{"id":2850,"date":"2020-10-05T15:10:10","date_gmt":"2020-10-05T15:10:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/?p=2850"},"modified":"2020-10-05T15:10:13","modified_gmt":"2020-10-05T15:10:13","slug":"fidel-castros-1960-speech-to-the-un-did-more-for-anti-colonial-struggle-than-the-uns-hyperbole-about-eradicating-colonialism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/fidel-castros-1960-speech-to-the-un-did-more-for-anti-colonial-struggle-than-the-uns-hyperbole-about-eradicating-colonialism\/","title":{"rendered":"Fidel Castro\u2019s 1960 Speech to the UN Did More for Anti-Colonial Struggle Than the UN\u2019s Hyperbole About \u2018Eradicating Colonialism\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"747\" height=\"495\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/920x920.jpg?resize=747%2C495&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2852\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/920x920.jpg?w=920&amp;ssl=1 920w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/920x920.jpg?resize=300%2C199&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/920x920.jpg?resize=768%2C509&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 747px) 100vw, 747px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This September marked 60 years since Fidel Castro\u2019s first address to the United Nations, in which he delivered a scathing and truthful critique about the imperialist philosophy of war. On September 26, 1960, facing the beginning of U.S. political hostilities against Cuba, while the Cuban delegation to the UN was excluded from meetings and diplomatic events, Fidel\u2019s speech, lasting over five hours, was an eloquent reflection that seamlessly weaved the implications of U.S. supremacy in a historical narrative from the colonised country\u2019s experience and perspective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cColonies do not speak. Colonies are not known until they have the opportunity to express themselves. That is why our colony and its problems were unknown to the rest of the world,\u201d Fidel&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\/s3-euw1-ap-pe-ws4-cws-documents.ri-prod\/9781138824287\/ch7\/10._Fidel_Castro,_At_the_United_Nations,_1960.pdf\">asserted<\/a>. The Cuban struggle for independence was perceived as an opportunity for the U.S. to intervene and exploit the island, through a clause included in the Cuban constitution in 1901 which ensured U.S. dominance. Before the Cuban Revolution, the country had merely transitioned from a Spanish colony to a U.S. colony. The latter\u2019s expectations were of a failed revolution, but Fidel\u2019s strategy involved both revolutionary consciousness and mobilisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Within the context of Latin American history, Fidel\u2019s UN speech exposed the monopoly of U.S.-backed dictators in the region and how these were also exploited in turn once the U.S. determined that backing them would no longer suit imperialist interests. The regional experience was an important comparison, for Cuba\u2019s social inequalities as a result of Fulgencio Batista\u2019s dictatorship were a common experience throughout Latin America.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During his speech, Fidel exhibited a document \u2013 a military pact \u2013 in which Batista\u2019s government and the U.S. had agreed upon \u201cefficient use of assistance\u201d to prevent the advancing of the Cuban Revolution. Protecting Batista\u2019s government also translated to protecting U.S. interests in the country; the pacts were described by Fidel as \u201cdefence pacts for the protection of United States monopolies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Perhaps most explicitly, Fidel\u2019s detailed descriptions of Cuba\u2019s challenges, including agrarian reform, provided Latin American governments with insights as to how imperialism exploited colonised territory, including the wilful U.S. destruction of Cuba\u2019s sugar cane fields during harvest time, in a bid to sabotage Cuba\u2019s economy under revolutionary governance. Latin American dependence upon the U.S., after all, was what allowed imperialism to retain a foothold in the region. An economy which failed to prosper would provide the U.S. with the chance to recolonise Cuba \u2013 a chance that Fidel was not allowing and which was thwarted through the revolution\u2019s insistence upon education and revolutionary participation in rebuilding Cuba.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One important point made in Fidel\u2019s speech is the acknowledgement that Cuba was not alone in facing such aggression, thus communicating the Cuban revolution\u2019s region and international approach. Another fa\u00e7ade of U.S. interference in the region was the sudden U.S. proposals for social development, at a time when the Cuban Revolution had mobilised its citizens and within its means to rebuild the country\u2019s social structure. These interventions were later effected in the region through USAID, planned during the presidency of Dwight Eisenhower and carried out by J F Kennedy. To put it briefly, the U.S. intended humanitarian intervention as a veneer to maintain control over Cuba and Latin America through purported social and economic development and incentives. Subsequently, this paradigm was expanded to legitimise the Cuban counter-revolutionary activities as purported \u201cforces in exile that are struggling for freedom\u201d, in complete dissociation from the fact that these dissident groups worked closely with the CIA and were funded by the U.S. government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In contrast to the U.S., the Cuban Revolution expressed a staunch position against war and exploitation. Had the UN not been monopolised by the greater political powers, Fidel\u2019s speech could have been a turning point in international history. Without resorting to useless resolutions, as is the UN\u2019s alternative to political solutions, Cuba\u2019s revolutionary philosophy was succinctly outlined by Fidel: \u201cDo away with the philosophy of plunder and you will have done away forever with the philosophy of war.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">by: <strong>Ramona Waldi <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.strategic-culture.org\/news\/2020\/09\/26\/fidel-castro-1960-speech-un-did-more-for-anti-colonial-struggle-than-uns-hyperbole-about-eradicating-colonialism\/\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.strategic-culture.org\/news\/2020\/09\/26\/fidel-castro-1960-speech-un-did-more-for-anti-colonial-struggle-than-uns-hyperbole-about-eradicating-colonialism\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Strategic Culture<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This September marked 60 years since Fidel Castro\u2019s first address to the United Nations, in which he delivered a scathing and truthful critique about the<a class=\"moretag\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/fidel-castros-1960-speech-to-the-un-did-more-for-anti-colonial-struggle-than-the-uns-hyperbole-about-eradicating-colonialism\/\"> [&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2852,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[39],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2850","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-history"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1546,"url":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/defeating-u-s-imperialism-at-playa-giron\/","url_meta":{"origin":2850,"position":0},"title":"Defeating U.S. imperialism at Playa Gir\u00f3n","author":"Editorial Team","date":"May 5, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"\u201cWe\u2019d done some very important things, but we hadn\u2019t proclaimed ourselves as being socialists, or openly proclaimed Marxist-Leninist doctrines. Gir\u00f3n accelerated the revolutionary process.\u201d Cuban leader Fidel Castro\u2019s reflections about Playa Gir\u00f3n, discussed with Ignacio Ramonet during conversations which led to the publication of the revolutionary leader\u2019s autobiography, indicate the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;History&quot;","block_context":{"text":"History","link":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/category\/history\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/Playa-Giron-930x520-1.jpg?fit=930%2C520&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/Playa-Giron-930x520-1.jpg?fit=930%2C520&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/Playa-Giron-930x520-1.jpg?fit=930%2C520&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/Playa-Giron-930x520-1.jpg?fit=930%2C520&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2514,"url":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/moncadas-significance-in-cuban-revolutionary-history\/","url_meta":{"origin":2850,"position":1},"title":"Moncada\u2019s Significance in Cuban Revolutionary History","author":"Editorial Team","date":"August 1, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"by Ramona Wadi The ashes of former Cuban President Fidel Castro are driven past the Moncada Army Barracks, where Castro led a failed assault in 1953 that sparked the movement that eventually toppled the U.S.-backed government of dictator Fulgencio Batista, in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, December 3, 2016. REUTERS\/Ivan Alvarado\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Featured&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Featured","link":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/category\/news\/featured\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/Moncada-Fidel-930x520-1.jpg?fit=930%2C520&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/Moncada-Fidel-930x520-1.jpg?fit=930%2C520&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/Moncada-Fidel-930x520-1.jpg?fit=930%2C520&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/Moncada-Fidel-930x520-1.jpg?fit=930%2C520&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2428,"url":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/fidel-castros-enduring-enviromental-legacy\/","url_meta":{"origin":2850,"position":2},"title":"Fidel Castro&#8217;s Enduring Enviromental Legacy","author":"Editorial Team","date":"December 23, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"\"Tomorrow will be too late to do what we should have done a long time ago,\u201d said Fidel.\u00a0 Fidel\u2019s commitment to education and health care stand out as monumental achievements for Cuba under his decades of rule. While he emerged as a stalwart of anti-imperialism and anti-capitalism, his commitment to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Cuba&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Cuba","link":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/category\/cuba\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/cuba_fidel_castro.jpg?fit=600%2C340&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/cuba_fidel_castro.jpg?fit=600%2C340&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/cuba_fidel_castro.jpg?fit=600%2C340&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2106,"url":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/the-u-s-has-terrorized-cuba-for-over-50-years-fidel-castro-is-right-to-be-wary-of-obamas-claims\/","url_meta":{"origin":2850,"position":3},"title":"The U.S. has terrorized Cuba for over 50 years \u2014 Fidel Castro is right to be wary of Obama&#8217;s claims","author":"Editorial Team","date":"April 11, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Since the 1959 revolution the U.S. has invaded Cuba, tried assassinations, imposed an embargo & harbored terrorists By Ben Norton We don't need the empire to give us anything,\" asserted revolutionary leader Fidel Castro in a recent article criticizing President Obama in the wake of his trip to Cuba. Obama\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Cuba&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Cuba","link":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/category\/cuba\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/fidel-and-Obama.jpeg?fit=700%2C415&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/fidel-and-Obama.jpeg?fit=700%2C415&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/fidel-and-Obama.jpeg?fit=700%2C415&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/fidel-and-Obama.jpeg?fit=700%2C415&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8181,"url":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/cubans-to-celebrate-fidel-castros-97th-birthday\/","url_meta":{"origin":2850,"position":4},"title":"Cubans to celebrate Fidel Castro\u2019s 97th birthday","author":"Editorial Team","date":"August 11, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Seven years after his death, his legacy continues to mark Cuba\u2019s efforts to consolidate its sovereignty and independence, and the permanent improvement of the socialist system in the light of the United States\u2019 hostility and the tightening of the blockade imposed by that powerful nation for more than 60 years.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Featured&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Featured","link":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/category\/news\/featured\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/Screenshot-2023-08-11-at-15.17.03.png?fit=719%2C497&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/Screenshot-2023-08-11-at-15.17.03.png?fit=719%2C497&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/Screenshot-2023-08-11-at-15.17.03.png?fit=719%2C497&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/Screenshot-2023-08-11-at-15.17.03.png?fit=719%2C497&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5909,"url":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/a-genocide-they-call-embargo\/","url_meta":{"origin":2850,"position":5},"title":"A genocide they call embargo","author":"Editorial Team","date":"February 9, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"The United States, an expert in psychological warfare and disinformation, affirms that they are applying an \u201ceconomic embargo\u201d against socialist Cuba, when the truth, reflected in their own secret documents, is an economic, commercial and financial war to starve an entire people and not their rulers, as they intend to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In 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