organizations, religious groups, and human rights advocates, has a crucial role to play in ending the blockade. The voices calling for justice must grow louder and more unified, especially in nations allied with the U.S. These organizations must continue to pressure governments, share stories of the blockade’s human cost, and push for diplomatic resolutions that reflect humanitarian values.

As citizens of the world, we cannot remain silent in the face of such widespread suffering.  The Cuban people deserve the opportunity to build their future without external hindrance.  To echo the words of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.”  Global citizens must remain engaged, advocating tirelessly for the end of this unjust blockade.

Faith and Resilience: A Testament to Endurance

As the Latin phrase "Per aspera ad astra"—*"Through hardships to the stars"—*suggests, the Cuban people have faced incredible adversity, yet continue to reach for the stars.  Despite the blockade’s severe economic, social, and humanitarian impacts, Cuba has developed world-class education, healthcare, and cultural systems.  This resilience, deeply rooted in faith and a strong sense of community, has allowed the Cuban people to endure challenges that would have crushed less determined nations.

In the words of the late South African leader Nelson Mandela, "It is said that no one truly knows a nation until one has been inside its jails."  While the Cuban people are not in physical jails, the blockade has created an economic prison, limiting their access to the world and its opportunities.  Yet, like Mandela, the Cuban people remain hopeful, faithful, and resolute.

 A Future Without Fear

"Deo adjuvante, non timendum"—"With God as my helper, I have nothing to fear."  This powerful statement embodies the spirit of the Cuban people, who despite the hardships imposed upon them, continue to stand firm in their faith and hope for a better tomorrow.

The end of the U.S. blockade would not just be a political victory; it would be a triumph of human dignity, justice, and the resilience of the human spirit.  The Cuban people have shown that, even under the harshest of circumstances, they can innovate, persevere, and thrive.  But they should no longer have to struggle under the weight of such an unjust policy.

The world must continue to support Cuba’s call for the blockade’s end, not only as a matter of economic necessity but as a moral imperative.  Justice demands that the United States acknowledge its mistake and move toward a future of peaceful coexistence, mutual respect, and shared prosperity.

The words of the Cuban poet José Martí ring especially true: "La libertad no es negociable"—"Freedom is not negotiable."  The Cuban people deserve the freedom to live without fear, without restrictions, and without the yoke of an economic blockade that has caused so much unnecessary suffering.  May we all join in the call for justice, remembering that with faith, perseverance, and the support of the global community, no challenge is insurmountable.

The International Call for Solidarity

The international community's overwhelming support for ending the blockade reflects a shared belief in justice and human rights.  Year after year, the United Nations General Assembly has passed near-unanimous resolutions calling for the lifting of the blockade, with only a few nations standing in opposition.  These resolutions represent a collective voice, affirming that the blockade is not only an American-Cuban issue but a global one that affects international law, trade, and humanitarianism.

Organizations like the Non-Aligned Movement, the Group of 77, and many civil society groups across the globe have continued to express their solidarity with Cuba.  Countries in Latin America, Africa, Europe, and Asia have called for the blockade’s end, recognizing the harm it has caused not only to Cuba but also to their own citizens and companies that have faced penalties for engaging with Cuban entities.

Even within the United States, growing numbers of politicians, activists, religious leaders, and businesspeople are advocating for a change in policy.  Recent polls indicate that a significant portion of the American public, including Cuban-Americans, favor normalizing relations with Cuba and lifting the restrictions that have long outlived their Cold War rationale.  The time is ripe for the U.S. government to listen to its people, as well as the global community, and move toward constructive dialogue and cooperation with Cuba.

Economic Justice: A Key to Sustainable Development

Lifting the blockade would open doors to economic opportunities that have been denied to Cuba for decades.  The country’s potential for growth, innovation, and integration into the global economy is vast.  Cuba’s biotechnology and pharmaceutical sectors, already recognized for their achievements despite the blockade, could expand further with access to international markets and partnerships.  The island’s strategic location in the Caribbean also positions it as a potential hub for tourism, shipping, and trade.

With the blockade lifted, Cuba could attract foreign investment, which would contribute to rebuilding its infrastructure, modernizing its industries, and creating jobs for its people.  It would enable the country to import essential goods at competitive prices and export its products, from medicines to agricultural goods, to the world.  The Cuban economy would flourish, benefiting not only its people but also regional and global markets.

Moreover, U.S. businesses, particularly in sectors like agriculture, technology, and tourism, stand to gain from open trade with Cuba.  American farmers could sell their goods to the Cuban market without the restrictions that have cost them millions in potential revenue.  U.S. companies could invest in Cuban industries, fostering mutual economic growth and innovation.

A Path Forward: Diplomacy Over Division

The path forward lies in diplomacy, not division.  While political differences between the U.S. and Cuba remain, they should not prevent constructive engagement.  Countries with far greater ideological differences have found ways to coexist and collaborate on issues of mutual interest, and Cuba and the U.S. are no exception.

Diplomacy requires respect for sovereignty and an understanding that imposing punitive measures harms both nations.  The U.S. can work with Cuba to address shared challenges, from climate change to public health, while respecting Cuba’s right to chart its own course.  Cuba, for its part, has repeatedly expressed a willingness to engage in dialogue and cooperation on equal footing, and this openness should be met with reciprocal goodwill from the U.S. government.

The road to lifting the blockade will not be easy, but it is a necessary step toward a more just, peaceful, and prosperous future for both nations.  As global citizens, we must continue to advocate for policies that promote dialogue, reconciliation, and mutual benefit, rather than division and hostility.

Conclusion: Building Bridges, Not Barriers

In closing, the U.S. blockade against Cuba is not just a relic of a bygone era; it is an ongoing injustice that must be rectified.  The economic, social, and humanitarian toll it has taken on the Cuban people is immense, and the moral case for ending the blockade is irrefutable.  Cuba deserves the opportunity to thrive, to engage freely with the world, and to shape its own future without external interference.

"Per aspera ad astra"—through hardships to the stars—remains an apt description of Cuba’s journey.  Despite the blockade’s many challenges, the Cuban people have shown remarkable resilience, creativity, and solidarity.  They have persevered, not out of fear, but out of hope for a better future.

It is time for the United States to honor that hope by ending the blockade, allowing Cuba to flourish as a free and sovereign nation.  It is time for the international community to continue raising its voice in solidarity with Cuba, demanding an end to this unjust policy.  And it is time for all of us, as global citizens, to remember that with faith, perseverance, and a commitment to justice, we can overcome any obstacle.

The world will be watching, and history will judge the actions taken in this critical moment.  Let us all work toward a future where walls of division are torn down, and bridges of cooperation are built, ensuring that the Cuban people, like all people, can live in peace, dignity, and prosperity.

References:

• Cuba’s Report Under United Nations General Assembly Resolution 78/7 Entitled “Necessity of Ending the Economic, Commercial and Financial Blockade Imposed by the United States of America Against Cuba,” July 2024.

• United Nations Human Rights Council Special Rapporteur, "The Negative Impact of Unilateral Coercive Measures on the Enjoyment of Human Rights in Cuba," A/HRC/54/23.

• "United States: Unilateral Designation of States as Sponsors of Terrorism Negatively Impacts Human Rights," United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, 2024.

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The Cuban Identity In Cuba

Save Cuba From Capitalism

The most revolutionary thing today is to be anti-capitalist

 

By Karima Oliva Bello

October 10 materialized, in the same cry of rebellion, the most revolutionary spirit of the times.  It had its first expression in the call for unity that has mobilized Cubans ever since: unity for a free nation against any form of foreign domination.

At that time, in the very heart of the sense of our budding identity, took shape the hardest of all the contradictions we have had to work out as a people, which has marked the course of our history until today: between the will to be masters of our destiny and the temptation to be in the image and likeness of the empire; first Spain, then the United States, fulfilling the destiny of a colony that they have traced for us.

Today, under a new appearance, the dilemma is the same.  The greatest threat to a country like Cuba is not only the interference policy of the United States and its desire to dominate our economy in the same terms as 60 years ago. Circumstances have changed and the world has been reconfigured since then.  The fundamental risk that we face, together with the other peoples of our region, is the advance of capitalism with giant steps.  It puts at risk our sovereignty and survival.

With the granting of unrestricted freedom to the market, characteristic of the neoliberal model, a new type of colonialism operates, through the mechanisms of coercion exercised by international financial organizations, such as the International Monetary Fund, on national economies, demanding the imposition of structural reforms that facilitate transnational corporations the unlimited exploitation of the natural resources of our territories (here in the South) and of the labor force, in almost slave-like conditions.

The uncontrolled privatization of strategic sectors that provide key services to the population, the reduction of public spending, the precarization of working conditions, the withdrawal of the State from its responsibilities for welfare and social security, the criminalization of anti-capitalist social movements and a long list of abuses, represent now the greatest danger to the sovereignty of the former colonies.

There are those who are dissatisfied with Cuba's present, because they would like the changes to lead, once and for all, to the development of a good capitalism, as if that were possible (especially for the most vulnerable), or they want us to make concessions so that our neighbor forgives us and welcomes us back into its tutelage, as if that were worthy.

Those of us who do not want to see a history of rebellion turned into submission and abysmal social differences are not satisfied with Cuba's present either.  The only difference is that we understand that, in order to sustain the freedom bequeathed to us by our heroes and to achieve a progress that does not leave out any Cuban, the path must continue to be anti-imperialist.  The only way to be consistent with the legacy of the founding fathers is to try to save it from capitalism, to the last consequences.

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Open letter to U.S. President Joe Biden demands the end to sanctions against Cuba

"Now more than ever, it’s time to write a new page in U.S.-Cuban relations..."

Open letter to Biden demands a new page in relations with Cuba

By Milagros Pichardo Pérez | internet@granma.cu

A prominent group of U.S. politicians, intellectuals, scientists, clergymen, artists, musicians, leaders and activists sent an open letter to U.S. President Joe Biden to demand the end of sanctions against Cuba, especially at this difficult moment, when they are working for the recovery after the incident at the Matanzas Supertanker Base.

" Now more than ever, it’s time to write a new page in U.S.-Cuban relations.  We are making an urgent, public appeal to you to reject the cruel policies put into place by the Trump White House that have already created so much suffering among the Cuban people," they posted on the website www.letcubalive.org.

" U.S. sanctions fuel the fires that rage in Cuba!  Despite assurances by the U.S. Embassy in Havana that the law authorizes U.S. entities and organizations to provide disaster relief and response, Trump’s 243 sanctions continue to prevent urgently needed aid from arriving in Cuba," they add.

It stresses that the U.S. loses nothing by being a good neighbor and lifting the 243 sanctions that are preventing Cuba from recovering from this tragic moment.

" When your neighbor’s house is on fire, the normal human reaction is to rush next door to help.  To save lives.  To extinguish the flames.  Cuba is our neighbor.!  It is unconscionable, especially during a tragic accident, to block remittances and Cuba’s use of global financial institutions, given that access to dollars is necessary to import food and medicine," they said.

The Biden administration can do more than offer technical advice.  It can immediately remove Cuba from the List of State Sponsors of Terrorism, they demanded.

Signatories to the text include Roger Waters, Cornel West, Judith Butler, Noam Chomsky, Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, Jeremy Corbyn, Rev. Liz Theoharis, Seun Kuti, Vijay Prashad, among others such as Gail Walker, Brian Becker, Cindy Weisner, Claudia De la Cruz, David Adler, David Harvey, Gabriel Rockhill, Gerald Horne, Gina Belafonte, Helen Yaffe, Jennifer Ponce De Leon, Jeremy Corbyn, Jia Hong, Jodie Evans, Judith Butler, Manolo De Los Santos, Manu Karuka, Phillip Agnew, Robin D. G. Kelly, Ruth Wilson Gilmore, Salvatore Engel-Di Mauro, Seun Kuti and Yasemin Zahra.

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"The world of the future has to be shared by everyone"

Interview with Fidel Castro (Part 2)

(Taken from the Mexican La Jornada newspaper)
• Fidel answers questions from the editor, Carmen Lira Saade

HAVANA.—Although there is nothing to indicate any unease on his part, I think that Fidel is not going to like what I’m going to say to him:

"Comandante, the whole charm of the Cuban Revolution, the recognition, the solidarity from a large part of the world’s intelligentsia, the people’s tremendous achievements in the face of the blockade; in short, everything, everything went down the tubes as a result of the persecution of homosexuals in Cuba.

Fidel did not shy away from the subject. He neither denied nor rejected the statement. He only asked for time to recall, he said, how and when that prejudice broke out among the revolutionary ranks.

Five decades ago, and as a result of homophobia, homosexuals were marginalized in Cuba and many of them were sent to military-agricultural work camps, accused of being "counterrevolutionaries."

"Yes," he recalled, "those were times of tremendous injustice, tremendous injustice!" he repeated emphatically, "whoever was responsible for it. If we did it ourselves, ourselves… I’m trying to delimit my responsibility in all of that because, of course, on a personal level, I do not have that kind of prejudice."

It is known that some of his best and oldest friends are homosexuals.

"But then, how did that hatred of the "different" come about? "

Fidel believes that it was all generated as a spontaneous reaction within the revolutionary ranks, which stemmed from old customs. In pre-revolutionary Cuba, there was not only discrimination against blacks, but also against women and, of course, homosexuals.

"Yes, yes. But not in the Cuba of the ‘new’ morality, of which revolutionaries both within and outside the country were so proud…"

"And so, who was responsible, either directly or indirectly, for not putting a stop to what was happening in Cuban society? The Party? Because this occurred during a time when the statutes of the Communist Party of Cuba did not explicitly state the prohibition of discrimination based on sexual orientation."

"No," said Fidel. "If anyone was responsible, then it was me.

"It is true that, at that time, I did not concern myself with that issue… I was mainly immersed in the October (Missile) Crisis, in the war, in political matters…"

"But that became a serious and grave political problem, Comandante."

"I understand, I understand… We didn’t know how to assess it… systematic acts of sabotage, armed attacks, were happening all the time; we had so many terrible problems, problems of life or death, you know, that we didn’t pay sufficient attention to it."

"After all of that, it became very difficult to defend the Revolution outside the country… Its image had been irretrievably damaged among certain sectors, particularly in Europe."

"I understand, I understand," he repeated. "That was fair…"

"The persecution of homosexuals could have been taking place with greater or lesser protest in any part of the world. But not in revolutionary Cuba," I said to him.

"I understand: it’s like when the saint sins, right? It’s not the same as the sinner sinning, eh?"

Fidel gave a hint of a smile but then became serious again:

"Look, think about how our days were during those first months of the Revolution: the war with the yankis, the missile situation and, almost simultaneously, the assassination attempts against my person…"

Fidel revealed the tremendous influence on him of the assassination threats and the actual attempts of which he was victim, and which changed his life:

"I couldn’t be anywhere; I didn’t even have anywhere to live..." Betrayal was the order of the day and he was forced to move around in a haphazard way…

"Eluding the CIA, which was buying so many traitors, including one’s own people, was no simple matter; but, in short, in any case, if someone has to assume responsibility, then I will. I am not going to place the blame on other people..." affirmed the revolutionary leader.

He only regrets not having corrected the situation at the time.

Nowadays, however, the problem is being confronted. Under the slogan "Homosexuality is not a danger; but homophobia is," many cities throughout the country recently celebrated the 3rd Cuban Event for the International Day against Homophobia. Gerardo Arreola, La Jornada correspondent in Cuba, wrote a detailed report on the debate and the struggle underway on the island for respect for the rights of sexual minorities.

Arreola comments that it is Mariela Castro – a 47-year-old sociologist and daughter of Cuban President Raúl Castro – who directs the National Center for Sexual Education (CENESEX), an institution that, she says, has succeeded in improving Cuba’s image following the marginalization of the 1960s.

"Here we stand, Cuban women and men, in order to continue fighting for inclusion, so that this is the fight of all women and men, for the good of all women and men," stated Mariela Castro at the inauguration event, surrounded by transsexuals holding the Cuban flag and another rainbow one representing the gay pride movement.

Today in Cuba, efforts for homosexuals include initiatives such as the identity change for transsexuals and civil unions between same-sex couples.

Homosexuality on the island was decriminalized in the 1990s, although it did not immediately result in the end of police harassment. And since 2008, sex change operations have been offered free of charge.

THE BLOCKADE

In 1962, the United States decreed the blockade of Cuba. That was "a ferocious attempt at genocide," as Gabriel García Márquez, the writer who has best chronicled the period, described it.

"A period that has lasted up until today," Fidel informed me.

"The blockade is more than ever in force today, and with the aggravating factor at the present time, that it is constitutional law in the United States for the very fact that the president voted for it, the Senate did and the House of Representatives…"

The number of votes and its implementation could – or not – considerably alleviate the situation. But there it is…

"Yes, there is the interfering and pro-annexationist Helms-Burton Act… and the Torricelli Act, duly passed by the Congress of the United States.

"I very well remember Senator Helms on that day in 1996 when his initiative was passed. He was elated and repeated the aim of his plan to journalists:

"Castro has to leave Cuba. I don’t care how Castro leaves the country: whether he leaves in a vertical or horizontal position is up to them… but Castro has to leave Cuba."

THE SIEGE BEGINS

"In 1962, when the United States decreed the blockade, Cuba soon found itself with the proof that it had nothing more than six million determined Cuban people on a luminous and undefended island…

Nobody, no country, could trade with Cuba; there couldn’t be any buying or selling; heaven help that country or company which did not submit to the commercial harassment decreed by the United States. What always struck me was that CIA boat patrolling territorial waters until just a few years ago, there to intercept boats carrying merchandise to the island.

The greatest problem, however, was always been that of medicines and food, which continues up until today. Even today, no food company is allowed to trade with Cuba, not even taking into account the importance of the volumes that the island would acquire or because Cuba is always obliged to pay cash in advance.

Condemned to death by starvation, the Cubans had to "invent life all over again from the beginning," as García Márquez said.

They developed a "technology of need" and an "economy of scarcity", he related: a whole "culture of solitude."

There is no sign of regret, far less of bitterness, when Fidel Castro admits that a large part of the world simply abandoned the island. On the contrary…

"The struggle, the battle that we had to fight led us to make greater efforts that perhaps we would have done without the blockade," said Fidel.

He recalled with a touch of pride, for example, the immense mass operation undertaken by five million young people, grouped together in the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDRs). In just one eight-hour day, they achieved a mass vaccination program throughout the country, eradicating illnesses such as polio and malaria.

Or when more than 250,000 literacy teachers – 100,000 of whom were children – took on the responsibility of teaching the majority of the adult population, who were unable to read and write.

But the "great leap" forward is, without any doubt, in medicine and biotechnology:

"They say that Fidel himself sent a team of scientists and doctors for training in Finland, who would subsequently be responsible for the production of medicines."

"The enemy used the bacteriological warfare against us. It brought the Dengue Virus 2 here. In pre-revolutionary Cuba, not even the Dengue Virus 1 was known here. The Virus 2 appeared here; it is much more dangerous because it produces a hemorrhagic dengue that attacks children above all.

"It came in via Boyeros. The counterrevolutionaries brought it, those same individuals who went around with Posada Carriles, the same ones who were pardoned by Bush, the same ones who planned the sabotage of the [Cubana] aircraft over Barbados… Those same people were given the task of introducing the virus," Fidel denounced.

"They blamed Cuba because they said that there were lots of mosquitoes on the island," I told him.

"And how were we not going to have them if the only way to get rid of them was with Abate (Temefos, an insecticide) and we couldn’t get Abate? Only the United States produced it," he revealed.

The Comandante’s face saddened:

"Our children began to die," he recalled. "We didn’t have anything with which to attack the disease. Nobody wanted to sell us medicines or the equipment to eradicate the virus. One hundred and fifty people died from that disease. Almost all of them were children…"

"We had to resort to buying contraband goods, even though they were very expensive. Everywhere they prohibited them from even being brought in. Once, on compassionate grounds, they were allowed a little to be brought in."

On "compassionate grounds," said the strong man of the Revolution. I confessed that I was confused…

Not exactly on compassionate grounds, rather in solidarity, some friends of Cuba resorted to doing precisely that. Fidel mentioned Mexico, the Echeverría family, Luis and María Esther who – although not in government at that time – were able to secure some equipment that allowed Cuba to alleviate the epidemic to a certain degree.

"We will never forget them," he said, visibly moved.

"You see," I told him, "Not all your relationships with figures from Mexico’s power elite have been negative or difficult…"

"Of course not," he said, before we drew the interview-conversation to a close and went to have lunch with his wife, Dalia Soto del Valle.

From that terraced area where he sits to reflect and analyze the world and life itself, Fidel raised a toast to "a world of the future with just one homeland."

"What does it mean that some of us are Spanish, others English, others African? And that some have more than others?

"The world of the future has to be a shared one, and the rights of human beings have to be above individual rights…And it is going to be a rich world, where rights are going to be exactly equal for everybody…"

"How is that going to be to achieved, Comandante?"

"By educating… educating and creating love and trust."

Translated by Granma International

granma.cu

Havana. September 3, 2010

Bahamas Blog International

- “Obama has to be persuaded to avoid nuclear war” (Part 1)

Church urges Cuba to make 'necessary' economic changes

HAVANA, Cuba (AFP) -- Cuba's Catholic Church on Monday called on the country's regime to make "necessary changes" to reverse a spreading economic crisis and urged dialogue without conditions between Havana and arch foe Washington.

Church leader Cardinal Jaime Ortega pressed the government of President Raul Castro to "promptly make the necessary changes in Cuba" to alleviate hardship, stressing that the Cuban people were growing restless over deteriorating conditions in the only Communist-ruled nation in the Americas.

"This opinion has reached a kind of national consensus, and postponement produces impatience and discomfort in the people," Ortega said in "Palabra Nueva," the magazine of the Archdiocese of Havana, in reference to recent criticism by economists, academics, dissidents and artists.

Castro, who announced a need for reforms shortly after taking over from his ailing brother Fidel Castro four years ago, warned recently that while many "desperate" Cubans were seeking immediate change, it was vital to avoid "haste and improvisation."

Ortega's statements were the latest criticism aimed at the regime by the church, which warned in late March that "a worsening crisis is on the horizon that could break the fragile social cohesion."

The church has encouraged promotion of self-employment, legalized but restricted since 1993, and called for a law protecting small and medium private enterprises in a country where the state controls 95 percent of the economy.

It has also said performance-based pay, currently used by only 18 percent of state enterprises, should be expanded, urged "greater security" for foreign investment, and called for a boost in exports.

Ortega on Monday also urged Havana to get serious about improving ties with Washington.

"I think a Cuba-US dialogue is the first step needed to break the cycle of criticism," the cardinal said, recalling the various offers of top-level dialogue by Castro as well as US President Barack Obama, when he was campaigning for the White House in 2008.

But the cardinal also criticized Obama for repeating "the same old scheme of previous US governments," by insisting that Washington would lift its five-decade embargo on the island nation and enter high-level talks only if Havana made major changes on human rights.

"Only in advancing the dialogue can steps be made to improve or overcome the most critical situations," he said.

Havana has faced mounting international criticism that increased in February when dissident Orlando Zapata died 85 days into a hunger strike.

Cuban bishops lamented Zapata's death and called on the authorities "to take appropriate measures so that such situations do not recur."

The church also repeated its call for dissident journalist Guillermo Farinas to end his own hunger strike, begun the day after Zapata died.

Farinas told AFP Monday that he "respects" Ortega but was firm in his decision to carry on with his fast.

Ortega also criticized the harassment of the wives of political prisoners known as the "Ladies in White," who have been prevented from marching in recent weeks.

"This is no time to stir up passions," Ortega said.

April 20, 2010

caribbeannetnews

Bahamas Blog International

Cuba rejects inclusion on blacklist

AS WE GO TO PRESS…

WASHINGTON.—The Cuban Interests Section in this capital assured this January 5 that the island government is cooperating in the international fight against terrorism, and it condemned its inclusion on the list of states described by the U.S. administration as sponsors of terrorism, EFE reports.

Alberto González, spokesman for the Cuban mission in Washington, stated that Cuba "has complied with, is complying with and will comply with the internationally recognized security measures in these cases," and he noted that the Cuban people "do not recognize in any way the moral authority of the U.S. government to certify their inclusion on this kind of list."

González unequivocally stated that "Cuban territory has never been utilized to organize, finance or execute acts of terrorism against the United States or any other state," and suggested that this latest attack on the island is politically motivated.

On the contrary, he continued, Cuba has been the victim of violence and terrorism on the part of individuals such as Luis Posada Carriles, who remains at large in the United States and has not been brought to justice.

Translated by Granma International

January 6, 2010

granma.cu

Bahamas Caribbean Blog International