At this point Mexico has send aid to Cuba, stepping out of line ..so to say. These are very old US tactics for intervening in countries they would like to control. People protesting, even for entirely genuine reasons is no one's business except the country where it is happening. Think of all the protests that take place here, I think China should step in or threaten to step in. Maybe that is what needs to happen. I also see an overlap with old colonial habits which have seeped into the culture, many Americans , definitely my students, believe we do good when we intervene and make things better. This is so old that people should really be able to see through it that no country keeps itself so busy being a Good Samaritan, England did not do so, neither did France, Portugal or Spain for that matter. US is only following their steps.
Thank you very much, Deepika. Yes, we are seeing colonialism in its most advanced form, with imperialism trying to disguise itself as humanitarian aid. The commentaries of the Mexican President in defense of Cuba were quite strong, and they have been extensively covered in Cuban news. His commentary is significant, because Mexico is an important country that to some extent sets the tone for US-Latin American relations.
It is really great to hear your perspective, Charles. Absolutely outrageous what the mainstream media Western has been doing in misrepresenting the protests.
I must admit I am a bit skeptical that these were somehow orchestrated from abroad --though I am sure the US and forces therein (such as Rubio) are trying to take full advantage of them to push for regime change. I have heard this narrative a few many times from self-interested governments in reaction to protest (including the US which blames Russia for everything and vice versa). I suspect that the people protesting on July 11 were reacting out of their own genuine frustrations at the deteriorating economic and social situation. Of course, these economic deprivations are more a product of the draconian and inhumane US Embargo and the economic effects of Covid than on the "mismanagement of the communist government".
Cuba is only one of a number of countries where the social and economic strains of Covid have erupted in street demonstrations (Serbia; Tunesia; South Africa; Columbia; Lebanon). And the situation for Cuba is made much worse by the US Embargo and harsh sanctions which make it so much more difficult for Cuba to get the humanitarian and financial aid it needs to get through this crisis. The Western media is completely incapable of considering these protests in this context and instead is pushing an "uprising against communist dictatorship" narrative down our throat./
Nevertheless, it seems like the situation has died down and also that the government does enjoy sizable support as well. You will never hear any follow-up about this in the Western media. So it's good to hear some info from your blog and your unique perspective.
BTW: Russia openly warned the US against meddling in Cuba and also organized some humanitarian aid shipments. It was pretty big news here in Moscow. Was any of this news in Cuba? Did the aid help in any way?
Thanks for your commentary, Andrej; it is good to hear from you. With respect to your skepticism, I reiterate that Cuban analysts are saying that the U.S. Department of State has been developing the media campaign as a new war strategy since 2015, during the last two years of the Obama administration. It is highly sophisticated; using the latest communication technologies. And it is being applied in various countries.
I also wonder if we should think of “protest” in a different way in the context of a country like Cuba that has developed structures of people’s democracy. In Cuba, there are channels for the expression of dissatisfactions with respect to economic opportunities and material needs or any other concern, which is why the protests were so limited, in spite of the media campaign; and they quickly degenerated into vandalism. In contrast, in representative democracies, effective channels for ordinary people to communicate their concerns are not integral to the normal functioning of the political process, giving rise to “protest” as a way of expressing concerns.
With respect to Covid, there is not resistance as such to the measures in Cuba, because scientists and government officials have been working together in developing an understanding and formulating a plan, and their efforts are supported by the media, leaders, and intellectuals and artists in general. There is a single national discourse on the phenomenon. There is a level of nonconformity, a kind of slackness, because it is natural that no one likes the restrictions.
Yes, Cubans know about the Russian warning and humanitarian support. The word among the people is that the Russian shipments of food will be organized as packages, to be picked up by each person using the libreta, the card issued to all citizens and residents for monthly baskets of subsidized food items. I looking forward to picking up mine. Does it include vodka?
At this point Mexico has send aid to Cuba, stepping out of line ..so to say. These are very old US tactics for intervening in countries they would like to control. People protesting, even for entirely genuine reasons is no one's business except the country where it is happening. Think of all the protests that take place here, I think China should step in or threaten to step in. Maybe that is what needs to happen. I also see an overlap with old colonial habits which have seeped into the culture, many Americans , definitely my students, believe we do good when we intervene and make things better. This is so old that people should really be able to see through it that no country keeps itself so busy being a Good Samaritan, England did not do so, neither did France, Portugal or Spain for that matter. US is only following their steps.
Thank you very much, Deepika. Yes, we are seeing colonialism in its most advanced form, with imperialism trying to disguise itself as humanitarian aid. The commentaries of the Mexican President in defense of Cuba were quite strong, and they have been extensively covered in Cuban news. His commentary is significant, because Mexico is an important country that to some extent sets the tone for US-Latin American relations.
It is really great to hear your perspective, Charles. Absolutely outrageous what the mainstream media Western has been doing in misrepresenting the protests.
I must admit I am a bit skeptical that these were somehow orchestrated from abroad --though I am sure the US and forces therein (such as Rubio) are trying to take full advantage of them to push for regime change. I have heard this narrative a few many times from self-interested governments in reaction to protest (including the US which blames Russia for everything and vice versa). I suspect that the people protesting on July 11 were reacting out of their own genuine frustrations at the deteriorating economic and social situation. Of course, these economic deprivations are more a product of the draconian and inhumane US Embargo and the economic effects of Covid than on the "mismanagement of the communist government".
Cuba is only one of a number of countries where the social and economic strains of Covid have erupted in street demonstrations (Serbia; Tunesia; South Africa; Columbia; Lebanon). And the situation for Cuba is made much worse by the US Embargo and harsh sanctions which make it so much more difficult for Cuba to get the humanitarian and financial aid it needs to get through this crisis. The Western media is completely incapable of considering these protests in this context and instead is pushing an "uprising against communist dictatorship" narrative down our throat./
Nevertheless, it seems like the situation has died down and also that the government does enjoy sizable support as well. You will never hear any follow-up about this in the Western media. So it's good to hear some info from your blog and your unique perspective.
BTW: Russia openly warned the US against meddling in Cuba and also organized some humanitarian aid shipments. It was pretty big news here in Moscow. Was any of this news in Cuba? Did the aid help in any way?
Thanks for your commentary, Andrej; it is good to hear from you. With respect to your skepticism, I reiterate that Cuban analysts are saying that the U.S. Department of State has been developing the media campaign as a new war strategy since 2015, during the last two years of the Obama administration. It is highly sophisticated; using the latest communication technologies. And it is being applied in various countries.
I also wonder if we should think of “protest” in a different way in the context of a country like Cuba that has developed structures of people’s democracy. In Cuba, there are channels for the expression of dissatisfactions with respect to economic opportunities and material needs or any other concern, which is why the protests were so limited, in spite of the media campaign; and they quickly degenerated into vandalism. In contrast, in representative democracies, effective channels for ordinary people to communicate their concerns are not integral to the normal functioning of the political process, giving rise to “protest” as a way of expressing concerns.
With respect to Covid, there is not resistance as such to the measures in Cuba, because scientists and government officials have been working together in developing an understanding and formulating a plan, and their efforts are supported by the media, leaders, and intellectuals and artists in general. There is a single national discourse on the phenomenon. There is a level of nonconformity, a kind of slackness, because it is natural that no one likes the restrictions.
Yes, Cubans know about the Russian warning and humanitarian support. The word among the people is that the Russian shipments of food will be organized as packages, to be picked up by each person using the libreta, the card issued to all citizens and residents for monthly baskets of subsidized food items. I looking forward to picking up mine. Does it include vodka?