Mac,
I think there was some point in drawing a parallel between Castro and
Milosevic at the height of the FRY conflict with the "international
community", ie Nato powers, altho it was not a comparison any Cubans living in
Cuba seem to have been comfortable with. That political intransigence was a
necessary solidarity. But things have evolved the way they have, and the
Yugoslav wars of irredentism and neocolonial meddling have turned out the way
they have, which is probably the only way they could turn out, if hindsight is
any guide and once you stop giving Milosevic the benefit of the doubt.
There is one important difference between Milosevic and Castro: Castro did not
sell out. Castro did not rename the Cuban Communist Party, and did not sign up
for IMF restructuring plans. He has not privatised Cuban industry. Altho there
is no doubt that he has compromised, and he and we will pay a price for
converting Cuba into a "tourist paradise", it is right and proper to continue
to show absolute and unbending solidarity to Cuba.
Milosevic's compromises are another matter. His political history, like his
military history, is of one sold pass after another. The kind of politics he
represents offers no pathway to the future, is corrupt, is unconnected with
the socialist project and insofar as it has cost the lives of so many to so
little purpose, it has done us all a great disservice. When you risk losing
the moral high ground to Financial Times leader writers, it is surely time to
take stock a little, don't you think?
Mark
> -----Original Message-----
> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of Macdonald
> Stainsby
> Sent: 07 April 2001 04:43
> To: Crash List; Leninist International
> Subject: [CrashList] CANF on Milosevic
>
>
> CUBAN EXILE GROUP SAYS MILOSEVIC ARREST SENDS MESSAGE TO CASTRO
>
> By Jim Burns CNS Senior Staff Writer
> April 05, 2001 - (CNSNews.com) - The Cuban American National Foundation
> Wednesday congratulated the Yugoslavian government for arresting its former
> president, Slobodan Milosevic, saying Cuban leader Fidel Castro should
> learn from Milosevic's experience.
>
> "Milosevic's arrest sends an important message to tyrants everywhere: You
> can no longer commit gross human rights abuses and hide behind the outdated
> doctrine of executive privilege," CANF Executive Vice President Dennis Hays
> said in a statement.
>
> "There is an emerging international consensus that dictators can and should
> be held accountable for their crimes," said Hays in a pointed reference to
> Castro.
>
> In the case of Cuba, Hays noted, "It is a forgone conclusion that in a
> democratic Cuba, Fidel Castro would be brought before the courts to answer
> for his crimes. This is one reason why Castro denies the Cuban people any
> free voice in their government."
>
> Hays believes the international community should "bring Castro to account
> for his direct involvement in crimes against the citizens of other nations,
> such as his admitted culpability in the premeditated murder of four
> individuals in the shoot down of the Brothers to the Rescue aircraft."
>
> Four Cuban exiles died on Feb. 24, 1996, when Cuban MIGs fired on planes
> belonging to the Brothers to the Rescue, a Miami-based Cuban exile group.
> The brothers contend they were in international airspace over the Florida
> Straits.
>
> CANF also congratulated the United States government and the international
> community for exerting "positive pressure" on Yugoslavia to undertake
> Milosevic's arrest.
>
> "The targeted use of economic sanctions clearly helped bring about this
> important development. We call upon the international community to continue
> to press Yugoslavia to take the next step, Milosevic's extradition to The
> Hague to answer for his many crimes," Hays said.
>
>
> -------------------------------------------
> Macdonald Stainsby
> Rad-Green List: Radical anti-capitalist environmental discussion.
> http://lists.wwpublish.com/mailman/listinfo/rad-green
> ----
> Leninist-International: Building bridges in the tradition of V.I. Lenin.
> http://lists.wwpublish.com/mailman/listinfo/leninist-international
> ----
> In the contradiction lies the hope.
> --Bertholt Brecht
>
>
>
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