“The United States will come to talk to us when you have a black president and the world has a Latin American pope.” The clock is no longer ticking towards the era where this quote by ex-Cuban president Fidel Castro becomes a reality. The shifting state of the relationship between the island nation of Cuba and the United States has been exemplified by the opening of a Cuban embassy in the U.S. for the first time since the overthrow of the Batista dictatorship in 1959. While we can't safely say that the embargo placed on Cuba by the United States will end, we can already see the conception of diplomatic interactions between the two countries. Hopefully in the near future we will finally see the end to the illegal, 53-year blockade on Cuba, which has relentlessly subjected the country to restrictions not just on it's export goods (tobacco and rum being the worst losses) but also necessary provisions for healthcare, monetary and financial trade, and access to new technologies - leaving the country in somewhat of a stasis. The fact that Cuba exists in a state of anything other than total humanitarian crisis, which is the unequivocal point of the embargo, is thanks entirely to the countries social-model; the free provision of all citizens with food, housing, education, and healthcare, regardless of pressure from international powers.
Even now that the Lefts dream of a Cuban flag emerging out of a sea of "Viva Fidel!"s and "Viva Cuba socialista!"s on the streets of Washington has been achieved, some are predictably still championing the position of defeat. On the day that international solidarity should be at it's strongest, accusations of betrayal, revisionism, and even senility against the Cuban leadership for daring to accept a deal which alleviates their people from just some of the afore mentioned restrictions, seems to illuminate the need for more sectarianism rather than less. If you would rather stay in the camp of defeat and fringe politics then that choice is yours. It's better you remain there than ask other people to fight to the last drop of their blood because you perceive them as ideologically inconsistent.
I should add that i'm not proselytising for the "opening up" of Cuba to American influence, nor should we equate bringing socialism into the 21st century to market-oriented socialism. I don't believe that route would be desirable for the Cuban people, nor do I believe it's what we'll get - Raul Castro has made it clear that they will not "negotiate their social system" and while the promise of the younger Castro doesn't quell all fears, it ranks as slightly more promising introduction to friendly relations with the West than "To get rich is glorious!".
Most importantly of all, the attitude which should be combatted is the harrowing glee from liberals that this change in foreign policy by the U.S will soon lead to Cuba emerging from the rubble of communism into an American-style parliamentary democracy - with it's very own CNN and O'Reilly factor of course! As the media confetti of any true democracy. Below the bug-eyed calls for "Freedom for Cuba!" (or the freedom for Levies and McDonalds to set up shop their anyway), a sinister mentality simmers; the assumption that Cuba, as it currently exists, is some kind of tyranny. While it is true that the nucleus of human rights abuses in the Caribbean does exist on Cuban soil, it has nothing to do with the Revolutionary government. The Cuban government has protested the presence of a CIA torture camp in Guantanamo bay for 36 years and each time the United States essentially replies with "What you gonna do about it?". Indeed the 53 years of sanction and sabotage by the U.S. has left Cuba in a state of siege and many democratic rights have been suspended, but regardless of how Cuba organises it's representation of it's people, the only form of democracy liberals will be happy with is one that includes the capitalists and kleptocrats of pre-revolutionary Cuba, who looted the country of it's wealth and subjected it's population to poverty and military repression.
Cuba will remain on the same path it has been for over half a century, and the celebrations of victory won't be drowned out by the grumbling of zealous ideologues or the opening of cash registers in preparation for a brand new exploitable market. Cuba will remain a beacon to the third world, as an example that you don't have to choose between the domination of Global capital or mass poverty. It's future will depend on how much it sticks to the original revolutionary ideas which liberated the country. Perhaps it's the case that this belated opening up is a tactical manoeuvre to inject neoliberal influence at the right time. Perhaps the old order will be returning to it's vomit soon. But for now, socialism will be exalted as more and more people will be lead by Cubas example that standing up to the West objectively pays off.
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