Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Iran Through Cuban Eyes

A fascinating essay by Penultimos Dias’ Ernesto Hernandez Busto at RealClearWorld.

7 comments:

leftside said...

The urge to link Cuba to Iran is obviously very tempting. Of course there are some historical parallels - the role the US (Imperialistic), the struggling for ideals and the notion of a revolution. But that essay (while interesting) was just a long case of wishful thinking. For Bustos, it apparently means nothing that Fidel is an atheist and Iran clerical-based society, or that Cuba is socialist and Iranians supposedly hate socialism. I mean it is not like basic values mean anything? The main point is to plant the fantasy of the Iranian (class) divisions occurring in Cuba. I have no doubt that a small minority of Cubans like Yoani Sanchez would like to see people out burning buildings and buses and a split amongst revolutionaries. But Cuba is not Iran.

leftside said...

The urge to link Cuba to Iran is obviously very tempting. Of course there are some historical parallels - the role the US (Imperialistic), the struggling for ideals and the notion of a revolution. But that essay (while interesting) was just a long case of wishful thinking. For Bustos, it apparently means nothing that Fidel is an atheist and Iran clerical-based society, or that Cuba is socialist and Iranians supposedly hate socialism. I mean it is not like basic values mean anything? The main point is to plant the fantasy of the Iranian (class) divisions occurring in Cuba. I have no doubt that a small minority of Cubans like Yoani Sanchez would like to see people out burning buildings and buses and a split amongst revolutionaries. But Cuba is not Iran.

Anonymous said...

As Robert F. Kennedy said, "Those who make peaceful revolutions impossible, make violent revolutions inevitable."

Anonymous said...

Leftside,

Your insistence in paiting Yoani Sanchez as an inciter of violence is troubling to say the least. You should be aware that this blog as well as other are monitored by Cuban intelligence and that passing comments can be used to accuse dissenters in Cuba of crimes against state security. There is nothing in Yoani Sanchez' writing that is an incitement to violence. She appears to be a courageous and somewhat desperate dissenter. Your comments betray you as a dissenter by US standards. You should show solidarity with a fellow dissenter, Yoani Sánchez, rather than make statements that would support she being crushed by the Cuban state security machinery for being a dissenter.

Vecino de NF

leftside said...

Are you really arguing that Yoani would NOT like to see what is happening in Iran to take place in Cuba? I didn't think I had to cite her words to make such a common sense case. Read her "night of long knives" essay, or just check her explicit message of solidarity to the green Iranians on June 17th:

"Today it's you, tomorrow it could well be us."

Anonymous said...

Vecino de NF,
Leftside will like nothing better than to have Yoani arreted and senetenced to a good 25 year term. The man is a hard core stalinist and bootlicker of the Castro dictatorship. Naturally, all of this support and apologies are done form the safety of the city of Los Angeles right smack in the heart of the Imperialism he so ardentl;y hates and despises. He would not dare put his mouth where his heart is and move to Cuba. Remember that he is a hard core communist but not a shithead.

Anonymous said...

Leftside,

Yoani's post that you cite was a warming rather than a wish. A warning echoed by many Cubans on both sides of the ideological divide who live in Cuba. There is a difference between people's power and outright civil unrest. Yoani seems to advocate the former not the latter. She happens to be a dissenter in a country where to dissent is put one's life and limb at risk. Luckily nothing has happened to her yet. Any act of violence against her or her family is totally unwarranted. Justifying it is below your usual standards for social justice.

Vecino de NF