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The Harassed Team — July 31, 2008 The Olympics will very soon begin in China. Some days ago I wrote about our baseball team. I said that our athletes were put through a very hard test and that if something went wrong they were not the ones who deserved the harshest criticisms. I recognized their quality and patriotism. They felt depressed after the criticisms that came from Cuba. Afterwards I learned that they were all in good spirits. They had learned how to eat the spicy Korean food with chopsticks, the way it is done in eastern Asia. On July 26 they sent a vibrant patriotic message. They will no doubt face with honor that difficult test. But, will they be on an equal footing with regards to the teams of other rich powers, such as the United States and Japan, which will be competing against Cuba? The first has almost thirty times as much inhabitants as Cuba; the second, at least eleven times as much. Neither of them is under any economic blockade and both are extremely wealthy. No one is robbing or plundering them of their athletes. Japan has ordered its professional athletes to join the Olympic team, and they will have to; so has been the will of their masters. That has nothing to do with the athletes that have been turned into merchandise. On the eve of the Olympics, the United States, with its mercenary money, bought Alexei Ramirez, who had been the leading home runner of the National Baseball series in our country in 2007. The coach of the team that bought him has boasted that he does not know in what base he should place Ramirez, because he had been well trained in all of them. It is disgusting to read about the details of the commercial arrangements surrounding the case, which have been disseminated by the cables, regarding the distribution of the money. Formerly, they had bought the most promising pitcher from the province of Pinar del Rio, José Ariel Contreras, thus creating uncertainty and mistrust. In Edmonton, Canada, just before the beginning of a match with the team of the host country at the 23rd World Youth Baseball Championship, we learned that the southpaw Noel Argüelles, who would for sure be the starting pitcher of the game, and the shortstop José Antonio Iglesias, with a batting average above 500, were missing. The courageous youth league pitcher from Pinar del Rio, Julio Alfredo Martinez Wong, climbed the mound. He had already pitched for eight innings in a row and had one more out to make; there were men on the bases and he looked exhausted. In the bullpen, Joan Socarras Maya was warming up hard; he was instructed to be ready to take action. Esteban Lombillo, the energetic and able coach of Cuba’s youth team had already been to the box. Julio Alfredo, exploding with dignity, demanded that he be allowed to continue pitching: “I will finish this game!” –he exclaimed. Lombillo, who was also upset about the despicable betrayal, knew what he meant and trusted him. Julio Alfredo put his heart and soul into the game. He pitched for the last out of the eighth inning. In the ninth he retired the batters by three consecutive strikeouts and beat the Canadian team by one run. The substitute shortstop, Yandy Díaz, played wonderfully and connected for a double that was decisive for Cuba’s victory. Edmonton has become a dumping ground. The Cuban athletes were badly taken care of. That city has the privilege of hosting that championship every year. We should analyze whether it is worth attending that tournament. Not even a single representative of the Cuban press had been sent to cover the event. All we know we have learned through unofficially. The proud Cuban athletes of the Olympic baseball team, who have been wonderfully taken care of by their Korean hosts and will be even better taken care of in China, will have to compete under the unfavorable circumstances that I explained before. Whatever the results, they know that what really matters for us are the honor and the courage with which they struggle. But the imperialist aggression is not only seen in baseball. Some months ago, part of our male soccer team let itself be drawn into an act of betrayal inside the United States, which limited Cuba’s prospects in that sport in the international arena. A female Olympic judo athlete, almost a sure gold medalist, was bribed. Buying our athletes they deprived us from five sure gold medals in Olympic boxing. It is like a call to slaughter against Cuba to steal brains, muscles and bones. Why are the rich and powerful afraid of our small and blockaded island? Leinier Domínguez struggles in Switzerland at one of the most important international chess tournaments. At the Olympics, due to begin on August 8, our athletes in different sports will struggle to win the gold with more dignity than ever, and our people will enjoy their gold medals as they never have. Then the fanatics will remember the traitors. Fidel Castro Ruz Chavez’ Message — July 28, 2008 He returned from his trip to Europe on Friday. He was away for only four days. Flying west, he arrived at Caracas at 11 at night, at sunrise in Madrid, the point of departure. The call from Venezuela came in early on Saturday. I was told he wanted to speak to me over the phone that day. I replied that I could speak to him at 1:45 in the afternoon. I had enough time to jot down 25 points, of the sort one can speak of over an international phone line, knowing the enemy is listening in, some of which had been tackled by the Venezuelan president himself before the press. Chavez was calm, pensive and satisfied with his tour. We shared views on the prices of foodstuffs, oil and raw materials, needed investments, the dollar’s devaluation, inflation, recession, imperialist swindles and plundering, mistakes made by our adversaries, the risk of nuclear war, the system’s insurmountable problems and other issues which require no secrecy. Nevertheless, I use this means of communication only exceptionally. We exchanged comments and news. He didn’t say one word about the wonderful message he wrote on the occasion of the 26th of July celebrations, in which he analyzed my denunciation entitled “Machiavelli’s Strategy”. I received it that same Saturday at night. Chaves is the embodiment of Bolivar’s ideas. Our one-hour conversation, back in the days of the Liberator, would have spanned months and his 4-day European tour at least 2 years. Yesterday, I listened to his remarks on the Alo Presidente program. His investment program is impressive. Never before, quite possibly, has more attention been paid to the most deeply felt wishes and pressing needs of people. We’re already seeing some results. When I turned on the television at night, Chavez was in the midst of a crowd that was cheering on the female softball team playing the final game of the cup against Cuba. The Venezuelan team won, one to zero. And, to top it all, this was a “no hit, no run” match. The eyes of the young and handsome Venezuelan pitcher almost popped out of her head when the magnitude of her feat dawned on her following the last out. In the middle of the exuberant team that was leaping with joy on the infield next to the box, Chavez was hugging and kissing the players. Were we not internationalist in spirit, this would have been reason to be depressed. But, after thinking about it a few seconds, I was happy for him and Venezuela. What a man! How can he keep at it like that after so much effort? Today is his birthday. Raul and I sent him a painting which shows Che emerging from the earth, as envisaged by a painter from Cuba’s westernmost province. It is a striking piece. I shall have this reflection reach him early tomorrow. Fidel Castro Ruz The Two Koreas Part One — July 22, 2008 The Korean nation, with its unique culture that differentiates it from its Chinese and Japanese neighbors, has existed for three thousand years. These characteristics are typical of societies in that Asian region, including those of China, Vietnam and others. There is nothing like it in Western cultures, some of which are less than 250 years old. In the war of 1894, the Japanese had seized from China its control over the Korean dynasty and turned its territory into a Japanese colony. Protestantism was introduced into this country in the year 1892, following an agreement between the United States and the Korean authorities. On the other hand, Catholicism was introduced in the same century by missionaries. It is estimated that today in South Korea, around 25 percent of the population is Christian and a similar percentage is Buddhist. The philosophy of Confucius had a great influence on the spirit of Koreans, who are not characterized by fanatical religious practices. Two important figures stand out in that nation’s political life in the 20th century: Syngman Rhee, born in March of 1875, and Kim Il Sung, born 37 years later in April of 1912. Both personalities, of different social background, confronted each other due to historical circumstances that had nothing to do with either of them. The Christians opposed the Japanese colonial system. One of them was Syngman Rhee, who was an actively practicing Protestant. Korea changed its status: Japan annexed its territory in 1910. Years later, in 1919, Rhee was appointed president of the provisional government in exile, headquartered in Shanghai, China. He never used weapons against the invaders. The League of Nations in Geneva paid no attention to him. The Japanese Empire was brutally repressive with the Korean population. The patriots took up arms against the Japanese colonialist policy and succeeded in liberating a small area in the mountain region of the north at the end of the 1890’s. Kim Il Sung, born in the vicinity of Pyongyang, joined the Korean Communist guerrillas to fight the Japanese at the age of 18. In his active revolutionary life, he attained the position of political and military leader of the anti-Japanese combatants in North Korea, at the young age of 33. During World War II, the United States decided the fate of Korea in the post-war period. It joined the conflict when it was attacked by one of its own creatures, the Empire of the Rising Sun, whose tight feudal gates were opened by Commodore Perry in the first half of the 19th century, aiming his cannons at the strange Asian country that refused to trade with America. The outstanding disciple later became a powerful rival, as I have already explained on another occasion. Decades later, Japan successively struck at China and Russia, additionally taking over Korea. Nevertheless it was an astute ally for the victors of World War I, at the expense of China. It amassed forces and, transformed into the Asian version of fascist Nazism, attempted to occupy Chinese territory in 1937 and attacked the United States in December of 1941; it brought the war to Southeast Asia and Oceania. The colonial domains of Britain, France, Holland and Portugal in the region were doomed and the United States emerged as the most powerful country in the world, matched only by the Soviet Union then destroyed by World War II and by the heavy material and human losses resulting from the Nazi attack. The Chinese Revolution was about to conclude in 1945 when the world massacre ceased. The united anti-Japanese combat was taking up its energy then. Mao, Ho Chi Minh, Gandhi, Sukarno and other leaders later carried on the fight against the restoration of the old world order which was already unsustainable. Truman dropped the nuclear bomb on two civilian Japanese cities; this was a terribly destructive new weapon whose existence they had not reported to their Soviet ally, as has been explained, one which had been the major contributor to the destruction of fascism. Nothing justified the genocide committed, not even the fact that the tenacious Japanese resistance had taken the lives of almost 15,000 American soldiers on the Japanese island of Okinawa. Japan was already defeated, and that weapon, had it been dropped on a military target, would have sooner or later had the same demoralizing effect on the Japanese military machine without any more casualties among U.S. soldiers. It was an act of indescribable terror. Soviet soldiers were advancing on Manchuria and North Korea, just as they had promised when fighting ceased in Europe. The allies had defined beforehand the point each army could reach. The dividing line would be in the middle of Korea, equidistant between the Yalu River and the southern end of the peninsula. The U.S. government negotiated with the Japanese the rules that would govern the surrendering of troops on their own territory. Japan would be occupied by the United States. In Korea, annexed to Japan, a large force of the powerful Japanese army would remain. South of the 38th Parallel, the established dividing line, U.S. interests prevailed. Syngman Rhee, reincorporated into that part of the territory by the U.S. government, was the leader the Americans supported, with the open cooperation of the Japanese. That is how he won the hard-fought election of 1948. That year, the soldiers of the Soviet Army had pulled out of North Korea. On June 25, 1950 war broke out in the country. It is still unclear who fired the first shot, whether it was the combatants in the North or the American soldiers on duty with soldiers recruited by Rhee. The argument does not make any sense if one analyzes it from the Korean angle. Kim Il Sung’s soldiers fought against the Japanese for the liberation of all Korea. His armies advanced irrepressibly to the far reaches to the South where the Yankees were defending themselves with the massive back-up of their fighter planes. Seoul and other cities had been occupied. MacArthur, commander-in-chief of U.S. forces in the Pacific, decided to order a Marine landing at Incheon, at the rearguard of Northern forces which by then were in no condition to counterattack. Pyongyang fell into the hands of Yankee forces, preceded by devastating air strikes. That fostered the idea of the U.S. military command in the Pacific to occupy all of Korea, since the Peoples’ Liberation Army of China, lead by Mao Zedong had inflicted a resounding defeat on the pro-Yankee forces of Chiang Kai-shek, supplied and supported by the United States. The entire continental and maritime territory of that great country had been recovered, with the exception of Taipei and other small near-by islands where Kuomintang forces found refuge after being transported there by vessels of the Sixth Fleet. The history of what happened then is well known today. It should not be forgotten that Boris Yeltsin handed over to Washington the Soviet Union archives, among other things. What did the United States do when the virtually inevitable conflict broke out under the premises created in Korea? It portrayed the northern part of that country as the aggressor. The Security Council of the recently created United Nations Organization, promoted by the victorious powers of W. W. II, passed a resolution that none of the five members could veto. Precisely in those months, the USSR had expressed its disagreement with the exclusion of China from the Security Council, where the United States was recognizing Chiang Kai-Shek, with less than 0.3 percent of national territory and less than 2 percent of the population, as a member of that Council and with a right to the veto. Such arbitrariness led to the absence of the Russian delegate, with the result that the Council agreed to give the war the character of a UN military action against the alleged aggressor: the Peoples’ Republic of Korea. China, completely outside the conflict, which was affecting its unfinished fight for the total liberation of the country, saw the threat hovering directly against its own territory, this being unacceptable for its security. According to public information, Prime Minister Zhou Enlai was sent to Moscow to inform Stalin of China’s point of view as to the inadmissibility of the presence of UN forces under U.S. command on the banks of the Yalu River which marks Korea's border with China, and to request Soviet cooperation. At the time there were no profound contradictions between the two Socialist giants. It has been affirmed that China’s response was planned for the October 13 and that Mao postponed it to the 19th, awaiting the Soviet reply. That was as long as he could put it off. I intend to finish this reflection next Friday. It is a complex and laborious subject which requires special care and information that is as precise as possible. These are historical events that should be known and remembered. Fidel Castro Ruz The Two Koreas (Part Two) — July 24, 2008 On October 19, 1950, more than 400 thousand voluntary Chinese combatants, on orders from Mao Zedong, crossed the Yalu and waylaid the US troops that were advancing towards the Chinese border. The US units, surprised by the vigorous response of the country they had underestimated, were forced to withdraw towards a region near the southern coast, pushed back by the joint action of the Chinese and North Korean forces. Stalin, who was immensely cautious, offered far less support than Mao had anticipated, though the MiG-15 aircrafts piloted by the Soviets, over a limited 42.5-miles front, proved valuable help during the initial stage of the conflict in protecting land forces during their intrepid advance. Pyongyang was again recovered and Seoul re-occupied once more, attempting to fight back the incessant onslaught of the US Air Force, the most powerful which has ever existed. McArthur was anxious to attack China with nuclear weapons. He called for their use following the shameful defeat they had tasted. President Truman saw no other choice but to dismiss him from his command and appoint General Matthews Ridgeway head of US air, sea and land forces in the theatre of operations. Next to the United States, the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Greece, Canada, Turkey, Ethiopia, South Africa, the Philippines, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand and Colombia took part in the imperialist adventure. Colombia, then under the unitary government of conservative Laureano Gómez, who was responsible for the mass slaughter of peasants, was the only Latin American country involved. As we said, the Ethiopia of Haile Selassie, where slavery still existed, and a South Africa still under the domination of white racists, also took part in the invasion. It had been scarcely five years since the world slaughter that began in September 1939 had come to an end, on August 1945. Following bloody combat in Korean territory, Parallel 38 once again became the border separating North and South. It is estimated that, in that war, about two million North Koreans, nearly half a million or one million Chinese and more than a million allied soldiers perished. Around 44 thousand US soldiers lost their lives. No few of them had been born in Puerto Rico or other Latin American countries, recruited to take part in a war they were driven to by their condition as poor immigrants. Japan was to reap many benefits from the conflict. In a year’s time, industrial output grew by 50 % and, within two years, it again reached pre-war production levels. What didn't change, however, was how the acts of genocide perpetrated by China’s imperial troops in Korea were perceived. The governments of Japan have paid tribute to the acts of genocide carried out by their soldiers, which, in China, had raped tens of thousands of women and brutally murdered hundreds of thousands of people, as was explained in a reflection. Hard-working and tenacious, the Japanese have transformed their country, bereft of oil and other important raw materials, into the second most powerful economy in the world. Japan’s GDP, measured in capitalist terms, though the data varies across different Western sources, is today over 4.5 billion dollars, and the country has over one billion dollars in hard currency reserves. This is twice China’s GDP, of 2.2 billion, even though China has 50% more hard currency reserves than Japan. The GDP of the United States, of 12.4 billion dollars, for a country with 34.6 times more territory and 2.3 times Japan’s population, is only three times that of Japan. Its government is today one of imperialism's main allies, at a time when it is threatened by economic recession and the sophisticated weapons of the superpower put at risk the entire human species. These are historical lessons which cannot be forgotten. The war, however, took a considerable toll on China. Truman instructed the 6th Fleet to prevent the landing of Chinese revolutionary forces that would achieve the complete emancipation of their country by reclaiming the 0.3 percent of their territory that had been occupied by the rest of the pro-Yankee forces of Chiang Kai-shek that had fled there. Sino-Soviet relations were to deteriorate later, following the death of Stalin, on March 1953. The revolutionary movement splintered nearly everywhere. The dramatic call issued by Ho Chi Minh made evident the damage that had been done and imperialism, through its immense media apparatus, poked the fires of extremism among false revolutionary theoreticians, an area in which US intelligence agencies were to become experts. Following the arbitrary division, North Korea had been dealt the most rugged part of the country. Each grain of food had to be reaped through sweat and sacrifice. Pyongyang, the capital, had been razed to the ground. Many, who had been wounded or mutilated during the war, were in need of medical attention. They were enduring a blockade and had no resources available. The Soviet Union and other countries of the socialist block were in the process of recovering from the war. When I arrived at the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea on March 7, 1986, nearly 33 years following the destruction caused by the war, it was still difficult to believe what had transpired there. That heroic people had constructed myriad things: large and small dams and canals to store water in, generate electricity, service cities and irrigate fields; Thermoelectric plants, large mechanical and other types of industries, many of them underground in the depths of the bedrock, all created through hard, methodical labor. Because of copper and aluminum shortages, they had been forced to use iron to create electricity-guzzling transmission lines, iron which, in part, was produced from coal. The capital and other cities that had been devastated were reconstructed, inch by inch. I estimated that millions of new homes had been built in urban and rural areas and that tens of thousands of other kinds of facilities had been set up. Countless hours of work were contained in stone, concrete, steel, wood, synthetic products and machinery. The fields I had the opportunity to see, wherever I went, looked like gardens. Well-dressed, organized and enthusiastic people were everywhere, ready to greet visitors. The country deserved cooperation and peace. There was no issue I didn’t discuss with my illustrious host Kim Il Sung. I shall never forget this. Korea was divided into two parts by an imaginary line. The South was to have a different experience. It was the more densely populated part and endured less destruction during the war. The presence of an enormous foreign military force required the supply of local manufactured and other products, from crafts to fresh fruits and vegetables, not to mention services. The military spending of the allies was huge. The same thing occurred when the United States decided to retain extensive military forces in the country indefinitely. During the Cold War, Western and Japanese transnationals invested considerable sums of money, siphoning out incalculable wealth from the sweat of South Koreans, a people who are as hard-working and industrious as their brothers in the North. The great markets of the world were open to their products. They were not blockaded. Today, the country has high levels of technology and productivity. It has suffered the economic crises of the West, following which many South Korean companies were bought over by transnationals. The austere nature of its people has allowed the State to accumulate significant reserves in hard currency. Today, it is enduring the United States’ economic depression, particularly the high prices of oil and food, and the inflationary pressures from both. South Korea’s GDP — 787.6 billion dollars — is almost equal to that of Brazil (796 billion) and Mexico (768 billion), countries with abundant hydrocarbon reserves and incomparably larger populations. Imperialism imposed its system upon these nations. Two fell behind; the other made much more progress. There is hardly any emigration from South Korea to the West. There is emigration en masse from Mexico to what is currently US territory. From Brazil, South and Central America, people emigrate everywhere, in search of employment and lured by consumerist propaganda. Today, they pay them back with rigorous and contemptuous laws. The position of principles on nuclear weapons supported by Cuba within the Non-Aligned Movement, ratified during the Summit Conference held in Havana in August 2006, is well known. I met the current leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Kim Jong Il, when I arrived at the Pyongyang airport. He was standing discretely beside his father, to one side of the red carpet. Cuba maintains excellent relations with his government. When the Soviet Union and the socialist block collapsed, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea lost important markets and sources of oil, raw materials and equipment. As in Cuba’s case, the consequences were severe. The progress that had been attained through great sacrifices was at risk. In spite of this, they showed themselves capable of constructing a nuclear weapon. When the nuclear test was conducted around a year ago, we conveyed the government of North Korea our points of view on the damage this could cause poor Third World countries that were waging an unequal and difficult battle against imperialist designs, at a decisive moment for the world. It might not have been necessary. Kim Song Il, at that point, had already decided, beforehand, what he had to do, mindful of the geographic and strategic characteristics of the region. We are pleased to see North Korea’s declaration on its intentions of suspending its nuclear weapons program. This has nothing to do with the crimes and the blackmail of Bush, who now touts the declaration as proof of the success of his policy of genocide. North Korea’s gesture was not aimed at the government of the United States, before which it never budged an inch, but, rather, at China, a neighboring ally, whose security and development is vital for the two States. Third World countries are interested in the friendship and cooperation between China and the two Koreas, whose union need not be from coast to coast, as was the case of Germany, today a US ally in NATO. Step by step, unhurriedly but indefatigably, as befits their culture and history, they shall continue to knit the bonds that will unite the two Koreas. With South Korea, we are developing more and more ties. With North Korea, these have always existed and we shall continue to strengthen them. Fidel Castro RuzJuly 24, 2008 Machiavelli‘s Strategy — July 23, 2008 Raul was right to keep dignified silence over the statements published last Monday, July 21st, by Izvestia on the eventual installation of strategic Russian fighter-planes bases in our country. The news came up from a certain hypothesis elaborated in Russia associated with the Yankees obstinacy in setting up radars and launching pads for their nuclear shield close to the borders of that great power. Yesterday, July 22nd, General Norton Schwartz, recently appointed U.S. new Air Force Chief of Staff, said at the Senate that if Russia did that it would be crossing the red line, something inadmissible to the United States security. If you say yes I’ll kill you. If you say no I’ll do too; I’ll kill you anyway. It is Machavelli’s strategy applied to Cuba by the empire. No need for explanations, excuses or pardon. In these times of genocide nerves of steel are much needed, and Cuba has them. The imperialists know it. On Saturday July 26th it will be 55 years since we have been restlessly fighting; there can be no better tribute to those fallen in action, those who perished later without ever abandoning their principles and those who keep on fighting. They are the symbol of a whole generation who put up a fight and it is only fair that our people rejoice in their memory. Fidel Castro Ruz Education in Cuba — July 19, 2008 It would seem our country has the most educational problems in the world. All of the cables that reach us report the many and difficult challenges we face: a deficit of over 8,000 teachers, disrespectful and ill-mannered students, lack of training, in short: problems of all sorts. I don‘t believe, to begin with, that we‘re in such bad shape. Not one developed country shares our schooling indices and the educational opportunities open to all citizens, which we maintain in spite of the unjust blockade and the shameless plundering of arms, muscles and brains Cuba endures. The United States and other wealthy countries cannot even compare themselves to us. They do have many more automobiles, use more fuel, consume more drugs, buy more cosmetics and benefit from pillaging our countries, as they have done for centuries. Imperialism seeks to return Cuban women to the condition of merchandise, pleasure objects and servants for the rich. They do not forgive countries for their struggle for liberation. It yearns to return to the time when black Cubans were barred from using recreational facilities. Then, many citizens lacked employment, social security and medical services. To Martí, freedom was very dear and one had to pay the price for it or resign oneself to a life without it. That is the question all Cubans must ask themselves each day. How feasible are the aspirations of our enemies? Only we have the answer, within each of us. In terms of education, should we not ask ourselves if our educational system employs a bureaucratic method which teaches science without conscience? I don't believe we have regressed that much. In any event, each one of us must ask these questions to avoid having our dignity spat on. We should expect no mercy from our enemies. There are tens of thousands of people who think, speak, act and make decisions. The measures that are adopted every day are in their hands. Let us keep a watchful eye on our enemies and let us do exactly the opposite of what they want from us to continue being who we are. This is an appeal to our conscience. The Revolution justifiably demands from us that we work more, that is to say, that we work! We have held our ground for 50 years. The new generations are much better educated to face the challenges; we have the right to demand from them much more. Let us not become discouraged by the news spread by our enemies, which distorts the meaning of our words and paints our self-criticisms as tragedies. The wellspring of our revolutionary ethics is inexhaustible. Fidel Castro Ruz The Olympic Baseball Team — July 15, 2008 The fanatics were upset due to the hard setback on Sunday. But the word says it all: fa-nat-ics! They forget that our team is now in South Korea, a country where we do not even have an embassy. There, our athletes continue to train.
Anyway, they are not the ones who deserve the strongest criticisms. They will be taking part in the Olympic Games that will be held on the other side of the world, where sleeping hours and life pace are different. They have an intense program of physical training with a view to the last presentation of this sport at the Olympics, as determined by the rich and powerful masters of such games. They have not been defeated. Let’s not discourage them. Let’s send them a message of encouragement. Why don’t we wait until the conclusion of the Olympiads to engage in a full and truly democratic discussion on the responsibility of everyone involved in Cuban sports? We dazzle our people with descriptions of sport successes and promises but then we don’t even dare publish the names of those who betray their homeland and sell off to the enemy. Our bureaucratic style in the education of our sportspeople seems to run high on science and low on conscience, even though sports are socially vital and our objective should not be glory or gold medals but our people’s physical and mental health. How it hurts when some of them sustain injuries related to sport drills or accidents, as in the case of Pedro Pablo Perez! The painful accident that keeps him on the verge of death is also impacting on a great Olympic promise, his companion Yoanka Gonzalez. Let’s not forget Ana Fidelia’s exploits. Despite adverse circumstances, our athletes shine for their human and patriotic virtues. Not even one out of ten moraly yields to the torrent of offers they receive from a world full of greediness, vices, drugs, doping and consumerism, one where our homeland shines as an example hard to imitate. We should never allow the traitors to come visit the country showing off the luxury obtained through infamy. Let’s blame ourselves for that. Fidel Castro Ruz The Powerless Powers — July 14, 2008 This is a serious subject. The summit meeting of leaders of the eight most highly industrialized powers on the planet took place July 7-9 at a mountain retreat on the banks of the Toyako, a lake formed inside a volcanic crater located in the north of the island of Hokkaido, in the northern reaches of the Japanese archipelago. It would be hard to choose a site more removed and distant from the madding crowd than this. At approximately 98 miles from there, 21,000 Japanese police agents, equipped with impressive shields and helmets, were guarding the urban center of Sapporo, ready to neutralize any protests. Yet, another 20,000 were patrolling the streets of Tokyo itself, the capital of Japan. In alphabetical order, the G-8 members are: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States. The leaders of these nations live beset by problems which include those inherited from the past and the growing tendency of the United States towards political, economic, technological and military hegemony. All of them are becoming weighed down by a bevy of pressing national and international problems, all requiring urgent solutions. They invited the so-called G-5 to their meeting in Toyako: Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa, to listen to them over breakfast. Also invited to exchange ideas for an hour were another three countries with emerging economies: Australia, South Korea and Indonesia. The world’s population, according to estimates, reached 6,709 million inhabitants on July 11, 2008 and over 65% of this number lives in the above-mentioned developing nations. During the three days, there were all kinds of multilateral and bilateral meetings. The developing countries who had been invited to the meeting held parallel meetings in Hokkaido where they spoke frankly and with no reservations. In the Summit’s final declaration, the industrialized powers of the G-8 proclaimed that a great concession had been obtained: the United States, and with it all the rest of the group’s powers, had pledged to reduce the greenhouse-gas emissions being called for by the year 2050; in 42 years! In other words: when hell freezes over. None of the other critical problems that had given rise to such an odd summit had been resolved. “…they failed to reach an agreement with emerging countries about how to respond to climate change.” “The 16 largest economies pledged to carry out massive cut-backs in greenhouse-gas emissions even though emerging countries reiterated their demands for funds and technology from the most powerful countries.” “President Hu Jintao denied accusations that the food crisis was due to the economic growth of some of the developing countries.” “Lula suggested that FAO attributed the global rise in food prices to speculative maneuvers with raw materials.” “The World Fund for Nature described the behavior of the wealthy G-8 nations as pathetic; it accused them of dodging their responsibilities in the fight on climate change.” “Agricultural subsidies were today the main point of friction during the G-8 and G-5 meeting.” “European Central Bank officials stated that they continued to be concerned about inflation in spite of the rise in interest rates.” “‘It is a complete failure, they have not advanced and they have avoided adopting clear objectives for reductions of medium-range greenhouse-gas emissions,’ indicated Greenpeace, an important international organization committed to the defense of the environment.“ “‘Russia is extremely annoyed over Washington and Prague signing an agreement on Tuesday for a space shield,’ said President Medvedev in Japan.” “Russian military experts reacted with indignation to the signing of an agreement between the United States and Prague for the installation of an anti-missile shield and they demanded tough reprisal measures.” On July 10, complaints about the consequences of the current chaos continued to reach Cuba, whether directly or indirectly tied in with the Summit in Japan. “Coral is also suffering stress due to factors such as climate change and pollution; these have resulted in one-third of these reef constructors to be in danger of extinction. Coral reefs, whose construction requires millions of years, are the habitat for more than 25% of all marine species.” That same day, unrelated to the other news, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) released the following news item: “Temperature variations due to climate change will have a strong impact on fishing and aquaculture, with important consequences for the food security of some populations. It was explained that aquatic foods have a higher nutritional value and contribute to 20 percent or more of the average per capita consumption of animal protein for 2,800 million people, fundamentally in developing countries.” On that day, severe criticisms also emanated from the African continent: “The European immigration pact is beginning to arouse indignation in Africa; Senegal asserted that a response is due, in the face of what some describe as a ‘wall’ being built by Europe to keep off the desperate peoples of the South”, declared the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of that nation at the close of a reunion of experts in Dakar. And Le Pays newspaper from Burkina Fasso, published: “In order to hold back the horde of desperate people who generally arrive from the South to besiege its borders, Europe has found nothing better than to raise a wall.” “The building of new walls is an anachronism in this era of globalization…” The rush of complaints goes on. While Prime Minister Gordon Brown of Britain was still in Japan, a study made by the BBC network informed of low morale in the British Armed Forces. “According to a study conducted by the Ministry of Defense of the United Kingdom, almost one-half of this country’s military personnel are ready to leave the Armed Forces.” “Forty seven percent of those surveyed in the Royal Army and Royal Navy and 44% of those in the Royal Air Force said that they felt like retiring from the Armed Forces.” “Among some of the concerns expressed…are the frequent deployments abroad, the pay and the living conditions.” “The regular army already suffers from a deficit of some five thousand soldiers while there is the concern that experienced young officers and non-commissioned officers are deserting in unprecedented numbers.” “As for the morale in the different branches, 59 percent of those interviewed in the Army said that the level was ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’: 64 percent of the Royal Navy, 38 percent of the Royal Marines and 72 percent of the Royal Air Force.” Something which offends personal sensitivity, in any social system, is the lack of respect for privacy. In the past, for example, there were laws protecting correspondence. Later this protection was extended to telephone communications, a more rapid and instantaneous form of communication. The United States law banned telephone surveillance without legal warrants. Violation of this would result in lawsuits which, in that country, totaled substantial amounts of money. Last July 9, while Bush was meeting with his G-8 colleagues and the United States government –despite its genocides– wanted to be considered a champion of human rights, the United States Senate passed, 68 in favor to 28 against, “a law that modernizes the U.S. Spy Bill and grants immunity to tele-communications companies collaborating with the government…” The fight against terror is the ubiquitous excuse, and phone surveillance had been going on for years without any sort of permission. “Now it is easier to protect U.S. citizens”, declared Bush, speaking from the White House Rose Garden. “The initiative authorizes eavesdropping without a warrant within United States telephone networks, whether of U.S. citizens or foreigners.” The previous 1978 law “did not include new communications technology such as cell phones, the Internet and e-mail.” Since the vast majority of communications are picked up by the U.S., “the measure approved protects communications companies from multi-million-dollar lawsuits by persons alleging violation of the right to privacy.” The law is being applied retroactively. “The American Civil Liberties Union described the law as ‘unconstitutional’ and as ‘an attack on civil liberties and the right to privacy’.” News coming from Sweden reported: “The center-right alliance of Prime Minister Frederick Reinfeldt has rejected the proposal by the Social Democratic Party to review the law allowing the Defense Radio Department (FRA) to access all telephone conversations and the flow of information by cable both from and to the country.” “What is being called the FRA Law, also baptized the Orwell Law after the novel 1984 by that British author, has been strongly criticized by big business in an open letter published in the Dagens Nyheter, Sweden’s main newspaper.” “The government justified passage of the law, approved last June 19, to improve the fight on terrorist threats.” Another Swedish paper, the Svenska Dagbladet, yesterday reported that “one of the main reasons for the law is, of course, the control of information coming from Russia and to use it in the negotiations of exchanges with other countries, since already about 80 percent of Russian foreign communication flow by cable goes through Sweden.” “The regulation will enter into effect on January 1, 2009. Thousands of people demonstrated a few days ago in Stockholm and Malmö against the FRA Law and there are already plans for similar mobilizations throughout the country in the next few weeks, according to several ‘blogs’ and Facebook social network groups.” Complaints are pouring in everywhere. For example, a cable states: “The Germans are more pessimistic about their economic outlook than at any other time since reunification in 1990, due to the rise in prices, according to a poll.” Others report:
These are all dated July 11. In these lines one could add dozens of similar news items printed on the same day. On Saturdays, reports decline; Sundays, there is hardly any news, journalists are resting. Today is Monday. In our world of today, every day there are new and ever-more thorny problems arising which exhaust the abilities of heads of state and governments who are called upon to deal with them. This is not a criticism: it is an observation. It cannot be expected of human beings to have supernatural abilities. Optimism will always be the best option. There is no other alternative. That's the reason why I once spoke about a species in danger of becoming extinct. Fidel Castro Ruz Pax romana — July 5, 2008 I basically drew these data from statements made by William Brownfield, US ambassador to Colombia, from that country‘s press and television, from the international press, and other sources. It“s impressive the show of technology and economic resources at play. While in Colombia the senior military officers went to great pains to explain that Ingrid Betancourt“s rescue had been an entirely Colombian operation, the US authorities were saying that “it was the result of years of intense military cooperation of the Colombian and United States“ armies.” “‘The truth is that we have been able to get along as we seldom have in the United States, except with our oldest allies, mostly in NATO,’ said Brownfield, referring to his country‘s relationships with the Colombian security forces, which have received over 4 billion USD in military assistance since the year 2000.” “…on various occasions it became necessary for the US Administration to make decisions at the top levels concerning this operation. “The US spy satellites helped in locating the hostages during a month period starting on May 31st until the rescue action on Wednesday.” “The Colombians installed video surveillance equipment, supplied by the United States. Operated by remote control, these can take close-ups and pan along the rivers which are the only transportation routes through thick forests, said the Colombian and US authorities.” “US surveillance aircraft intercepted the rebels‘ radio and satellite phone talks and used imaging equipment that can break through the forest foliage.” “‘The defector will receive a considerable sum of the close to one- hundred-million-dollars reward offered by the government’, stated the Commander General of the Colombian Army.” On Wednesday, July 1st, the London BBC reported that Cesar Mauricio Velasquez, press secretary at Casa de Nariño (Colombian Government House) had informed that delegates from France and Switzerland had met with Alfonso Cano, chief of the FARC. According to the BBC, that would be the first contact with international delegates accepted by the new chief after the death of Manuel Marulanda. The false information of the meeting of two European envoys with Cano had been released in Bogota. The deceased leader of the FARC had been born on May 12, 1932, according to his father‘s testimony. Marulanda, a poor peasant with a liberal thinking and a Gaitan follower, had started his armed resistance 60 years back. He was a guerrilla before us; he had reacted to the carnage of peasants carried out by the oligarchy. The Communist Party he later joined, the same as every other in Latin America, was under the influence of the Communist Party of the USSR and not of Cuba. They were in solidarity with our Revolution but they were not subordinated to it. It was the drug-traffickers and not the FARC that unleashed terror in that sister nation as part of their feuds over the United States market. They caused powerful bomb blasts and even blew up trucks loaded with plastic explosives destroying facilities and injuring or killing countless people. The Colombian Communist Party never contemplated the idea of conquering power through the armed struggle. The guerrilla was a resistance front and not the basic instrument to conquer revolutionary power, as it had been the case in Cuba. In 1993, at the 8th FARC Conference, they decided to break ranks with the Communist Party. Its leader, Manuel Marulanda, took over the leadership of that Party‘s guerrillas which had always excelled in their narrow sectarianism when admitting combatants as well as in their strong and compartmented commanding methods. Marulanda, a man with a remarkable natural talent and a leader‘s gift, did not have the opportunity to study when he was young. It is said that he had only completed the 5th grade of grammar school. He conceived a long and extended struggle; I disagreed with this point of view. But, I never had the chance to talk with him. The FARC became considerable strong with over 10 thousand combatants. Many had been born during the war and had known nothing else. Other leftist organizations rivaled the FARC in the struggle. By then the Colombian territory had become the largest source of cocaine production in the world. Then, extreme violence, kidnappings, taxes and demands from the drug producers became widespread. The paramilitary forces, armed by the oligarchy, drew basically from the great amount of men enlisted in the country‘s armed forces who were discharged from duty every year without a secure job. These created in Colombia a very complex situation with only one way out: real peace, albeit remote and difficult as many other goals Humanity have set itself. This is the option that, for three decades, Cuba has advocated for that nation. While our journalists meeting in their 8th Congress debated on the new technologies of information, the principles and ethic of social communicators, I meditated on the abovementioned developments. I have expressed, very clearly, our position in favor of peace in Colombia; but, we are neither in favor of foreign military intervention nor of the policy of force that the United States intends to impose at all costs on that long-suffering and industrious people. I have honestly and strongly criticized the objectively cruel methods of kidnapping and retaining prisoners under the conditions of the jungle. But I am not suggesting that anyone laid down their arms, when everyone who did so in the last 50 years did not survive to see peace. If I dared suggest anything to the FARC guerrillas that would simply be that they declare, by any means possible to the International Red Cross, their willingness to release the hostages and prisoners they are still holding, without any precondition. I do not intend to be heard; it is simply my duty to say what I think. Anything else would only serve to reward disloyalty and treason. I will never support the pax romana that the empire tries to impose on Latin America. Fidel Castro Ruz |
Fidel Castro Ruz is the President of Cuba. |
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