Reflections by comrade Fidel
A SCIENCE FICTION STORY
I very much regret to have to criticize Obama knowing that there are in that country other could-be
presidents worse than him. I am aware that that position in the
Of course, Obama himself is
no beggar; he owns millions of dollars. He excelled as a professional and his
command of language, his eloquence and intellect are unquestionable. Also, he
was elected president despite his being an African American, a first time
occurrence in the history of his country’s racist society, which is enduring a
profound international economic crisis of its own making.
This is not about being an anti-American as the
system and its huge media intend to label its adversaries.
The American people are not the culprits but rather
the victims of a system that is not only unsustainable but worse still: it is
incompatible with the life of humanity.
The smart and rebellious Obama
who suffered humiliation and racism in his childhood and youth understands
this, but the Obama educated by the system and
committed to it and to the methods that took him to the
He is a workaholic. Perhaps no other American president
would dare to engage in such an intense program as he intends to carry out in
the next eight days.
According to plan, he will take an extensive tour of
His Security advisor has said that Obama will discuss with the president of
What is our distinguished friend planning to discuss
during his intense journey? The White House has made its solemn announcement:
climate change and economic recovery; nuclear disarmament and the Afghan war; and,
the risks of war in
But, how can Obama unravel
the problems of climate change when the position of his representatives during
the preparatory meetings of the Copenhagen Summit on the greenhouse effect gas
emissions was the worst among those of the industrialized and rich nations,
both in Bangkok and Barcelona, because the United States chose not to sign the
Kyoto Protocol and the oligarchy of that country is not willing to really
cooperate.
How can he contribute to the solution of the grave
economic problems afflicting a large part of humanity when at the end of 2008
the total debt of the United States --including that of the federal, state and
local administrations, the businesses and families—amounted to 57 trillion
dollars, that is, over 400% of its GDP, and that country’s budget deficit
reached almost 13% of its GDP in fiscal year 2009, an information that Obama is certainly aware of.
What can he offer Hu Jintao when his openly protectionist policies have been
aimed against the Chinese exports and he is demanding at all costs that the
Chinese government revaluates the Yuan, an action that would adversely impact
on the growing Third World imports from China?
The Brazilian theologian Leonardo Boff,
who is not a disciple of Karl Marx but an honest catholic among others who are
not willing to cooperate with the imperialism in Latin America, has recently
said that “….we are risking our
destruction and the devastation of life’s diversity.”
“[…] almost half of humanity
is living today under the poverty line. The wealthiest 20% are consuming 82.49%
of all of the riches on Earth while the poorest 20% are living on a tiny 1.6%.” He also quotes the FAO as he warns that “…there will be in the upcoming years from
150 to 200 million climate refugees.”
And then he adds that “humanity is
consuming today a 30% above the regenerating capacity…the planet is giving
unmistakable signs that it can stand it no more.”
What he says is true, but Obama
and the US Congress have yet to find out.
What is he leaving to us in the hemisphere? The shameful problem in
I hold the view that before Obama
completes his term there will be from six to eight right-wing governments in
The Latin American peoples will resist the onslaught
of the empire!
Obama’s trip seems a science fiction story.
Fidel Castro Ruz