Adam Kessler wrote:
>So Castro is a "tireless public servant"! I suppose this is not propaganda
>but an objective description of
>reality. (Personal anecdote perhaps?)
>Castro "has the overwhelming support of the Cuban people"? I repeat my
>question: how do you know that, since there are no free elections and his
>opponents are put in prison?
>Castro "systematically includes popular participation in policy making"?
>By what mechanism? The wonderfully independent Cuban parliament?
>Neighborhood vigilance committees? Santeria? Osmosis?
>Castro "explains policy decisions forthrightly (and at great length) on
>television." Are you serious?
I base my characterizations of Cuba on written reports and film
documentaries I've seen over the years from many sources, taking into
account the credibility track-record of the individual sources. Even
Western propaganda on the subject is useful, because of what it doesn't
claim - even the propaganda doesn't accuse Cuba of the
military-dictatorship behavior (death squads, systematic torture, massacres
of peasants) so common in the rest of (capitalist dominated) Latin America.
>It is because of "in your face" silly statements such as "the
>U.S...has a dictatorship and Cuba...has by comparison a democratic system"
>that the Left is not taken seriously anywhere on the globe.
Such a judgement seems rather premature, even irresponsibly reckless, given
the following exchange...
Andrew said:
>>I don't have much faith that you understand the structure of socialist
>>governments in this century (or capitalist "democracies" for that
>>matter)
to which Adam responded:
>Its true though--I didn't know that there was a mystery about the "structure
>of socialist governments in this century"--I thought there was simply a
>corrupt nomenklatura at war with the people so they could hold on to their
>privileges.
You admit your knowledge of socialist government is limited to Western
propaganda, and yet you're willing to dismiss as "silly" the observations
of those who have taken the time to dig deeper. I'd say it is the success
of Western propaganda, and its mis-characterizations of both the socialist
and capitalist experiences, that is inhibiting globally the development of
a Left of any consequence.
>Fine, so an independent parliament does not constitute popular
>participation in polcy making. Then what does? I really would like to hear
>some sort of description of the process of popular participation.
This is a good question, but don't you need the answer PRIOR to announcing
your decision about what's silly and what isn't?
The Western system, ideally, incorportes popular will via elections; the
Cuban system, ideally, incorporates popular will via ongoing feedback
channels. Both systems are theoretically workable frameworks for
democracy, and one must look at how they operate in practice to determine
whether they, in each case, result in a democratic or dictatorial regime.
In the US, it seems abundantly obvious to me, the competitive party system,
with the help of the elite-controlled mass media, has been exploited so as
to completely undermine the democratic process. We are given a choice
between elite-selected candidates both of whom are dedicated to
representing elite corporate interests and whom employ demagogic rhetoric.
That is not democracy, it is oligarchic dictatorship.
In Cuba, I claim based on empirical evidence, the regime has managed to
stay in touch with popular sentiment, has responded to it, governs with the
general support of the people, and has served them well.
This democratic responsiveness has been perhaps encouraged by US pressure.
With a constant threat of invasion, severe economic warfare, and ongoing
CIA efforts to stir up rebellion and dissent, Castro has been forced to
maintain strong popular support as a means of preventing national
destabilization. Stalin, in comparable circumstances, chose a different
solution: a strong police state.
Socialism, unlike capitalism, has arisen in the Third World due to local
popular demand, and there is more variety in the resulting instances than
perhaps we find in capitalist instances which have been facilitated by a
common imperialist influence.
rkm
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