Commentary
Fidel
Castro’s Retirement - a Sign of the Strength, not Weakness, of the Cuban
Revolution
Last
week, Fidel Castro put an end to months of speculation, announcing that he
would not be seeking re-election as Cuban president. U.S. President George W.
Bush immediately called the announcement a victory for “democracy” in Cuba and
implied that it is only a matter of time before Cuba capitulates and surrenders
its sovereignty to the U.S.
However,
far from being a sign that socialism in Cuba is weak and on its last legs,
Fidel’s retirement from active duty signifies the strength of the Cuban system
and its ability to survive the departure of its main leader. There is no doubt
that the leadership of Fidel has been crucial to the victory and defence of the
Cuban revolution. At the same time, it is a mistake to attribute everything –
accomplishments or failures – to an individual leader. Movements and countries
create the leaders that they need to achieve their aims. If their aims are
imperialist domination, they create leaders like George Bush; if their aim is
independence and socialism, they create leaders like Fidel Castro.
There
is a myth created by the bourgeoisie and imperialism that a revolution cannot
survive the loss of its leader. This lie has been repeated so often that it has
taken on the aura of truth. But the reality is that this myth is just one more
ideological attack on revolution and socialism, an attempt to portray human
progress as futile. In reality, Fidel is just one reason among many that Cuba
has withstood almost 50 years of imperialist intrigue and economic embargo.
Another reason is the specific historical conditions during which the Cuban
revolution was born. But the most important reason is that the Cuban people
love independence and do not want to live under the dictate of U.S.
imperialism.
Revolutions
have historically failed for two reasons: external aggression and internal
contradictions. The Cuban revolution has survived nearly 50 years of external
aggression, including a surprise attack by those it considered its closest
friends. It has done so because the vast majority of the Cuban people have
supported the aims of the revolution. Ultimately, the Cuban revolution will
survive or fall not because of the presence of Fidel or any other individual
leader but because the Cuban people decide so. There is no doubt that, in the
coming months and years, both the external and internal pressures against the
Cuban revolution will increase. However, the Cuban people have united to resist
such pressures in the past and there is every reason to believe that they will
continue to do so in the future.