Cuba outflanks the US
WORKERS, JULY 2007 ISSUE
WORKERS has often reported on US attempts to use third parties to attack Cuba in the old United Nations Human Rights Commission. The commission became so discredited that the US was voted off. But the United States continued to use other countries to attack Cuba, moves that eventually resulted in a UN investigator being appointed to investigate both Cuba and Belarus (another country that values its independence) for human rights violations The discredited body was eventually replaced by a new UN Human Rights Committee, but the old decision remained.
But then came a surprise: Cuba was elected to the new committee by the members of the UN, and the US was not. Of course, the US through its proxies continued to harass Cuba and Belarus in the new body, but the "international community" has now spoken. The investigations into both Cuba and Belarus have been dropped.
This is a massive victory not only for Cuba and Belarus but for the international community – the members of the General Assembly of the UN. The European Union was supposed to adopt the US position on Cuba, but thanks to the steadfastness of the government of Spain, attempts by Britain, Poland and the Czech Republic to isolate Cuba have come to nothing.
Instead, the EU has proposed a dialogue with Cuba. Cuba for its part, following the victory at the UN, has told the EU that it is not interested in a dialogue until EU political sanctions are lifted. Likewise, Cuba has told the US that there can be no dialogue with them until the US blockade is lifted.
In a difficult world situation, this represents a remarkable victory for the working class of both Cuba and Belarus.