Af

Link Turn
Turn removing the embargo is anti-neoliberal the
only reason it is in place is to crush a socialist
government
Baez, 4 Ph.D. and professor of sociology at the University of Puerto Rico
(Antonio, State Resistance to Gloalisation in !ua", Pluto Press, pg. ##$%
##&'((ee)
*n #++,, the !uan parlia-ent passed the .e/ 0a/ on 1oreign *nvest-ent,
/hich invited foreign co-panies and individuals to invest directly and up to
#33 per cent in ventures4 the character of this la/ /as non%discri-inatory. *n
other /ords, even !uanA-ericans and for-er e5iles /ere invited to invest.
6his la/ /ill e discussed later in greater detail. 7ut it is i-portant to
-ention it here in order to descrie ho/ open (desperate, perhaps' the
!uan govern-ent /as in re%estalishing contacts /ith 8ia-i capital holders.
Despite the .e/ 0a/ on 1oreign *nvest-ent9s friendly gesture to !uan
e5iles in the United States, the !A.1 and other 8ia-i% ased forces set out to
discredit the changes -ade in !ua9s econo-ic and political syste-. :ne
/ee) after $& 1eruary #++;, /hen the !uan Ar-ed 1orces shot do/n a
pirate <et violating !ua9s territorial space, the Repulican Party%do-inated
US !ongress passed the =el-s% 7urton 0a/. 6he =el-s%7urton 0a/ /as,
according to President 7ill !linton, >a po/erful -essage to 1idel !astro, that
the United States /ill support anyone /ho ?ghts for freedo- and de-ocracy
in !ua9. 6he =el-s%7urton 0a/ allo/s any !uan e5ile in the United States
the right to sue any individual or co-pany that purchases any property
con?scated y the revolutionary govern-ent. :ne /riter in the @cono-ist
descried the la/ as a >scarecro/9 to deter enterprises fro- investing in !ua
(@cono-ist, #3 8arch #++;AB3'. 6he pirate <et had een sent and Co/n y
the 8ia-i%ased group =er-anos al Rescate (7rothers to the Rescue'4 this
group allegedly receives funds fro- the !A.1, the !*A and !uanA-erican
enterprises (Gran-a *nternacional, # 8arch #++;'. 7ecause of the pro5i-ity
of the t/o events and the press co--entaries on !uan -ilitary defence,
one -ight as /ell assu-e that the latter /as a direct result of the for-er.
*n his oo) concerning the role that the /orld%fa-ous ru-% producing giant
7acardi Ru- played in for-ulating the 6orricelli Act and the =el-s%7urton
0a/, !alvo :spina descries the politics of the US econo-ic e-argo against
!ua as an >occult /ar9 et/een !uan state corporations and 8ia-i
-illionaires. 6he study /as /ell defended and provides the reader /ith
surprising facts concerning corporate inCuence in US la/s concerning !ua.
=o/ever, /hile studies li)e these are signi?cant in understanding the adverse
relationship et/een the t/o countries, they tend to disguise the essence of
the econo-ic e-argo4 that is, the intentions of the US state leadership to
under-ine the social revolutionary and anti% i-perialist processes that
characterise the !uan Revolution. 6he otto- line is that the e-argo
continues to e in place today ecause of US i-perialist intentions. !uan
A-erican corporations and their loy groups only support the e-argo /ith
capital and intellectual ac) up.
D!astrolo
emoval !oo" #or $ubans
$uban economic gro%th has "irect positive bene&ts
#or the $uban people money ma"e is "irectly
investe" in the bene&ts #or the people
Baez, 4 Ph.D. and professor of sociology at the University of Puerto Rico
(Antonio, State Resistance to Gloalisation in !ua", Pluto Press, pg.
#,+'((ee)
!learly, there e5ists a correlation et/een econo-ic gro/th and social
develop-ent in !ua. *t is understood that social develop-ent could not
happen /ithout econo-ic gro/th, as hu-ans can only satisfy their -aterial
needs /ith collective -aterial gain, and as econo-ic gro/th provides the
necessary resources to satisfy the needs of society as a /hole. Social policy
in !ua has oEcially follo/ed the line that all econo-ic gains should e
directly invested in the national progra--es that pro-ote social
develop-ent. *n !ua, resources invested in the social progra--es that
guarantee social develop-ent are not considered to e -ere costs, as is the
case in -ost countries that practise the neo%lieral reductionis- that /as
-entioned in !hapter #. Rather, invest-ent of capital and -aterials in social
progra--es is considered to e the satisfaction of the P!!9s o<ective
priorities. 6his /as de-onstrated during the #++3s econo-ic crisis, /hich
/as highlighted in !hapter B. 7ut this invest-ent in social progra--es for
the state9s contriution to social develop-ent is not si-ply -oralistic. 6he
invest-ent in -aintaining social develop-ent is re/arded /ith high levels of
education4 in other /ords, the creation of a highly educated cadre of /or)ers
/ho are ready to confront the gloal political econo-y. Fice%President of the
!ouncil of State !arlos 0age once -entioned that /hat -a)es !ua so
attractive to foreign investors, esides political staility, is the population9s
health record and the fact that it has the -ost educated group of /or)ers
that any developing country can provide (0age DGvila, #++;'.
Li#ting the embargo is key to combat oppression
"oing other%ise gives the regime legitimacy an"
allo% it to e'ploit the population
Baez, 4 Ph.D. and professor of sociology at the University of Puerto Rico
(Antonio, State Resistance to Gloalisation in !ua", Pluto Press, pg.
##H'((ee)
7ut /hat the e-argo actually does in !ua is to legiti-ise the govern-ent9s
hostility to the United States, and its econo-ic and so%called de-ocratic
for-ulas. 1idel !astro has een successful in gaining the popular support of
the general population and the rest of the /orld ecause of US aggression.
Political repression and tough police control on the streets and at the
factories are legiti-ised ecause of scarcity, /hich in turn is popularly
understood as the result of the e-argo. :ne can say, >6his -ay e !astro9s
D!astrolo
?nest hour.9 After the Pope9s visit in Ianuary #++J and his criticis- of the
e-argo, the US appeared to e dropping restrictions on hu-anitarian care.
A li-ited nu-er of direct Cights fro- 8ia-i to =avana carrying -edical
supplies and foodstuKs, is no/ per-itted.
*t should e no secretA the e-argo actually uni?es the country. 6his is not to
say that the state ene?ts econo-ically fro- the e-argo, ut politically
there is every reason for the !uan govern-ent to call upon the -asses to
oppose this e5ternally i-posed fact of life. So-e day the e-argo /ill e
lifted. Lhat then /ill e the cause of shortages, underdevelop-ent and
econo-ic crisisM
* /ould not go as far as Iorge *. Do-NngueO and state that the 6orricelli 7ill
enacted in #++$ /as a gift fro- God to the !uan govern-ent (Do-NngueO,
#++,AB&'. =o/ever, the country did suKer econo-ically and the pressures
created y this la/, though rendering legiti-acy to the !uan govern-ent,
did have their eKects on the general population, /ho in turn -ust respond to
the party(state apparatus in supporting or resisting policies. Additionally, the
=el-s% 7urton la/, the /ay it /as i-posed and the -anner in /hich it /as
denounced /orld/ide, also aKected the population and its vie/ of the United
States. 6he attitude -ay e su--ed up y saying that the -ost anti%!astro
!uans living on the island /ere pleased to support the party(state apparatus
in the face of US econo-ic aggression. 6he reinforced US econo-ic e-argo
ca-e <ust in ti-e to legiti-ise the anti%i-perialist regi-e /hen its
shortco-ings /ere eco-ing -ore ovious to/ards the end of the #+J3s.
D!astrolo
acism Turn
emoval the embargo %ill increase racism the
tourist in"ustry "iscriminates
Baez, 4 Ph.D. and professor of sociology at the University of Puerto Rico
(Antonio, State Resistance to Gloalisation in !ua", Pluto Press, pg.
#&+'((ee)
@ven though the nu-ers of lac) and /hite !uans /or)ing in the tourist
industry are aout the sa-e, touris- also -eans -ore racis-. 7lac)s tend to
/itness their passports and identity cards eing chec)ed -ore often /hen
entering a hotel. *f the passport is !uan and one is lac), entrance is often
denied unless, of course, dollars acco-pany hi- or her. :f course one can
argue that this is a pre<udice ased upon the atte-pt to separate the tourist
co--unity fro- the natives, for the purpose of ensuring that tourists are
co-fortale and are not othered y needy !uans. 7ut the fact re-ains that
these pre<udices are -anifested in segregating lac)s fro- /hites. Lhy can9t
a lac) -an e a touristM 6he ideas of racis- re-iniscent of the #+,3s are
only reinforced.
6he increasing nu-er of <oint ventures and the legalisation of the dollar are
t/o other i-portant outco-es of the Special Period, contriuting to
increasing class diKerences and stronger lines of racis-. 6he head of the
Anthropology Depart-ent at the University of =avana reaEr-ed the notion
that racis- has gro/n as foreign inCuence increased. She stated, for
e5a-ple, that the ?r-as -i5tas (<oint ventures' prefer to e-ploy /hite
!uans. @ven though the !uan state organises all /or)ers to apply, foreign
?r-s choose /hite -ales, /hich surprised her as she is used to /or)ing, in
the sa-e type of co-pany, /ith -any /o-en and lac)s. .ot only the <oint
ventures, ut also the legalisation of the dollar had consePuences that played
along racist lines (7aOuin, #++H'.
(ou )ust re*ect every instance o# racism the impact
is violence an" "ehumanization
)emmi, +, Professor @-eritus of Sociology, University of Paris (Alert,
RA!*S8, #++H, p. #;B. (DRG!0(7#3&J'
6he struggle against racis- /ill e long, diEcult, /ithout inter-ission,
/ithout re-ission, proaly never achieved. Qet for this very reason, it is a struggle to e
underta)en /ithout surcease and /ithout concessions. :ne cannot e
indulgent to/ard racis-4 one -ust not even let the -onster in the house,
especially not in a -as). 6o give it -erely a foothold -eans to aug-ent the
estial part in us and in other people, /hich is to di-inish /hat is hu-an. 6o
accept the racist universe to the slightest degree is to endorse fear, in<ustice
and violence. *t is to accept the persistence of the dar) history in /hich /e still largely live. *t is to agree that the
outsider /ill al/ays e a possile victi- (and /hich RpersonS -an is not Rthe-selfS hi-self an outsider relative to
so-eone elseM'. Racis- illustrates in su-, the inevitale negativity of the condition
of the do-inated4 that is, it illu-inates in a certain sense the entire hu-an
condition. 6he anti%racist struggle, diEcult though it is, and al/ays in Puestion, is nevertheless
D!astrolo
one of the prologues to the ulti-ate passage fro- ani-ality to hu-anity. *n
that sense, /e cannot fail to rise to the racist challenge
D!astrolo