100 Years of US Aggression - Stand Up and be Counted!

As Cuba celebrated the 100th anniversary of the War of Independence against

Spain led by

its national hero José Martí (who was killed at an early stage of the

battle), it also had to remember 100 years of US occupation, intervention,

interference, and blockade. The War of Independence (known in the United

States as the Spanish American War because the United States declared war

on Spain when it became clear that the Spanish were about to be routed)

marks the date of the first direct military intervention by the United

States in Cuban affairs. The United States simply replaced the Spanish as

the new rulers, and the infamous Platt Amendment, which allowed the United

States to intervene in Cuban affairs, set the basis for the future

relationship between the two countries.

It is also as a result of the Platt Amendment that Guantanamo Bay is to

this day a US naval base on Cuban territory, the occupation of which has

been opposed by the Cuban Government since 1959.

Trade has been used as a weapon to try to force Cuba to bend to the will of

the United States. Twice in the space of 30 years Cuba saw its trading

arrangements collapse almost overnight. In 1959, 71% of exports and 64% of

imports were accounted for by trade with the United States, and the

remaining trade was mostly with other countries in the region. Within 12

months of the Revolution, that trade disappeared almost entirely. Cuba soon

found favourable and sympathetic trading partners in Eastern Europe and the

Soviet Union, and by 1990 this accounted for almost 80% of Cuba's entire

trade. Once again, with the sudden and dramatic changes that took place in

Eastern Europe, this trade virtually collapsed. Immediately, the United

States, in defiance of the United Nations and against the express wish of

the European Parliament, passed the Torricelli Bill into law, thereby

re-enforcing the blockade.

The United States declares that the problems facing the Cuban economy and

Cuban trade have little to do with them, that Cuba's problems are

self-inflicted, and that the blockade has only incidental effect. If that

is so, then why does the United States put such effort into ensuring the

effectiveness of the blockade? Why in 1996 did the United States enact the

Helms/Burton Act - the most damaging blockade legislation against Cuba to

date?

The Cubans firmly believe that only socialism could have delivered the

prosperity they achieved, and they point to the conditions in the rest of

Latin America, where the capitalist model has been in force, to support

their point of view. They remain determined to retain a socialist structure

in Cuba and to implement it in any way they choose. They want this right to

be acknowledged and accepted; they want to be able to trade with whoever

they wish without interference from any other country; they want to remain

free to make their own decisions; they want to survive with a decent

standard of living, with dignity and health and education. And they want

those countries that do not want to help to at least leave Cuba alone and

stop interfering in its internal affairs.

The world stood by in the 1960's when the United States first imposed the

blockade and used the perceived threat of communism as an excuse to let

Cuba suffer at the hands of the United States. Communism was fair game -

what is the excuse today? The continuation of the illegal blockade for 39

years has only been possible because of the silent indifference or lack of

knowledge by people and governments throughout the world. That has all

changed - now you know, you are no longer an innocent bystander. It is time

to break down the wall of silence. The Resolutions approved by the UN

General Assembly and the European Parliament provide a starting point for

Irish people to take a position on the blockade and contribute to the

defence of Cuba's sovereignty. We cannot stand idly by and watch the

destruction of the hard-won achievements of the Cuban people.

Cuba Support Group provides the broad platform for individuals and organisat

ions to express political, moral and material support for and solidarity

with the Cuban people's struggle for a dignified life. Cuba has shown that

the countries of Latin America need not be condemned to poverty and

backwardness, that progress can be made and the highest standards of health

care and social welfare achieved. But Cuba is now struggling valiantly to

defend the gains made since the Revolution - there is no time to waste in

supporting that struggle.