4 Responses to “Fidel Castro–Unseen Guest at Vth Summit, Norman Girvan”

• Hassan Dalband on April 7th, 2009 at 1:00 am

  Hello, I read your article about Cuba (Fidel Castro-Unseen Guest at Vth Summit). It is very well written and it should be used to give good and realist knowledge to people in all of the world against to the false propaganda of US-imperialism. I would like to congratulate you for your solidartiy with socialist Cuba.

  With regards
  Hassan Dalband: PHD in Political Science from Havana University.
  Researcher professor at: Universidad Autónoma de la Ciudad de México, UACM.

• Melissa Lockhart, Foreign Policy Assocoation on April 8th, 2009 at 8:27 am

  The Summit approaches, and Cuba looms large in its absence
  April 7th, 2009 by Melissa Lockhart
  http://cuba.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2009/04/07/the-summit-approaches-and-cuba-looms-large-in-its-absence/

  Read this article by Norman Girvan: Fidel Castro Unseen Guest at Vth Summit.

  The number of issues facing the Americas at this moment is staggering: the upcoming Summit must address the current financial crisis and global economic downturn, energy concerns, drug trafficking, migration pressures, persistent poverty and inequality, organized crime and regional violence, at least. And yet, with all of these pressing concerns looming, Cuba has shown up on the agenda of many participating countries as they seek for the United States to change policy toward the island. Girvan, a London School of Economics PhD and Fellow at the University of the West Indies in Trinidad and Tobago, lists in the linked article above each incredible instance in the last week of a Latin American leader bringing the Cuba issue to “a crescendo.” And while the White House’s special adviser for the Summit, Jeffrey Davidow, states on behalf of the administration, “We do not believe that Cuba is a topic of discussion at this Summit,” Girvan’s message rings loudly in response:

  Hopefully, someone in the White House will have the good sense to ‘wise up’ Barack Obama about the new realities in the hemisphere; and he will have the grace to recognise-indeed embrace– them.

  Otherwise who will be isolated–Cuba? Or the United States?

• Margaret Kawamuinyo on April 8th, 2009 at 8:39 am

  Sometimes I am slow. Having read the article on Castro and the Americas Summit which was very informative, I have just put the public presence of Dr. Carlos Moore in Barbados, Jamaica and the interview you told us about with him carried by the Trinidad press in a new context.

  While Dr Moore was selling a book with his views, a not unreasonable thing, it is curious that he appears at the time he does, just before this summit of the Americas in Trinidad. None of us at the lecture had the prescience (or maybe time) to ask about that connection and his views on the matter, and he did not participate in an advertised radio call-in program where it might have been raised. On the other hand, Dr Moore did stress, oddly to my mind, that his visit to Barbados was unplanned. I had thought this odd because in the vote of thanks, the Cultural Programme who hosted him suggested of a possible germ of the idea for his visit from a year ago at the Caribbean Studies Association meeting. I could be wrong in my connection here, though I am not wrong in my recollection.

  Dr Moore said during his lecture that he thought that the embargo was wrong. His reason, it only benefits elites and is bad for the poor. He never said anything about his views on whether Cuba should be part of the hemispheric structures, nor whether they should participate in the upcoming important meeting in Trinidad. However, he may have been as unthinking as I was at the time of the significance of the near event.

  It would be useful to hear his views on the issues you raise in your analysis. Perhaps he raised them elsewhere and I am unaware.

  More critically, how is it possible that all the leaders of CARICOM and most if not all of Latin America are supportive of Cuba having a place among the nations of the Americas yet we take the approach of having to appeal to someone else to give effect to that right? I am not unmindful of diplomatic and geopolitical concerns, but this is a new world. Moral right to leadership and knowledge of the way are exposed as not the right of any nation, race, ethnicity, sex or individual in this world. Furthermore, “yes we can” won, I am told, an impossible election.

  We may have to look to the USA for their reactions to a decision by the sovereign nations of the Americas to let Cuba again sit at the table of the Americas. Might is always to be considered if not respected. However, I believe the eyes of the peoples of the Americas should be turned to our leaders on this, not to Barack Obama. We can look at him next.

  I am slow.

  Guidance,
  Margaret Kawamuinyo

• Nelson Valdes on April 8th, 2009 at 9:27 am

  On the matter of Cuba’s suspension from the OAS and the forthcoming Summit
  of the Americas in Trinidad Tobago this April 2009:

  1. The Cuban GOVERNMENT was expelled from the OAS in 1962, at the behest of
  the US government.

  2. The NATION-STATE of Cuba was NOT suspended nor expelled from the OAS at
  that time, or since. In fact, Cuba continues to have a seat at the OAS -
  although not occupied.

  3. The argument used to expel the Cuban government in 1962 was that
  Marxism-Leninism was incompatible with the Inter-American system. The
  argument was presented by the Kennedy administration, then.

  4. That argument was a negation of the OAS charter [1948] which states,
  [OAS Charter - Article 3 e): "Every State has the right to choose, without
  external interference, its political, economic, and social system and to
  organize itself in the way best suited to it, and has the duty to abstain
  from intervening in the affairs of another State. Subject to the foregoing,
  the American States shall cooperate fully among themselves, independently of
  the nature of their political, economic, and social systems"

  5. Moreover, the OAS at the 16th Meeting of Consultation of Ministers of
  Foreign Affairs, in July 1975, adopted a resolution allowing each OAS member
  country to be free to take whatever actions they considered appropriate with
  respect to Cuba in their bilateral relations. That resolution, in fact,
  implicitly recognized that Marxism Leninism was NOT incompatibility with any
  country in Latin America.

  6. As to whether Cuba should be permitted to participate in the forthcoming
  Summit the issue is fairly clear, if the Latin American countries wish to
  exercise their voting rights they just need to look at the OAS Charter,
  Article 9 section "f" which reads:
  " f) The General Assembly may lift the suspension [of any government] by
  a decision adopted with the approval of two-thirds of the Member States”.

  7. it should be noted, moreover, that ALL the features of article 3 have
  been consistently violated by the United States government in its foreign
  policy toward Latin America in general and toward Cuba in particular.
  Article 3 of the OAS Charter reads:

  Chapter II PRINCIPLES - Article 3

  The American States reaffirm the following principles:

  a) International law is the standard of conduct of States in their
  reciprocal relations;

  b) International order consists essentially of respect for the
  personality, sovereignty, and independence of States, and the faithful
  fulfillment of obligations derived from treaties and other sources of
  international law;

  c) Good faith shall govern the relations between States;

  d) The solidarity of the American States and the high aims which are
  sought through it require the political organization of those States on the
  basis of the effective exercise of representative democracy;

  e) Every State has the right to choose, without external interference,
  its political, economic, and social system and to organize itself in the way
  best suited to it, and has the duty to abstain from intervening in the
  affairs of another State. Subject to the foregoing, the American States
  shall cooperate fully among themselves, independently of the nature of their
  political, economic, and social systems;

  f) The elimination of extreme poverty is an essential part of the
  promotion and consolidation of representative democracy and is the common
  and shared responsibility of the American States;

  g) The American States condemn war of aggression: victory does not give
  rights;

  h) An act of aggression against one American State is an act of
  aggression against all the other American States;

  i) Controversies of an international character arising between two or
  more American States shall be settled by peaceful procedures;
  j) Social justice and social security are bases of lasting peace;

  k) Economic cooperation is essential to the common welfare and
  prosperity of the peoples of the continent;

  l) The American States proclaim the fundamental rights of the individual
  without distinction as to race, nationality, creed, or sex;
  m) The spiritual unity of the continent is based on respect for the
  cultural values of the American countries and requires their close
  cooperation for the high purposes of civilization;
  n) The education of peoples should be directed toward justice, freedom,
  and peace.

  —–

  What will be at stake at the forthcoming Summit will be the future of the
  Organization of American States rather than Cuban status within that
  organization.

  Source: http://www.oas.org/juridico/English/charter.html

  Nelson P Valdés

  Director, Cuba-L Direct