Why Leftists Keep
Backing Cuba’s Communist Regime
By John Horvat II
The way the world treats Cuba is a mystery. There is no other
way to describe it.
Any
ruthless military dictatorship should be denounced and ostracized. In the case
of Cuba, there can be no excuse for failing to condemn its human rights abuses
and or expose its socialist-driven poverty. Its rabid persecution of the Faith
is unspeakable. Everything should be done to hasten the happy day when the
country might again live in “the liberty of the glory of the children of God”
(Rom. 8:21).
However, this is not happening.
Security forces are brutally suppressing widespread protests against the appalling
conditions on the island. The regime will not accept Western medical aid even
though people are dying from Covid. The situation is ripe for a regime change,
but it will not happen.
Scandalous
Support for the Cuban Regime
Leftists the world over continue to express sympathy for this
monstrous regime. They do not blame the communist government for the nation’s
ills but America. Communist Cuba can do no wrong.
A scandalous example of this support is the statements of the
Black Lives Matter movement favoring the regime’s suppression of the Cuban
people—including many who are black. Other American leftists have remained
steadfast in their insistence that Cuba’s problems stem from the American
embargo that prevents capitalist goods from rescuing the socialist disaster.
The protests, violent
crackdowns and Internet blackouts prove the extent of the undeniable misery on
the island. These things also confirm that the leftist support is based on
ideology, not sympathy for the suffering Cuban people.
Cuba
as a Litmus Test
Cuba is a litmus test to see who is truly leftist. The greater
the sympathy for the regime, the greater the person’s degree of Marxism. The
more appalling the conditions appear to the world, the more dogged is the
support the left gives to this disgraceful tyranny. The leftists can be
counted upon to disregard the most damning evidence that Cuba is an economic
basket case.
Hence, the mystery is at least partially solved. The left
worldwide unites around Cuba for ideological reasons. Leftists see any
hostility against Cuba as an attack upon their cause in general.
Cuba
as a Symbol of Defiance
However, this conclusion only explains part of the problem. It
does not reveal why the left gives so much importance to the small Caribbean
island.
Cuba is much more than just a
random communist country that oppresses its people as communists have always
done. The left needs Cuba because it is an important symbol and rallying point.
Leftists, Marxist guerrillas and all liberals worldwide seem to gather courage
from the fact that Cuba has defied the West for 62 years and survived.
Cuba is so important because it is the sole survivor of the
communist revolution of the sixties. It still retains something of the legend
of those heady times when hardcore communism seemed to be the wave of the
future. Western leftists have always held Cuba up as an example of that idyllic
Marxist “paradise” where all equally shared the hardships of carrying forward
the socialist future.
The
Spectacular Failure of the Soviet Empire
This legend became more critical with the spectacular failure of
the Soviet empire in 1989. Imagine the left’s discouragement at seeing
this empire suddenly pulverized. It was a frightful psychological blow for
card-carrying communists the world over. It was especially disheartening to the
West’s rich “useful idiots” who supported the communist revolution from the
luxury of their townhouses and condos. The defeat proved embarrassing to
liberal macro-capitalist mass media that presented the Soviet bloc as an
immense world power.
Indeed, the left can take some consolation as long as a
communist Troy still burns in tiny Cuba, which radiates its evil influence to
the three Americas and the world. It will even tolerate the hordes of European
and other tourists that fall over each other to support the island prison with
their contaminated capitalist euros.
The
Catholic Left Sees Cuba as a Paradise
Indeed, rather than deny people’s misery, the left embraces it.
Thus, there is the tragic support of the Catholic left that has long seen Cuba
as a bastion of evangelical (imposed) poverty where all are assumed to be
happy, unencumbered by materialism. The supporters of liberation theology,
ecological stewardship and tribal religious currents find a sanctuary from
Western consumerism in this atheist stronghold. They help perpetuate the
brutalities, cruelties and religious persecution that reigns in Cuba.
Even the latest violence has not diminished the almost religious
fervor of the Catholic left for communist Cuba. Brazilian Dominican Friar Betto defends the island
prison as a “paradise” for the poor or homeless and a “hell” for the rich and
powerful. He further excuses the present suffering of the Cuban people
saying, “The resilience of the Cuban people, nourished by Marti, Che Guevara
and Fidel, has shown itself to be invincible. We must have recourse to this
resilience and all fight for a more just world and show solidarity.”
Cuba: The Periscope of a
Submarine
One final advantage for keeping
communist Cuba alive is that the nation became not only a symbol but also a
flag bearer for all leftists as they figure out how to push their nefarious
agenda forward. Cuba is needed to keep the Marxist dream alive.
The brilliant Catholic thinker, Prof. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira,
likened the situation of what is left of classical communism to that of a rusty
old submarine. The communist crew is disheartened and asphyxiated by the
unpopularity of leftist ideas.
Communist Cuba plays the role of a periscope that also serves as
a snorkel, providing oxygen to the crew members’ languid lungs as they navigate
in their sea of misery. Cuba keeps their hopes alive by proving that these pure
communist ideas can exist in the real world. If communism still breathes today,
it is because Cuba survives. The island prison serves as the periscope/snorkel
to sustain the Marxists in their twisted and horrific convictions.
Rushing
to the Defense of Cuba
That is why the left worldwide rushes to the defense of
communist Cuba. Activists want to save the periscope/snorkel regardless of the
consequences. They don’t care how ridiculous they look. At this stage, the
facts don’t matter. The future of the left is at stake. While the regime suppresses
the protests, the worldwide left acts as their vacuum chamber, completely
silencing the screams from the streets!
Thus, Black Lives Matter risks everything by issuing a
blistering statement against the United States. “Since 1962,” it absurdly claims,
“the United States has forced pain and suffering on the people of Cuba by
cutting off food, medicine, and supplies costing the tiny island nation an
estimated $130 billion.”
The White House avoided any condemnation of communism for five
days, attributing the unrest to “mismanagement.” President Biden finally
admitted that communism is a “failed system” but will take no significant steps
to alleviate the plight of the Cuban people. Major leftist figures like Sen.
Bernie Sander politely asked the Cuban government to refrain from violence but
do not hesitate to blame America for its cruel embargo. Liberal media also
repeated the mantra that the American embargo lays at the root of Cuban misery.
Lifting the embargo will only enable the communist regime to continue
its oppression.
The important thing to remember is that the Cuban crisis is not
about Cuba. It is about the future of the left worldwide. The left knows this
very well. Most in the Christian West do not comprehend the stakes. That is why
a regime change is needed. That is why the world must be rid forever of the
periscope/snorkel that keeps the left breathing. There is no other solution.
