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Manuel wrote: > Well, sure, maybe if the international working class and its oppressed > "nationalist" allies don't help them out! I thought that was the brutal > lesson of the Russian revolution, among others ... I think the point Manuel makes is vital. I doubt there is anyone on this list who believes Cuba has created a perfect socialist society; I doubt anyone even thinks it has come close, yet by any definition it is further down that track than any other country in the world. And as a minimalist statement, for those who think Fidel is a sniveling Stalinist cur, that is still true in that Cuba is the only country to have freed itself to any significant extent from imperialist domination, and to advocate and practice internationalism around the world (for example in the form of its medical programme). For that fact alone Cuba deserves our unwavering support. Yet Cuba is of course far from perfect. We can (and should) debate what is going on in Cuba, but there is nothing to be gained from doing so on the basis of whether or not this "proves" anyone's preconceived views of the nature of the Cuban state. I get concerned when I hear things from Cuba that I don't like the sound of. But if the Cuban revolution is flawed, even if it fails, that will not be primarily the "fault" of the Cuban revolutionaries, it will be the "fault" of the rest of us, because the success of the Cuban revolution is our responsibility. And the way to meet our responsibility is to build our own revolutions. Even the most unreconstructed Stalinist does not believe "Socialism in one country" extends to a tiny island just off the US coast being able to survive indefinitely. Frankly, it is nothing short of a miracle that the Cuban revolution has survived this long. If I was religiously inclined, the survival of the Cuban revolution would be my proof that there must be a god and that Marx made it to heaven. The way to support the cause of Cuban socialism is not to pontificate from the comfort of a keyboard in the imperialist West. It's to build the revolutionary movement in our own countries - something which, unlike the Cubans, we have all been singularly unsuccessful in doing. Until Cuba is genuinely no longer on its own, and with all due respect to Venezuela, another third world country's support is not enough, we have to assume that Cuba will get some things wrong, will possibly end up going backwards, and may yet fail utterly, but its example should still be defended and celebrated regardless of its failings. If we can make the revolution in the West, the least of our worries will be the possibility that Cuba might backtrack, because the support will be there to ensure that it doesn't happen. Cheers, John ________________________________________________ Send list submissions to: Marxism@lists.econ.utah.edu Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
