news from the cpi(m)
Reflections by comrade Fidel
ESTELA CALLONI
Her book Operation Condor denounces a number of atrocious crimes recently committed by the United States against the Latin American peoples. It is a basic text to understand the true meaning of the Yankee imperialism. It is the most objective and detailed denunciation I've read to this day, written with great style and eloquence. She offers an impressive list of outstanding figures, both military and civilian, vilely murdered inside and outside their respective countries, including such prestigious personalities as the Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero, the Chilean Generals Schneider and Prats, presidents of other nations, and the conspiracy in Chile which led to the death of Salvador Allende and the establishment of a fascist government. There were U.S. Presidents directly involved, like Nixon, Reagan and Bush, sr. Estela is known in our country for that work.
But it was the paper presented by the Argentinean author to the International Conference "Revolution and Intervention in Latin America", recently held in Caracas, that drew our attention to her again. She sent a copy of the paper to us in Cuba.
She refers to a silent invasion in many areas: disinformation as a weapon, the neocolonization of Latin America, the "backyard" as the "strategic reserve" of the empire, operative counterinsurgency, the "soft" blows, the informatics intoxication, the actions of leftist groups in coordination with the extreme right putschist sectors; the powerful enemy deliberately assaulting the soul of the peoples, their culture and identity; advanced colonialists and belated colonialisms.
The author reminds us of the brutal invasion of Panama on December 20, 1989, preceded by a disinformation campaign which in this case made roads into progressive and leftist sectors. She recalls the manipulation by the media of the reasons advanced by the United States to invade the small nation of little more than two million inhabitants, --a country divided by a colonial enclave sustained there by the hegemonic power since the first years of the past century-- and to the still puzzling reaction of Latin America which paralyzed before that incredible and flimsy excuse. She says that it is ignored until today that thousands of people died there. "Panama was the Guernica of Latin America."
Then she points out that the United Nations was a "paper presence in all those conflicts."
Al-Qaeda, spawned by the monster itself, is the typical example of an enemy located by the hegemonic power where it needs it to justify its actions, the same way that throughout history it has produced enemies and attacks to favor its domination plans. The pretext of the National Security of the United States as a justification for its crimes preceded the attacks on the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001.
Thus she goes on raising irrefutable arguments and proofs. Her paper presents a short summary in no more than 20 pages. She expresses sincere admiration for the revolutionary processes in Cuba and Venezuela and their courageous struggle in the vicinity of the neocolonial metropolis.
The meaning of that struggle can be understood just by recalling some words said by George W. Bush, a President with only 58 more days to complete his term as leader of the empire.
While the crisis is battering the world, he stated at the APEC summit in Lima that:
"Over the decades, the free market system has proved the most efficient way...
"The third great force for economic growth in this region is the limitless potential of free peoples [...] any government that is honest with its people [.] will have a partner in the United States of America.
".our partners can be confident that the compassion agenda of the United States of America will continue.
"We shall continue to inspire the world.
"God bless you."
Only an incurable cynic could make such statements. And while he said that in Lima, news kept coming in from the United States on the seriousness of the crisis and the rising unemployment. The car industry companies urgently asked for a share of the $700 billion allocated to tackle the most severe crisis in scores of years. It has been said that the bankruptcy of only one of the big enterprises in that sector would leave two and a half million workers unemployed. These are skyrocketing sums of money and of people affected in the country pretending to be a market beacon.
The elections in Venezuela today are complex due to the situation created by the rainfall, the number of polling stations, the high number of registered voters in each of these, the use of the media and the great amount of money used by the oligarchy and the imperialists to bewilder the voters. But the Bolivarian government acts with dignity as it cares about the damages caused by the excessive rains while fighting with the firmness and determination inspired by the just causes.
Whatever the results of the elections at the regional and local levels, it will not be easy to put out the flames of the Revolution.
We believe in the truths said by Calloni as much as we distrust the cynical lies said by Bush.
Fidel Castro Ruz
November 23, 2008
11:36 a.m.
THE G20, THE G21 AND THE G192
As if there were not enough reasons to go mad, the proliferation of acronyms related to the crisis is such that one can hardly understand them. The first was the G20, a selected group meeting in Washington that pretended to represent all. The second was the also selective APEC group which met in Lima. There was the richest country, the United States; this is number one, with a per capita GDP of 45 thousand dollars a year. But there was also the number 100 country, the People's Republic of China, with a per capita GDP of 2,483 dollars; this is also the number one investor in US Treasury bonds.
Now, G192 is the way that Leonel Fernandez, President of the Dominican Republic, which is not a member of either of the two, calls the member countries of the United Nations attending an economic conference with Joseph Stiglitz, Nobel Laureate of Economics.
George Soros, an immensely rich magnate of Hungarian descent and an American citizen, was one of the attending personalities.
One would have to be a chess player to disentangle the arguments of so diverse national and business interests as are represented in the G20 and the G21.
The truth of the matter is that if a Third World country signed free trade agreements with eight or ten developed or emerging countries, --some of them traditional producers of abundant and attractive low cost goods or sophisticated industrial products, such as the United States, Canada, Japan, South Korea, etc.-- the nascent industry of a developing country would have to compete with the sophisticated products of the most developed countries' industries or the hard working hands of their powerful partners, one of which handles world finances wantonly. The only thing left to them would be to produce inexpensive raw materials requiring large investments ultimately owned by foreign companies fully protected from nationalizing whims. They would only have their extended hands waiting for a pious development support and an eternal debt to be repaid with their children's sweat. Isn't this what has been happening until today?
That's why I don't hesitate to show my solidarity with Chavez's position as he said that he disagreed with Lima's recipe. There are plenty of reasons. Let's see how the situation unfolds, and keep demanding our rights without ever bending our knees.
Fidel Castro Ruz
November 23, 2008
7:30 p.m.
ABSOLUTE TRANSPARENCY
Who can doubt it? Observers from all parts and varying shades have attended the elections in Venezuela on November 23, 2007. They have reported with absolute freedom. The oligarchy cried out like mad to the world the coarse slander that the extension of the voting hours at the polling stations, giving the citizens the possibility to cast their vote, was intended to commit fraud, even though the National Election Council had previously decided to do so and had announced it.
This is a correct measure when adopted by the United States to facilitate the indirect election of the President of that nation, which is the model for the Venezuelan oligarchy, but it is wrong in Venezuela, even though these are not presidential elections, which are direct elections, the same as all the others for executive positions.
The only thing honorable and clean to them is the contemptible submission to the empire, the flight of capital amounting to billions of dollars every year, and the prevalence of poverty, illiteracy and over 20% unemployment.
I would not dare utter an opinion with regards to any other country of this hemisphere, if I forgot that we are brothers and that Marti, who fought and died for Cuba and for Our America, said one day as he stood before the statue of the Liberator Simon Bolivar: "Venezuela only needs to tell me what to do for her, for I am her son."
At the moment, 40 thousand highly qualified compatriots are working in that sister nation. They are willing to give their lives for Bolivar's people with which they share the risks of an imperialist sweeping blow.
I am not an intruder giving an opinion in the country of the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA).
Venezuela has the potential to become a model of socialist development with the resources formerly extracted by the multinationals from its rich nature and the efforts of it manual and intellectual workers. No foreign power shall determine its future. The people are the masters of their destiny and they march on to attain the highest levels of education, culture, health and full employment. It is an example to be pursued by other sister nations in this hemisphere and it does not give up: it does not wish to lag behind a plundering empire. Venezuela rightly claims with dignity that the UN General Assembly should design a new international financial structure, and Cuba supports it in that endeavor.
Reading the international news, it would seem that the USSR disintegrated just yesterday. As Stella Calloni would say, this Monday the media terror spin broke loose. But after the storm has passed, the truth will come up again.
Yesterday's elections meant a qualitative step forward for the Bolivarian revolutionary process that can be measured by many aspects. It was not as the massive disinformation machinery would have it: "Castro says that the Revolution in Venezuela will continue despite the elections." No, it's not that! But rather that an analysis of the basic data provided by the National Election Council in its bulletins showed me clearly the great victory that has been attained.
The data were precise; an unquestionable victory of the candidates to governors in 17 of the 22 states, all of these members of the Venezuelan Socialist United Party. The voters turn out was higher than ever; 1.5 million more votes than those obtained by the opponents running for such positions, and 264 posts of mayor of the 328 up for election. There is no opposition party but a group of oppositionists with half a dozen parties, and absolute transparency. That's why I said and now repeat that it will be very difficult to put out the flames of the Revolution in Venezuela.
Fidel Castro Ruz
November 24, 2008
6:35 p.m.
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