Re: [OPE] Socialism in Cuba and Scandanavian social democracy

alejandro_agafonow@yahoo.es

Jerry, to find the uncritical support of Harnecker to the Cuban dictatorship one has not to go back 30 years ago.

Fidel: La estrategia política de la victoria (1999)
http://www.archivochile.com/Ideas_Autores/harneckerm/5cuba/harnecuba0002.pdf

This is a defence of the violent way to Socialism and the alleged extraordinary role of one man, Fidel Castro. Have we learnt something from the Soviet experience?

It is a pity that socialists have not arrived to a consensus on this matter.

Concerning Scandinavia, one can not deny the steps back and forward. After all, it keeps an important capitalist component. Nevertheless, social indicators keep shockingly egalitarian.

But Cuban keeps secrecy over indicators that prevent its accountability. We have enough reasons to suspect that Cuban performs worse than the "capitalist" Scandinavia.

A. Agafonow

----- Mensaje original ----
De: Gerald Levy <jerry_levy@verizon.net>
Para: Outline on Political Economy mailing list <ope@lists.csuchico.edu>
Enviado: sábado, 28 de junio, 2008 13:33:06
Asunto: Re: [OPE] Socialism in Cuba and Scandanavian social democracy

>  The problem in USA is the extreme influence of interests groups able to 
> finance directly congressmen to protect their own economic and political 
> interests.

No, Alejandro, the problem is that the USA is a capitalist and imperialist 
nation and state policy is controlled by a two- (bourgeois) party monopoly. 
If you had financial reform and outlawed corporate lobbying, it would 
not change the fundamentals.

> I think that Communists pay too little attention to Scandinavian countries. 

I think market socialists need to take a more critical look at those nations.
Did you pay attention to the recent reforms in Sweden?  Perhaps you
should talk to Martin, Anders, and Dave Z about how allegedly great Scandanavian 
countries  are.

> If there are places with better conditions to go further toward a 
> post-capitalist order, they are not Latin American countries but Scandinavian 
> countries.

The jury of history has already come back with a verdict on social democracy
in power. Like bourgeois parties, European social democratic parties have
been caretakers for capitalism and generally supporters of imperialism and vicious
anti-communists. [I think that Sweden itself _is_ a (minor) imperialist nation.] The limits 
of reform  by Scandanavian social democracy were manifested very clearly with the 
scuttling of the Meidner Plan in Sweden. There is far more economic democracy in 
Cuba than there is any any Scandanavian nation.

> Jerry, don’t be angry. Harnecker does support Fidel in terms I mentioned. 

What's your source? A 30-year-old book?

What exactly do you now about the electoral processes in Cuba TODAY? (Note
emphasis on TODAY).

And who (specifically) do YOU support in Venezuela?

In solidarity, Jerry

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