From: Paul Bullock (paulbullock@EBMS-LTD.CO.UK)
Date: Thu May 22 2003 - 07:18:55 EDT
Nicky, perhaps you could sketch for us the " process of democratic reforms" you consider necessary in Cuba, why you consider them necessary and what the actual result for Cuba would be the "widespread internal and international support for immediate democratic reforms" which you suggest would result. Paul Bullock ----- Original Message ----- From: "Nicola Taylor" <19518173@STUDENT.MURDOCH.EDU.AU> To: <OPE-L@SUS.CSUCHICO.EDU> Sent: Wednesday, May 21, 2003 12:52 AM Subject: Re: (OPE-L) Re: dreams and nightmares > Thank you Rakesh for the voice of reason! > > > [Jerry] So I don't think that the possibility of a US overt or heightened > > covert war against Cuba should be taken lightly. > > Of course not, and nobody is taking it lightly. But surely the point made > by Rakesh is correct, and should be given much more emphasis in such > discussions (in place of vague speculation - and hysteria - about US > invasions): > > > [Rakesh] I and many others did not think the US would have great trouble > > ousting the fascist Saddam who truly seemed to have the narrowest > > base of support; this administration no matter how deluded by its > > own piled-on propaganda must know their forces would confront grave > > difficulties in Cuba. > > Right, it is a key point. If the Cuban government can indeed rely on > widespread popular support, and if the opposition is small and unpopular, > why the "necessity" to resort to violent suppression of all internal > dissent? There seems to me a fundamental contradiction in the calls for > internal repression by comrades who in the same breath remind us that the > Cuban people are, in general, grateful to Castro for all that he has done > for them. If Cubans are so grateful that they would defend their > government, and if Castro believed this, then he would have little to fear > from setting in motion a process of democratic reforms. Indeed, there is a > very good chance that Cuba could win widespread internal and international > support for immediate democratic reforms. Such support, especially from > Canada and the European Union, would increase (not decrease) the obstacles > to US invasion. Castro's justification for the current crackdown is sadly > lacking in any such perception. Reading it, I felt I was being lectured by > a man caught in a time warp of socialist 'rhetoric' who has entirely lost > touch not only with the people of Cuba but also with reality. More than > that, I felt he had fallen straight into the trap of American provocations > and responded, in fact, exactly as the US hoped (and intended) he would. > > To reach such a conclusion does not imply pacifism, and it does not imply > unwillingness to defend the Cuban people against US agression. Rather, it > is a conclusion that is reached (as all of us putting this view have been at > pains to point out) on political and moral grounds. > > Nicky >
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Fri May 23 2003 - 00:00:01 EDT