I Can’t Understand this World
Elio Delgado Legon
HAVANA TIMES — I must confess that in spite of there only being three months left until my 81st birthday and having spent the second half of my life tied to the news, I am still worried about the world’s current situation and vehemently wish inequality ends and that I don’t have to see any more images of useless wars.
Similarly, I don’t want to see any more people removed from their natural habitat in order to be able to save their lives at the expense of a huge suffering that I can’t put into words; of extreme poverty in countries which have been exploited throughout history by those nations which are today the most powerful and developed, at their expense precisely, and even of marginalized groups within these very developed countries. I repeat, I must confess that I can’t understand this world I’ve had to live in.
I can’t understand what an organization of nations does, which should be called Ununited Nations instead of United Nations, because, while one of its members tries to establish itself as the owner and guide of the world, and a group of countries that belong to the same exploitating clan sing in chorus and others receive a few crumbs for their subservience, many nations suffer from poverty which is brought on by the extraction of their riches by multinational companies belonging to developed countries. I also don’t understand why colonial enclaves, such as Puerto Rico and the Western Sahara, still exist in the 21st century.
The fact that coup, illegitimate and corrupt governments who only create suffering for their people are supported today, when bloody dictatorships were supported in the past which cost the lives of thousands of people and disappeared just as many, is something I also can’t get my head around. And, on the other hand, legitimate governments, chosen by their people and who work strenously in the interests of their citizens’ wellbeing, are attacked and attempts are made to overthrow them in any way possible, having to face destabilizing actions and economic, commercial and financial blockades, as well as sanctions meant to bring about changes in the government, just because the Imperialists don’t like them.
The country which has dropped atomic bombs on open cities (which caused the deaths of tens of thousands of innocent civilians and had consequences which have lasted decades), the same country which has waged dozens of useless wars where millions of people, the majority of whom were civilians, have perished; for example, the Korean and Vietnam wars (the bloodiest and most merciless) where all kinds of weapons banned by international law were used, not to forget Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, just to name a few more. The same thing has been attempted in Syria where they first encouraged an armed uprising of the oppostion and then supported this same opposition and terrorist groups, who have destroyed the region and led to millions of displaced persons.
I repeat, I can’t understand how that country wants to stand up as the judge of the entire world and has never been punished for its acts of villany.
It doesn’t make any sense that the country to hand over nuclear weapons to South Africa’s racist regime and who supported them with all kinds of weapons so they could act as Imperialism’s police officer in Africa, where it took over Namibia and tried to do the same thing in Angola should be the judge and jury. The same country who gave nuclear weapons to Israel and maintains this country with large sums of money and weapons so it can serve as its police officer in the Middle East. Likewise, the US has supported Israel’s evil acts of villany ever since 1967 when they invaded Palestinian and Syrian lands and have waged a genocide against the Palestinian people and created a great hullabaloo because North Korea has run nuclear tests (which are for defense purposes) because it feels threatened by constant military maneuvers near its coasts.
It’s hard for me to understand why developed Western nations, with the US at the head, believe Russia to be an enemy and haven’t stopped approving sanctions against this country, which hasn’t dropped atomic bombs on anyone, which hasn’t waged wars against any other country, which doesn’t have military bases around the world, which only wants to work and continue making progress in peace.
I can’t understand how the government of the most developed country in the world can refute the hundreds of scientists who say climate change is real and what man can still do to prevent a catastrophe which can end life on Earth.
I can’t understand how billions of dollars are spent every year on weapons to kill and destroy, while millions of people continue to die because of starvation and a lack of medical attention and, in some cases, a lack of water. I also don’t understand why there are still millions of illiterate people and children without access to education in the middle of the 21st century, while there are enough resources to change this state of calamity.
I have so many questions that I still can’t find an answer to, but I can’t keep going on and I believe that I have laid out enough here to justify why, at 81 years old, I still can’t understand this world.
Elio Delga’s Post of April 8th, is a Masterpiece of all the ailments affecting the human species on the Planet. The United Nations Charter was ratified on October 24th, 1945. Its Principles as explained in the Charter were to save future generations from war,reaffirm human rights and to establish equal rights for all persons. Was it the Soviet Union which initiated the Korean War in 1950 – 1953, five years after its ratification? Was it the Soviet Union which initiated the Vietnam War 1955 – 1975 raining down millions of napalm bombs on little innocent children who ran screaming and screeching as their flesh roasted off their youthful bodies?
Was it the Soviet Union which overthrew the Governments of Brazil, Chile, Guatemala, Combodia, Poland, Libya, Iraq, Indonesia, Iran, The Dominican Republic, South Vietnam, Afghanistan, the Congo, Ghana,? The USA has trained dictators and Death Squads in its School of the Americas, not Russia, not China. It is The USA! You see, The USA is the BASTION of Capital and Capital relies on cheap labour to fuel humongous Profits to its Capitalist compatriots. Anywhere in the world where Governments attempt to uplift the lives of the working class, the USA is always there to thwart the efforts of such Governments, for capital must always have a plentiful supply of cheap labour from which to fuel its profits.
The USA and the rest of capitalist Europe will always attempt to keep the working class people of the world degraded, in abject poverty, uneducated, exploited, oppressed. This is why Slavery was introduced – cheap or free labour – humongous profits. This is why Racism was introduced. The United Nations Charter and all the other Agreements the USA has signed, be damned with them. They are only a piece of paper with a signature on them. As long as Capitalism is allowed to thrive on the Planet, there will never be any PEACE on Earth. The Soviet Union became the ENEMY of the USA because it was WORKING CLASS ORIENTED and this was a DREADFUL THREAT to CAPITALIST USA and EUROPE!
How do you read ignorance of American imperialism into a post pointing out the faults of other governments? It’s dangerous to have that binary mindset. Many nations of have done horrible things, and that doesn’t excuse any of them.
The USA has done more horrible things than most because it stumbled into far, far more power than any one nation should have in the world. They say power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. The problem with the USA dominating the world is the same problem as with the communist party dominating Cuba: no matter how well-intentioned you begin, that kind of unfettered control inevitably leads to abuse as it twists your mindset and you begin to think you can only stay safe by maintaining total control of others.
The groups that the C.I.A. placed their money on (e.g. the “Free Syrian Army”) turned out to be no match against either Assad or the fanatics of I.S.I.S. , Al Nusra, etc. Assad has made coalition of Alawites, Shia, Christians and other minorities against the intolerant and fanatical Wahhabi flavors of Sunni branch. As much as Assad is distasteful, he is preferable to the alternatives. I suspect given their inhospitable reception by most of Europe–and America–that most Syrian refuges will be returning home after the final victory of the Assad regime. The U.S. has already become bogged down forever in Afghanistan and Iraq. I doubt most Americans have the stomach to jump in to additional conflicts. No doubt if Hilary had won, she and her Military-Industrial Complex friends would have taken on such involvements even more readily than Trump. Seems like the U.S. is in the same position now as the Roman Empire was in the late 300’s and early 400’s A.D., bedeviled by opponents at their border on all sides, and with the masses paying for all these adventures while the elites avoided paying their fair share. The limits of power—even imperial power!
“Fidel Castro, A Man Who Never Dies” Havana Times, Nov 22, 2017 Elio Delgado Legon.
“They say you have passed away, but I can’t conceive imagining you lifeless in a cemetery. The person who did so much will never die, you will forever remain alive.”
It seems to me that this author has, yes ended, a hard time to understand many issues.
Russia invaded Ukraine and “annexed” Crimrea
killing of innoncent people is disgusting trump should be fired and then taken to syria left to see the people killed by his instructions
” The same thing has been attempted in Syria where they first encouraged an armed uprising of the opposition and then supported this same opposition and terrorist groups, who have destroyed the region and led to millions of displaced persons.”
I think this is a false account of the conflict in Syria. I don’t have to rely on the Western media. Through my work with Syrian refugees, i have heard the horrors of what Assad is willing to do to cling to power.
As the Assad government gains territory it will be interesting to see how many of the millions of refugees decide to return to Syria.
On Syria, I recommend the writings of Gilbert Achcar.
Your ignorance to American imperialism is not comparable?
Dear Elio,
Injustice has been the way of the world since the beginning of “civilization” (as my dear Jean-Jaques Rousseau would pejoratively put it!) I don’t think our own age is any worse, or better, than the many preceding ages and epochs. There have always been a few just avatars who have tried to make things better (in fact, I’m reading about one now in The Reformation, Vol. 6 of Will and Ariel Durant’s “The Story of Civilization.” Erasmus, after whom I believe a former HT diarist was named, not only fought injustice, but was a great satirist, too. (“In Praise of Folly”). I think his namesake is following in his practice! All we can do is continue to fight for justice. Our species is capable of great justice and foresight…and great injustice and ignorance. I hope the former, rather than the latter, that will prevail.
I believe that Elio genuinely fails to understand many things. It is his ignorance that has blinded him to the atrocities committed by the Castro dictatorship and has given him reason to reject the truth and accept the ridiculous lies he propagates in this post. For example, his support of Russia, a direct result of Castro propaganda, ignores the Russian military naval and air bases in Syria and Russian aggressions in Georgia, Ukraine and Afghanistan. He fails to mention the suffering of the North Korean people at the hands of their Cuban-ally Kim dictatorship. The lists goes on and on.