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## "Communism", economy and democracy

In an unhappy display of the unhealthy character of U.S. policy toward Cuba, Foggy Bottom's undersecretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs—visiting Spain—[told EFE](https://www.swissinfo.ch/spa/eeuu-considera-que-cuba-está-%22en-un-momento-clave%22-y-%22hay-razones-para-la-esperanza%22/74908694) that Cuba was "at a key moment", and that furthermore "there are reasons for hope". The basis for that perspective making Brian A. Nichols see a "light" at the end of the tunnel is that "the people are protesting in the streets with courage." "Cubans are speaking out for profound changes in the country, even though the government continues to respond with repression," said the senior State Department official, with more rhetoric than hard data, at least for *this* time. But when he sinks into foolishness and hypocrisy is when he states that "there is a lack of light, food, and work, *and the solution is democracy*." The emphasis is mine, because it hurts my head first to think how many countries in the *capitalist* hemisphere that Nichols monitors comply with the supposedly directly proportional relationship between "democracy", food and work. That's without even getting to the uncomfortable questions: Democracy for whom? Food for whom? [Quality] jobs for whom?<br>

But anyway, in the Cuban case, a very different logic operates, in which Washington has a critical impact, starting with a *historic* sanctions regime that had [its most recent boost](https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IF/IF10045/59) with the Donald Trump administration—although Biden's "inaction," which has meant its continuation, is already almost more condemnable. Trump said that "maximum pressure" would choke the Island, and the current owner of the Resolute desk is the one doing the *final* strong grip on the neck. The Cuban economy is hooked up to a defective artificial respirator, which just received a sort of repair through [the restart of oil shipments from Moscow](https://www.lanacion.com.ar/agencias/el-petroleo-ruso-vuelve-a-cuba-despues-de-un-ano-nid01042024/). Havana is included for eminently political purposes, as an *irritant*, in the list of states sponsoring terrorism, which, on top of the heavy burden of sanctions, imposes a stigma that vitiates its rather impoverished international financial stance. But returning to the unforgivable logic that Nichols shamelessly exposes, the United States observes the debacle to which Cuba seems to be heading from the prism of a late high-ranking State Department official. They want *finally* to make true for the island that people bend when they are hungry.<br>

<center>![](https://images.ecency.com/DQmYpvec2DdkWkHZjb4mp72S4kCZ7QhUdZWb9Ng5xTqyKSe/gkls_7zwqaesu2r.jpeg)<sub>Nichols in Spain ([source](https://twitter.com/WHAAsstSecty/status/1775213794802733156/photo/1)).</sub>
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### Cuban YouTubers and the Bubble Effect

Today I was watching an interview conducted by a Cuban youtuber, one of those who unfortunately are influencers for many people who do not problematize any of his statements—becoming a mass of uncritical followers—, and I was shocked by another "logic" that is great nonsense, with no basis in reality. The first important thing here is that to talk about Cuba there are certain terms that you must invariably assume, lest the cultural censors of Miami condemn you to death or at least to 100 lashes in the public square after intoning a *mea culpa*: "the regime" or "the communist dictatorship". Then, I cannot explain much about the background of what was being discussed, because it would imply a deep dive into certain dynamics of the Cuban reality, which are not necessarily relevant now. The fact is that given the obvious intellectual immaturity and disrespect of the youtuber, his interviewee —who was trying to put common sense in the conversation—withdrew from the space, although he had already made a mistake when accepted to be interviewed by stupid people. The youtuber said that in Cuba there is "communism", and further pretended to say that *everyone* who works in a state enterprise is a "communist". But that's not enough idiocy, as he went on to say that "communism" is synonymous with "theft", "mafia", and "continuous swindling". See, of course in a country that assumes to be *following* that economic-social formation such practices can occur—and do occur—, but they are not *exclusive* of it, and, by logic, it is not precisely where they should be found the most. I am concerned about my country.<br>

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## Milei, a complicit interviewer, and a commentary on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza

I just watched the Argentine president's interview with *recognized* journalist Andrés Oppenheimer, who was as comfortable for the head of the Pink House as are his usual LN+ interviewers, who see the Argentine problem in black and white. Milei, obviously, is on the white and good side of it. The dialogue with Oppenheimer had nothing new. Any shot of the interviewer could be skipped so an interview with Luis Majul and Pablo Rossi could be inserted instead. The points are repeated: the [certainly terrible] inheritance of the previous government—or the previous ones?—, and how he solved almost overnight the fiscal deficit, thus avoiding the cataclysm towards which the country was heading. But a segment caused me insurmountable indignation, and it was when Oppenheimer introduced the subject of Israel, seeking Milei's opinion on the qualification of "genocide" that Jerusalem's deadly and disproportionate response to the Hamas attack of last October 7 has received. I transcribed the Argentine president's response, which was not followed up:<br>

> "I disagree [with the term]. One of the things I did from the very first moment was to repudiate the attack by the terrorist group Hamas. Not only that, but I also expressed my solidarity with Israel, and one of the things I did from the very first moment was to *validate* Israel's right to legitimate self-defense. [That country] was brutally attacked, and this kind of thing requires *exemplary responses*, and in fact, everything Israel is doing is *within the rules of the game*. Israel is not committing *one single excess*, despite those committed by Hamas terrorists."<br>

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## Southern Command chief arrives in hotly contested moment

General Laura Richardson, head of a U.S. military division with problematic assimilation in the region, [landed in Argentina](https://www.lanacion.com.ar/agencias/richardson-del-comando-sur-de-eeuu-visita-argentina-en-el-marco-de-la-asociacion-estrategica-nid03042024/) this Wednesday. It is fair to say that just as today she was received by Javier Milei's government, last year she also received all the honors when the Pink House had a *kirchnerist* or *Peronist* tinge. The Defense Ministry celebrated that Richardon's arrival "[included] a historic moment: the transfer of a C-130H Hercules [valued at 30 million dollars] to the Air Force, a symbol of the solid bilateral cooperation".  The U.S. military woman had intended to meet with senior officials to discuss with them "strengthening the long-standing military collaboration between [both] nations, aimed at reinforcing regional security and promoting shared interests." U.S. funds budgeted to further cooperation with Argentina this fiscal year exceed $625 million, according to the U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires. How good it would have been to redirect at least a good part of that amount to finance economic development projects to cushion the impact of Milei's fiscal adjustment, which this Wednesday brought new increases—[in gas rates](https://www.lanacion.com.ar/agencias/el-regulador-del-gas-de-argentina-acuerda-una-subida-de-precio-que-obligara-a-multiplicar-la-tarifa-nid03042024/) in particular—and also [new social conflicts](https://www.swissinfo.ch/spa/la-mayor-central-obrera-de-argentina-no-descarta-convocar-a-una-nueva-huelga-general/74994211), generated by the massive layoffs of public employees that the government of *La Libertad Avanza*—supported by its media—defends were being paid without working, the so-called "*ñoquis*".<br>

<center>![](https://images.ecency.com/DQmXEYawbd9sq4GG4hU4sB6DdA1HTcHLKvLacw94xgezLrA/rlg1h_ye.jpeg)<sub>Protesters in Buenos Aires this Wesnesday ([source](https://twitter.com/elcomercio_peru/status/1775641007641526577)).</sub>
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