Here in the US, we are conditioned to take a dim view of the nation of Cuba, where it is regularly portrayed as a tyrannical dictatorship and failing Socialist system. But have you ever investigated the history between the US and Cuba?
Prior to the revolution led by Fidel Castro and Che Guevara, the country of Cuba was run by a US-backed military dictator named Fulgencio Batista, whose corrupt, violent regime plundered the national treasury, allowed US corporations to loot Cuba’s natural resources, protected gangsters, partnered with US mobsters, taking bribes for their casinos, drug trafficking, smuggling and prostitution. Is that the kind of government you’d prefer to live under, or would you support revolution, and replacing it with one that worked to meet the needs of the population?
The Cuban people chose revolution, and have paid for it dearly with decades of retaliation by the US regime, who want a return to the colony-like conditions that were fostered under Batista’s regime. Even now, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the Trump Administration still puts forward the goal of regime change in Cuba. This is par for the course – the US Capitalist Ruling Class does not well tolerate losing their ability to exploit and extract from the nations and peoples it targets. In fact, it has been attempting to regain control of Cuba since 1958. Let’s look at some of these efforts.
The US placed an arms embargo on Cuba in 1958, during Batista’s reign, with President John F Kennedy expanding it to a total embargo in 1962, resulting in part with the outlawing of all US businesses from doing business with Cuba. The objective of embargoes and sanctions are the same as siege warfare tactics in older eras of human civilization – attempting to deprive the targeted population of their basic needs, in order to starve them into compliance with the would-be conqueror’s demands. It is a form of genocide. The majority of the world population opposes the embargo on Cuba. The embargo violates the UN Charter. The US has about 1/3 of global population under sanctions.
The 1962 total embargo was a reaction to the Cuban Missile Crisis – something we are deliberately disinformed about here in the US. Did you know that the USSR placed nuclear missiles in Cuba as a response to the US placing Jupiter intermediate range nuclear missiles in Turkey? The US ran a secret campaign called Operation Mongoose trying to overthrow Fidel Castro, in order to install a US-friendly, Capitalist-serving dictator in his place. Are you aware of the “School Of The Americas,” renamed “Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation” in 2001, a military training school for US dictators in Latin America, located in Fort Benning, GA?
The US attempted to assassinate Fidel Castro 638 times, including absurd plans for an exploding cigar, poisoning his milkshake, an exploding seashell, a honeypot assassin, and thallium salts in his shoes to de-beard him during his NYC visit in 1960.
If all of these things are news to you, you’re hardly alone. Most Americas are blissfully unaware of “how the sausage is made” by US policy, both foreign and domestic. This is by design. If more Americans were informed about these matters, it is unlikely that they would support these policies. But we are intentionally not told about the details of US policy and practices that reveal the exploitative, violent, and fascistic nature of the US Capitalist Ruling Class.
Instead, US schools, news sources, and entertainment weave narratives that portray the US as the valiant hero rescuing people from the horrors of Socialism and Communists. US history textbooks must be approved by right-wing nationalist groups and campaigns for use in classrooms, are heavily censored, and omit key information vital to a correct understanding of the US and its system of governance. Media ownership is consolidated into the hands of billionaires who have a vested interest in maintaining the exploitative system that has enriched them. The CIA has been exposed as exerting control over US media as part of its Operation Mockingbird program, staring with the Church Committee hearings, and there is no reason to believe that they have stopped, despite their claims.
We’ll be updating our recommended reading sections over the coming months. In the meantime, be sure to check out all of the linked articles, documents and books here to explore more about these matters.
It’s vital that we investigate history for ourselves if we are to correctly understand what led us to the present, and how to proceed forward in a way that does not repeat past historical atrocities. We need leaders who are willing to do this and be honest about the history of the US, in terms of both domestic and foreign policies. Otherwise, we are unwitting pawns of the Capitalist Ruling Class, who have demonstrated that they will utilize any means necessary to maintain their control over power and wealth. Becoming informed yourself, and sharing what you learn with others is a revolutionary act, particularly when this information is being hidden and silenced. Please consider sharing this article with your circles. Thanks!
