The US, Cuba, And This Thing Called Democracy

[Fires of History]

As numerous interventions have demonstrated, the engine of American foreign policy has been fueled, not by a devotion to democracy, but rather by the desire to: 1)make the world safe for American transnational corporations; 2)enhance the financial statements of defense contractors at home; 3)prevent the rise of any society that might serve as a successful example of an alternative to the capitalist model; 4)extend political and economic hegemony over as wide an area as possible, as befits a "great power"; and 5)fight a moral crusade against what cold warriors convinced themselves, and the American people, was the existence of an evil International Communist Conspiracy. (http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Blum/USCuba_WBlum.html)

[Saint-Just]

Capitalism isn't democracy, capitalism doesn't even have to be within a bourgeois democracy and the Americans know it. Capitalism is interested in capital as we know, not democracy. As you point out, American foreign policy demonstrates this with the upmost verocity.

America doesn't fight where democracy is threatened but where capital is. Imperialism spreads to every corner of our world looking for new markets and more profit, insatiable. There are so many examples, presently their war against Iraq, the situation with the DPRK, in the past; so many right wing dictatorships brought to power and funded by the U.S.; Chile, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Iraq, Somalia etc., etc.
And at home, McCarthyism was hardly the epitomy of democracy.

[Spiritual Minded]

Cool i just copped Blum's book "Killing Hope"... where did you get this quote from?

[Fires of History]

If the text is red, which in this case it is, CLICK ON THE RED TEXT, and then you'll know if you know how to read. Good hunting :)

[Larissa]

There is an interesting article in the Granma about the recent political elections in Cuba
"GENERAL ELECTIONS IN CUBA
The people came, saw, voted and conquered
• President Fidel Castro speaks with the people and the national and international press after voting in Santiago de Cuba"
http://www.granma.cu/ingles/enero03/dom19/3elec-i.html

[Uhuru na Umoja]

I completely agree with your point about American foreign policy. Look not further than Afghanistan. Before Sept 11 the US government didn't give a damn about the opressive Taliban regime, but as soon as the "War on Terror" starts, the Americans are attacking Afghanistan in order to free the people from opression... not very convincing. Now they are using the same "War on Terror" as an excuse to attack Iraq, and they have even gone as far as making absurd claims that Cuba is producing bacteriological weapons. This hardly seems consistent with US claims to be representing the cause of freedom (even by their own capitalist standards).

[Spartaco]

I agree that capitalism and democracy necessarily can't go together because capitalism creates an increasingly smaller economic elite which inevitably becomes the ruler of the media, the corporations' (which undemocratically affect people's daily lives), and is the only that can access the power and brainwash the people.

[El Brujo]

Even ignoring Amerikan foreign policy, the U$ can't be considered a democracy. It is a dictatorship of the bourgeoisie disguised as a democracy. In order for a candidate to even have a chance at winning an election, they must endure campaigns and propaghanda, all of which cost millions of dollars. In order for them to do this, they have to comply with the corporations so as you can see, the candidate and party must be convinced capitalists.

In countries where a socialist government is elected to power, the bourgeoisie do everything possible to regain control. They falsify the media, they sabotage the economy and prepair for outright arbitrary coups against a government that the people elected (all while hiding behind "freedom of speech"). That is why the bourgeoisie has to be properly supressed in order for true democracy to work, paradoxically bringing democracy through authoritarianism. Once under a proper, undisrupted socialist government, personal freedoms could be re-established only with everyone having an equal voice and not being able to bribe and cheat the system for their own personal advantages over the interests of the people.

[antieverything]

I think that the average cost to be elected to the US Senate is now $20,000,000

[Spartaco]

Another reason the US can't be considered democratic is that a reallllyyy small percentage of people vote, 38% and the percentage is even lower among young people and among the lower classes. People don't feel part of a politically active collectivity because of the strong individualist mentality which is brought about by the economic system itself.

I completly agree with what el brujo said and i think that to some extent an example of a delegittimated left-wing govt could be chavez's venezuela.

[Saint-Just]

G.W. Bush: 'One of the great things about America is everybody should vote'
Yes... what astonishing words of wisdom.

For people to vote they need to be politicised, of course politicising the entire poletariat in a bourgeois democracy has a somewhat adverse affect on the stability of the state...

The Bush group, and indeed all neo-liberals, have a belief that democracy is inherent in their economic system. Free trade brings free speech etc.,etc.
We can not only vividly assert that this is incorrect but that the neo-liberal or rather capitalist economic model deprives us absolutely of democracy in the sense that we understand democracy.

If it wasn't for the U.S. a substantial part of South America would be under socialist regimes. Chile, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Columbia, and then Cuba and Venezuala already.