Why Does Cuba Bother the US Government So Much?

Once again, Cuba is faced with a potentially enormous and destructive “hybrid war” because of the Trump and Biden administrations

American imperialism — and, by definition, all imperialism—has no commitment to democracy, social justice and national sovereignty. On the contrary, these pillars are inconveniences, obstacles to be removed in order to achieve its objectives of accumulating wealth and power.

The U.S. government, obviously, is not concerned with the quality of life of the Cuban people or Cuban democracy. Indeed, it is not concerned with defending any democracy in any country around the world. On the contrary, it acts to destroy any and all national democracy that has been occupied by its people and that has served as the basis for the construction of sovereign and independent national projects that refuse American protection.

That said, why does Cuba, an island of 12 million people, bother the U.S. government so much? Because of its rebelliousness, its courage, its hard-won dignity: behavior unacceptable to empire. The Cuban people, at a certain point in their history, resolved to say no more to misery, violence and humiliation. They overthrew a bloody dictatorship that had transformed Cuba into an American brothel, and, under the leadership of Fidel Castro and the 26th of July Movement, chose another path: popular democracy and, later, socialist democracy.

The Cuban people chose to distribute their country’s wealth, to share political power and ensure their dignity and basic rights, such as food, health care, education, work and culture for everyone. They found their way of life in the socialist revolution. And since the beginning, they have been condemned for their choices. After the failed American armed invasion at the Bay of Pigs, they were the target of an infamous and illegal economic blockade that has lasted 60 years in a permanent and relentless war against the country’s people.

The Cuban people resist with their choices, facing enormous economic and political difficulties. The end of the Soviet Union, the economic blockade, the island’s natural borders, natural disasters (such as hurricanes), the ever-changing demands of the people and youth, the death of Castro, and COVID-19 (with its enormous damage to tourism) are not small challenges; they are gigantic. In the most difficult moments, the Cuban government’s choice has always been to take care of the most vulnerable and affirm its solidarity-based internationalism. The Brazilian people got to know and were enchanted by the quality and dedication of the Cuban doctors who worked through the Mais Medicos, or More Doctors, program.

Once again, Cuba is faced with an enormous and destructive “hybrid war” because of the Trump and Biden administrations. The challenges for the leaders of the Communist Party of Cuba and political organizations in the country are enormous. Cuba is experiencing a transition in its political leadership, and, with the presidency of Miguel Díaz-Canel, it is seeking a strategic update to its economy and its socialist democracy. The process of reforming the Cuban constitution, carried out recently with broad popular participation, is an expression of this democratic quest. Investments in the search for an economy with an advanced technological base, especially in the areas of biotechnology, pharmaceuticals and vaccines, are an expression of this quest for a vigorous economy.

Cuba, despite the blockade, is the only country in Latin America to produce its own vaccine against COVID-19 and immunize its entire population, a result of its technological capacity and commitment to the lives of its people. The political challenges, especially under brutal, destabilizing pressure and major economic restrictions, make it enormously difficult to maintain a domestic public space capable of ensuring legitimacy, and to ensure that the Cuban government makes the right decisions.

At a time when capitalism furiously attacks national democracies and basic human rights won through popular struggle, when it makes devastating advances on nature and the planet, imposing a pattern of wealth concentration and insupportable political power, our position can only be one of solidarity with the Cuban people. Solidarity with the Cuban people’s rebelliousness, courage and the ability to fight that they have demonstrated throughout history to defend their socialist and revolutionary victories.

Miguel Rossetto was a federal deputy from the Workers’ Party, vice governor of Rio Grande do Sul and minister of labor and social security.