THE UNIQUENESS OF CUBA

Cliff DuRand
Saturday, January 1, 2005

The Cuban Revolution has survived.  Amazing, after more than 50 years of unrelenting hostility from 10 US administrations dedicated to overthrowing it!  There have been 638 documented plans to assassinate Fidel Castro, an armed invasion, countless sabotage efforts, an economic blockade that has cost the Cuban economy up to $100 billion, the loss of 3,400 Cuban lives from US based actions (a slow motion 9/11), and sponsorship of an opposition within Cuba to the tune of $45 million last year alone.  The Cuban Revolution has survived all of this and more, and beyond mere survival, it has made major strides in building a more just society.

I want to focus on some of the more unique features of this half century experiment, while also acknowledging some of the difficult problems that it is facing today.  Throughout, it has been a revolution in motion, and this dynamic society is still moving today.