Because of its importance, I am prioritizing this subject,
among others.
I am not going to deny that the
prerogatives of power, whether real, relative or fictitious,
have an influence on human beings, because they were all
educated this way, right from the remotest of times of the
species.
I did not arrive in just a minute at
what I am thinking today about power, but I consider that
this is a matter of consistent thinking. I attribute the
modest contribution of our Revolution to the fact that our
responses to questions have never regressed, despite the
harsh reality imposed upon us by the empire’s brutal
blockade.
In the reflection published on July
31st, I explained what it meant for me to have
spent a year gathering information and meditating in depth
on the vital problems which today threaten our species as
never before.
On July 24th , the
Russian news agency Ria Novosti published the
following information:
Colonel General Leonid Ivashov, a
defense expert, stated that the main instrument of the US
policy is the economic, financial, technological and
military dictate.
By implementing this, the US is
trying to secure the world’s hegemony for itself. Its
national security strategy explicitly indicates the
necessity of guaranteeing sustainable access, in other
words, controlled access, to the key regions of the planet,
strategic communications and global resources. It is a
strategy that has been turned into a law, and this brings us
to the conclusion that in the future the United States will
face even tougher conflicts with Russia, China and India.
Washington insists on building a
system capable of neutralizing the nuclear potential of
Moscow and Peking, its strategic rivals, in order to achieve
military superiority. The United States wants to deploy its
anti-missile shield not just in Europe but also in other
parts of the world, to see what is going on in Russia and
China. Likewise, it is seeking to increase its offensive
arsenal at a pace that surpasses even that which was
followed during the Cold War.
After the collapse of the Soviet
Union, NATO lost the status it had as a defensive
organization when it was founded in 1949, and was
transformed into a powerful and aggressive instrument at the
service of the world oligarchy, eager to dominate the
world. The new strategic concept of the Alliance, approved
on April 1999 as a result of the efforts made by the United
States, comprises new functions and expands its sphere of
responsibilities to include the entire world, not just the
North Atlantic. The current Secretary General of NATO, Jaap
de Hoop Scheffer, frequently visits Australia, New Zealand
and Japan. The Alliance has started to ignore International
Law and the UN Security Council. Meanwhile, the United
States promotes the expansion of NATO and refuses to ratify
the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE),
taking on the right to act outside of any limitations and
disposing of troops as it wishes.
The United States would do anything
in its power to prevent Russia from being an autonomous
player. The debates on anti-missile defence, Iran and
Kosovo, have not generated any formulas for compromise.
It is important for Russia to
consolidate its positions and recover its geopolitical
potential. Early on the 1970’s, when Moscow had achieved
nuclear parity with Washington, the latter became aware of
the fact that it could not beat Moscow militarily and
accepted to negotiate on equal terms. Consequently, in 1972,
the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty (ABMT) as well as all
other subsequent Strategic Arms Limitations Treaties (SALT)
were signed. Strength is the only thing that the United
States cares about. If it feels to be in a stronger
position, it will never make concessions to anyone.
In order to neutralize the
plans for world hegemony it is necessary to build an
alternative pole, and we already have the foundations to do
so: the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
In fact, it appears to be
rather incorrect to speak about the United States strength.
The United States has military power, a vigorous economy and
an enormous amount of hard currency which it can mint in
unlimited quantities, but the geopolitical level of the
country is extremely low. The United States inspires very
little political confidence in the rest of the world.
In 1999, China and Russia stated
before the UN General Assembly the need to preserve the Anti
Missile Defense Treaty of 1972. All nations voted in favour
of the proposal except for four: the United States, Israel,
Albania and Micronesia. The result bears witness to the
United States’ total international isolation.
Without the participation of
Russia, it would be impossible to resolve the situation that
has taken shape in the Middle East, the Balkans, the Korean
Peninsula and other regions of this planet. This also holds
true for China, which is able to put up to the pressures
exerted by the United States. China enjoys great prestige
in the world; it has a powerful economy and a strong
currency.
The SCO ought to recruit new allies
and combine the potential of those countries which want to
and are capable of implementing an autonomous policy.
First, it is necessary to officially proclaim the rejection
against the United States world hegemony. Second, China and
Russia must denounce the deployment of the US anti-missile
defense system before the UN Security Council, as an action
altering the architecture of global security and threatening
the entire international community. China, India and Russia
could form a united front in the face of the United States’
dictates. It is also possible to propose the stabilization
of the global financial system as a task. Within the SCO
framework, a novel philosophy could be formulated, based on
the harmony among civilizations and on the rational use of
natural resources. The majority of States will surely
support such measures, of that I am convinced. Thus, a new
political pole will come into being, the pole of peace. The
SCO mission is to create a new model of development for
human civilization.
Only an alliance of civilizations
could oppose the United States’ empire: the Russian
civilization whose orbit includes the Community of
Independent States (CIS); the Chinese, the Indian, the
Islamic and the Latin American civilizations. It is an
immense space where we could create more equitable markets,
our own stable financial system, our collective security
mechanisms and our philosophy, giving priority to the
intellectual development of man in the face of western
modern civilization, which emphasizes material goods, and
measures success by the amounts of mansions, yachts and
restaurants people have. Our mission is to reorient the
world towards justice and intellectual and spiritual growth.
So much for Ivashov’s essential
thoughts, as published by Ria Novosti.
We have been able to find out that
General Leonid Ivashov is Vice President of the Academy on
Geopolitical Affairs; he was Secretary of the Council of
Defence Ministers of the Community of Independent States
(CIS) and Chief of the Military Cooperation Department at
the Russian Federation Ministry of Defence. On September 11,
2001, the day when the tragic events in New York occurred,
which served as a pretext to define the basis of the
genocidal policy of the United States almost 6 years ago,
General Ivashov was the Chief of Staff of the Russian Armed
Forces. He is a truly well-informed man. It is worthwhile
that our people know about his views.
The concern which the Cuban
Revolution has always had about the education of the people
is obvious. Judging by my own experience, I soon came
across the idea that only conscience could prevail over the
instincts that govern us. Technological advances today
speak of the possibility of manipulating the functions of
the cells in the human brain. What good would all this do
in a world ruled by the commercial value of goods and
services? Who will have the final say in this regard? By
this means and through the shameless brain drain, a
phenomenon we should adamantly continue to discuss, the most
valuable part of the human being could be destroyed: a human
being's education via its conscience.
Laboratories can produce medicines to
save lives, which could be something of great social value
provided such products are available to all. But
laboratories are also manufacturing all kinds of weapons
that could put an end to human life.
Commercial advertising and
consumerism are incompatible with the survival of the
species. After all possible calculations, you will realize
that natural resources, space, climate, weather, and the
system cannot yield any other outcome, given their pace and
the direction in which they are moving.
Fidel Castro Ruz
August 3, 2007.
7:15 p.m.
