Foolish Dreaming of Capitalism’s Return to Cuba

Elio Delgado Legon

HAVANA TIMES — Men come and go, but the Revolution is immortal. Although it might seem like a political slogan, it’s a crushing reality for Imperialism’s wage earners, who don’t shy away from claiming that Cuba’s political system will last as long as those who currently govern the country live.

At the recent Young Pioneers National Assembly, children proved that the Revolution will continue to be defended, with their mature opinions, as they are the future, and they made it very clear that they would defend the Revolution and socialism, and that they won’t be lured by capitalist siren songs.

Because of the normal National Assembly of the People’s Power’s session that took place recently, where Cuban President Raul Castro explained the temporary economic problems that the country is facing right now, Imperialism’s spokespeople have begun to spin a campaign of misinformation in order to create social unrest and uncertainty, not only in our people but also in our trade partners, predicting another Special Period like the one we had to endure in the 1990s, when Cuba lost 80% of its external trade because the socialist bloc and CAME disappeared and the USSR fell apart.

Emboldened by the situation at that time of crisis, the US government tried to finish off the Cuban Revolution by tightening the economic, trade and financial embargo that they’ve imposed on us for more than 50 years. The Cuban people didn’t surrender out of hunger and disease, which was the explicit objective of that failed policy.

The current Cuban crisis doesn’t resemble the one we experienced in the ‘90s in any way. Today, Cuba has trade relationships with countries all over the world and its trade partners are more and more diversified every day.  At the same time it increases its exports, not only goods but also services.

Cuba depended on its trade relationship with the socialist bloc through the ‘80s, not because it was a mistake, like some malicious people like to claim, but because US imperialism left us no other choice when they closed us off from the world, even from Latin America.

Today, Cuba doesn’t depend on one country in particular. It has a lot of trade partners all over the world to whom it sells its products and can buy whatever it needs.

The global capitalist crisis, which began in the US in the ‘80s, affects every country to some extent, and Cuba, also forming a part of this world, can’t escape the ups and downs of this crisis and has to put emergency measures into effect in certain situations. However, it always does its best to try and not affect the population’s basic services, like it is doing now.

To those who are predicting a gloomy end for the Revolution, let me suggest that you don’t get your hopes up, as the Cuban Revolution is stronger than it ever was.

To those who propose that the revolutionary government open dialogue with Imperialism’s mercenaries, I’ll say that no civil servant from another foreign power will be a valid spokesperson for a revolutionary leader.

To those who propose we draw up road maps so we can return to our infernal capitalist past, let me suggest that they print this road map on onionskin paper and put it in their bathroom at home; as I’m sure it’ll be more useful there.

To the revolutionaries who are reading this post, let me assure you that the Cuban Revolution marches forward triumphantly and is stronger than ever in spite of unfavorable and one-off situations, which are temporary and reversible.