President George W. Bush gave a speech Wednesday heavy with undertones concerning the future of Cuba and its government.
He stated his intentions to set up a multi-billion dollar "freedom fund" for Cuba, but only if its people are willing to demand change to what Bush calls a "tyrannical government."
The message, which was meant to be subtle to Cubans, was that they would have to stand up against their government and demand a capitalist and democratic government.
This clearly is an attempt to create a division among its people and create a torn country, a simple military strategy: divide and conquer.
Despite the overtone of the message as being democratic, it was meant to interfere by being delivered in between Cuban municipal elections and a vote in the United Nations General Assembly on a resolution to condemn the trade embargo which the U.S. has used as an economic tool since shortly after the 1959 revolution led by Fidel Castro.
This has been suffocating for the Cuban population, but amazingly, they endure the struggle as Cubans have overcome the daily economic hardships created by the trade embargo.
After nearly 50 years of crippling economic sanctions, the Bush administration calls "The Revolution" a failure.
Timing is everything, and the inevitable death of Fidel Castro is upon the world.
If Castro dies, what will happen to the Latin American community that shares the Western hemisphere with the United States?
If Castro dies, what will happen with Cuba’s socialist government that survived in defiance of the United States, especially after the oppressive acts that the US government has been enforcing around the world?
Cuba has resisted the economic sanctions, the Bay of Pigs, numerous attempts to assassinate Fidel Castro and now this form of invasion from within introduced by the Bush administration as a way to speak to the distressed corner of every repressed heart.
This will allow Castro to die a martyr. And to some in the Latin-American community he will die representing individual rights and the ability to revolt against an empire.
He will exemplify the ability to make a difference and stand up in people’s beliefs despite the odds.
You will see a number of Castro shirts along with the already visible Che Guevara apparel.
This dawning reality will give oxygen to the adoption of further socialist governments in the Western hemisphere, such as Venezuela and to some extent Ecuador.
The Bush administration looks to thwart this coming reality. They look to divide the public within Cuba before Castro’s death. Cuban’s foreign minister, Felipe Perez Roque, refers to Bush’s speech as "a call to violence" and an "irresponsible act."
The foreign minister’s beliefs are similar to many others, not all Cubans, when he says that what Bush and his administration are trying to do is "restore" the conditions that were in place prior to the 1959 revolution.
During this time, a U.S. backed leader by the name of Fulgencio Batista governed the country and the majority of Cuba’s arable land, a large portion of its industry and banking was controlled by U.S. entities.
These interests as well as the possibility that there are offshore oil reserves off the coast of Cuba are further attracting U.S. interest to the island nation.
Castro’s death would influence the Western hemisphere, including the U.S. Latino communities to a great extent.
The opportunistic, irresponsible move of the U.S. will only give way to revolution and death in the name of greedy, capitalistic interests.
Those who see this for what it is might see it as yet another deliberate attempt to overthrow the Castro-led government, in the good name of greed.
The U.S. has started a fire and attempts to put it out with hopes to be championed by those who have suffered.
As well, they hope to extinguish any possibility that Castro will become a martyr, as did Guevara.
To the United States, a torn Cuba at the time of Castro’s death means a victory against La Revoluci’oacute;n, the prevention of Fidel becoming a martyr, as well as an entrance strategy to what would be a country with a potentially high early growth rate.
Whitmarsh, an economics and Spanish senior, can be reached via [email protected]
