Cuba’s “War Economy”: What Is It and Why Does It Exist? (Video)
HAVANA TIMES – Several Cuban officials have stated that the country is under a “war economy.” One of the recent mentions was made when announcing a new package of measures to adjust the 2024 Budget.
Cuba’s Deputy Minister of Economy, Mildrey Granadillo de la Torre, declared that the measures aim to adapt to the conditions of a “war economy.”
Amid a widespread crisis that has led to increased poverty, the largest migratory exodus in the country’s history, and a state of repression against dissenting voices or those critical of government policies, the term resurfaces in the government’s public discourse.
However, what is a war economy, and what does it mean for the Cuban state to declare itself as such?
The video has English subtitles:
Good perspective and well-written article. Yes… “The War Within”… How wonderful ?? I’ll bet the aligned Cuban officials are not going without fuel, food and electricity. Surely they sleep quite “cozy” at night, all awhile, dreaming up new Propaganda to sell on their “State Television” network. It would be easy to assume and “rightly so” that the wonderful people of this Country are tired of buying “Snake Oil”. Ya’ think ?? However it continues:) ¡Viva la Revolución! Is it just not the Blind leading the Enlightened. May this forever “Special Period” finally be “Laid to Rest”. Think we can all agree… “The sooner the Better”. Miguel… Let your people be free of your insanity !!!!!
“Cuba’s “War Economy”: What Is It and Why Does It Exist?” It is the totalitarian rulers attempt at trying desperately to right the economic wrongs it has engaged in for the last 60 plus years. What is the definition of “war”? One definition is that war is the struggle or fight between nations; however, in this case it is the fight between the totalitarian rulers and their archaic ideology against the majority of Cubans who want economic change.
This desperation “war” measure has been instituted to take further control of a stagnant economy. The totalitarian rulers have their heads buried in an archaic Marxist- Leninist ideology that simply does not work in reality – in 2024. This philosophy historically has brought death, destruction and complete ruin to any country that has tried implementing it on their soil. Examples, Russia, China, North Korea have in their histories implemented this philosophy and have renounced it, except for hermitic North Korea.
China is today politically communist but with a capitalist economy. It began with a Marxist-Leninist philosophy but the country has slowly morphed into a hegemony capitalist society. Chinese entrepreneurs can ply their skills to prosper monetarily. The same in Russia to some degree but today it is literally in a “ war” footing. However, it has not forgone the capitalist economic system. Cuban leaders outrightly deplore the capitalist concept.
The Cuban “ War Economy “ provides justification to the totalitarian rulers to clap down hard on those Cuban entrepreneurs trying to make a living. The Cuban communist cadres simply deplore any form of capitalist market success. And, the Cuban small business owners, the few that exist, are succeeding within the straight jacket the totalitarian leadership has imposed. The totalitarian regime does not want any to succeed because that success simply undermines their sacrosanct ideology.
More and more Cubans are ditching working with and for the government preferring to fend for themselves – or simply be unemployed. This has major negative consequences for the government as more and more people are becoming disengaged with the socialist economy. This is an existential threat to the very existence of the Revolutionary ideals envisioned in 1959. To the totalitarian regime this population abandonment cannot continue. It feels it needs to go on a “ war” footing – a fight – against its people.
So the totalitarian government in a case of desperation invokes a “ war economy “ which in essence gives it the Constitutional right to do as it pleases to ensure the country does not deviate from its core principles of existence. That is, decreeing through “war” terminology absolute and total adherence to those archaic economic and cultural practices and principles sixty plus years in the making.
What will be the result of such draconian war measure? One can only guess. Probably just more and more of the same economic hardships for the majority of ordinary Cubans. Those fed up fighting this “ war”, this constant battle, with the totalitarian leaders – leave. Those who stay will acquiesce to the “war” lords and fight within. Every war, unfortunately, produces casualties and in this case those economic casualties will be the majority of Cubans.