Elian Gonzalez is finally back home in Cuba with his father and family, where he belongs. This is a victory for human rights, child rights and family rights.
Of course it was a triumph for Cuba, but Elian’s return is also a victory for the majority of the American people, which in dozens of opinion polls over the past seven months has consistently supported sending the child home to his father. Those who sought to keep this kidnapped and traumatized 6-year-old in the U.S. with right-wing distant relatives who exploited him for political purposes, have always been a minority--even if their ranks included Al Gore and George W. Bush.
The final outcome in this saga is also a victory for the various organizations and their supporters which have been agitating and demonstrating for the return of the child for the entire period he had been held captive in the United States, principally--on the national level-- the National Committee to Return Elian Home to Cuba, International Action Center (IAC), IFCO/Pastors for Peace, U.S.-Cuba Friendshipment, Global Exchange, Venceremos Brigade, as well as other organizations connected with the National Network on Cuba.
Hundreds of groups participated on the local level. For example, in our Mid-Hudson Valley area of New York State, chapters of the National People’s Campaign and IAC, joined by the local Caribbean and Latin America Support Project, activated hundreds of neighbors in several “Send Elian Home” street protests. Hundreds of others communicated their views to the White House, Congress, the Justice Dept. and their newspapers and friends over the months. All told, we estimate some 400 people in our semi-rural region joined the struggle in one way or another.
Now that this fight has ended in a victory, another must begin: The fight for a total end to the U.S. embargo and the establishment of normal relations between our country and Cuba.
The Elian Gonzalez affair took place in the midst of a gradual transformation in U.S. ruling-class views toward how best to respond to the irritation of having a small, independent socialist country situated in a hemisphere entirely dominated by Uncle Sam. This is why Washington’s policy toward Elian appeared so contradictory--with the Clinton administration haltingly doing one thing, while this year’s Democrat and Republican presidential candidates were doing another. The fact that the large majority of the American people supported Clinton’s tilt toward sending the boy home undoubtedly will figure in the final outcome of ruling-class thinking about Cuba.
For four decades that ruling class was essentially unified in projecting a hostile policy of total subversion toward Havana, including an invasion, many attempted assassinations, crop destruction and so on. It was united on imposing the initial economic blockades 40 years ago and tightening sanctions during difficult period for Cuba in early 90s when its economy plunged due to the breakup of the Soviet Union, it’s principal trading partner and ally.
But times have been changing. The Soviet Union/East European project collapsed a decade ago, ending the pretext for continuing the Cold War. The great majority of world nations now oppose continuing the subversion and blockade against Cuba, judging by lopsided UN votes to end the sanctions. Many countries are disregarding U.S. dictates and are trading and investing in Cuba, much to the chagrin of American corporations.
All but the hard-core far right and opportunist mainstream politicians pandering for votes now realize the old subversive policy has become counter-productive. It hasn’t destroyed Cuban socialism. It’s giving the U.S. a black eye in international affairs. U.S. capitalism is losing out to its European rivals, and so on.
Change, obviously, is required. U.S. business interests and farmers are uniting to call for an end to the blockade. There is maneuvering in a hesitant Congress. Many Americans feel that since normal relations and permanent trading rights were extended to China, Cuba is deserving as well. Millions of citizens believe the far right played a very destructive role in the case of Elian Gonzalez and were appalled by the suggestion that a kidnapped child should not be returned to his remaining, loving parent.
Thus, the ruling-class attitude toward Cuba is transforming. A new consensus now appears to be forming in the upper echelons of wealth and corporate privilege. It seems that the contradiction in Cuba policy will soon be resolved in the political sphere with a gradual easing of the embargo and the eventual normalization of relations between Washington and Havana.
This a positive development--but it contains dangers for Cuba as well. Also, it has provided Cuba’s political friends in the United States with several groups of rather unusual “allies” in the struggle, including those who will continue to seek the overthrow of Cuban socialism by other means.
Traditionally, most of the U.S. left has fought to end Uncle Sam’s embargo and subversion in order to save Cuba’s socialism, independence and sovereignty. Now the left is being joined by political sectors which want to end the embargo for other reasons.
The big corporations now want to get into investment, trading and profit-making in Cuba--and this will have a big impact on the Republican and Democratic parties. The farm bloc wants to sell agricultural goods to Cuba. This is a very important constituency. Masses of American people seem to think present policy is patently unfair and a violation of human rights, which makes U.S. democracy look bad. In addition, a number of liberals and conservatives alike recognize that the present policy has not succeeded in destroying socialism; that a better way is to deprive communism of the “excuse” of a U.S. embargo for its shortcomings; that if the U.S. has normal relations when President Fidel Castro dies, there is a chance of being able to win Cuba back into the capitalist orbit--and so on.
The U.S. left must work with these sectors in stepping up the campaign to end the embargo and restore normal relations--but understand that many of them agree with the continuing U.S. government assessment that socialism must be reversed in Cuba and prevented from developing elsewhere in the Western Hemisphere. They want this accomplished by other, more liberal and “humanitarian” means than heretofore employed.
Thus, it is incumbent on the U.S. left to not only support the lifting of sanctions, but to emphasize--especially to new forces in the anti-embargo struggle--that the Cuban people have the right to live in the kind of social system they want. And there can be no doubt that, despite grave hardships, the great majority of Cubans today want to live in a socialist society.
Some of Cuba’s U.S. friends are concerned that a realignment in Yankee policy may seduce Cuba into too close an embrace with capitalism, especially after the economic reforms the government was forced to introduce a few years ago to survive the downfall of the USSR and stronger sanctions. The Cuban Communist Party is hardly unaware of this negative aspect within the positive goal of ending the U.S. embargo and normalizing relations and has taken pains to insure that the country’s young, second-line leadership is well-trained, tested and imbued with the party’s revolutionary spirit. Likewise, the Cuban masses--even in Cuba’s darkest hour a few years ago--have demonstrated no inclination to jettison the benefits of socialism; indeed, they seek more, which is what the party and government leadership hope to provide when Washington’s stranglehold is relaxed.
The next step in the development of Cuban socialism is up to the Cuban people. The job for the U.S. left and support movement, it seems to me, is to accelerate the drive to end the embargo and establish normal relations, which still has many difficult roadblocks in its path, and to influence the American people to respect Cuba’s right to exist as a socialist society.
The 11 million Cuban people will not be the only ones to benefit from an end to the embargo. How about the American people? After all, with all its problems, socialist Cuba supports a marvelous healthcare and education system far superior to that available to several score millions of working people and the poor in the U.S. It is a society which has learned to eliminate racial distinctions and antagonisms--another lesson which will not be lost on many millions more living in the Yankee colossus. And in proportion to size, Cuba has a significantly lower jail population than we have--among many more accomplishments. Closer relations with our neighbor may well teach the American people some important lessons that will help to advance the working-class struggle here at home.
Elian's finally home. Now, the real work begins.
------ Author’s note: Our group, the Mid-Hudson National People’s Campaign, published a pamphlet last year to provide background history and information for organizations and individuals who wish to become more active in the anti-sanctions movement. The title is, “The Cuban Revolution--40 years of struggle 1959-99.’’ It costs $2.50, which includes postage and handling. (Cheaper bulk prices on request.) Place your order by Emailing jacdon at earthlink.net. Make out your check to Mid-Hudson NPC and send it to P.O. Box 523, Highland, NY 12528.