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This Weekend Cuban Exercises Prepare For U.S. Invasion

by Steven Argue
Photo: Cuban reviews his weapons before heading out on the Bastión 2013 Strategic Exercise, Credit, Nohemí Díaz Muño / Granma International
combatiente-20.jpg
This Weekend Cuban Exercises Prepare For U.S. Invasion

This weekend the Cuban military and Cuban civilians are carrying out joint military maneuvers. This operation is called the Bastión 2013 Strategic Exercise. Women are playing a leading role. The purpose of these maneuvers is to be prepared to carry out a people's war if the U.S. ever decides to invade Cuba. It is such preparations that have helped keep Cuba free of U.S. imperialist control since the overthrow of the Batista dictatorship, a puppet government of the United States that murdered 20,000 people in seven years.

Besides ending the torture and murder carried out by the ruling capitalists under Batista, many other gains were achieved by the Cuban Revolution. Foreign and national capitalists, including the Rockefeller Family were expropriated, a planned socialist economy was established, starvation in the off season of agricultural labor was ended, free education was made available, big gains were made against racism and sexism, illiteracy was abolished, free socialized medicine was established, and Cuba now has a longer life expectancy than the United States.

Internationally the Cuban Revolution has also given aid to struggling peoples, including sending doctors around the world to poor countries in need. In addition, Cuba aided the people of Africa by sending troops to Angola that defeated military intervention by the white racist government of South Africa. That internationalist support helped maintain Angola's national sovereignty, brought independence to Namibia, and helped bring down Apartheid in South Africa.

The U.S. government has always hated the example of the Cuban Revolution and has tried to destroy it. The United States continues to occupy Guantanamo Bay, carries out a hostile economic blockade against Cuba, and sponsors and harbors terrorists like those who blew up Cuban Airlines Flight 455 in 1976 and murdered 73 people.

The Cuban people are right in never dropping their guard. Fidel Castro affirmed this position in his Central Report to the 1st Communist Party Congress, "As long as imperialism exists, the Party, the state and the people will give maximum attention to defense forces. The revolutionary guard will never be neglected."

While Trotskyists have our differences with the Cuban leadership, we stand resolutely on the side of the defense of the gains of the Cuban Revolution from imperialist attack and against the CIA's activities attempting to ferment internal capitalist counter-revolution.

U.S. Hands Off Cuba!
Success to the Bastión 2013 Strategic Exercise!
End the U.S. Economic Blockade of Cuba!
Give Guantanamo Back to Cuba and End American Detention Without Trial!
Free the Cuban Five!
End U.S. Imperialism Through Socialist Revolution in the United States!

-Steven Argue of the Revolutionary Tendency

This is an article of Liberation News, subscribe free
https://lists.riseup.net/www/info/liberation_news

Also see:
Why The Russian Revolution is Still Important
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2012/03/03/18708611.php
Add Your Comments

Comments (Hide Comments)
by Mike Novack
Holding "war games" is something that every military does. To make it more realistic they choose a proposed enemy for the drill. They do that from the list of neighbors that COULD be an enemy. That is in accord with the maxim "do not plan based upon estimation of the enemy's intentions but on the enemy's capabilities".

The is NO other neighbor for Cuba to use for such a drill. No other neighbor that would be capable of invading Cuba.

If you don't understand what I just said, try imagining Cuba choosing some other potential enemy for a realistic drill. Silly, isn't it (too unrealistic).
by Steven Argue
Ever since the Cuban people overthrew the U.S. puppet dictatorship of Batista, the United States has been a clear enemy of the Cuban Revolution. U.S. attacks against Cuba have included the attempted Bay of Pigs invasion, deadly U.S. terrorism against Cuban civilians, and the continued U.S. economic blockade of Cuba (an additional act of war). If anyone invades Cuba, it is clear what nation it will be. One of the only reasons the U.S. hasn't invaded Cuba again since the U.S. defeat at the Bay of Pigs is the fact that the Cuban people have been prepared for it.
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