Castro Mania

Fidel Castro’s retirement has unearthed old animosities. It’s remarkable how hard it is to find any neutral commentary on his legacy and aftermath. In the American media one mostly sees herded condemnation of the Cuban Communist experience and particularly of Castro. Some do not even attempt to give an unbiased, cold-hearted account of Castro’s 49-year administration. Others try to give a more neutral appearance recalling US’s immoral policies toward Cuba, alongside Castro’s own moral flaws. But almost nowhere does one see any American medium admitting the slightest virtue in the Cuban regime. Though I’m critical of many aspects of Cuba’s Communist rule, I refuse to participate in this polarized Castro mania that has dictated the terms of public debate for decades. I can see aspects of the Cuban Revolution which I find praiseworthy and am not afraid to name aloud.

Since this is intended as a short piece, let me set aside Cuba’s education and health (more or less accepted as praiseworthy if not in the media at least within academic circles) and stress just one virtue of Castro’s regime in relation to a more foundational problem. We’ve been living in a world where countries intrude way too much on each others’ affairs. The instauration of nations as autonomous cells has fallen short of the Enlightenment’s ideal. The way one country internally organizes has proved to matter so much to the ways other countries do that they can’t resist the temptation of meddling in each other’s organizational affairs. And attempts to moderate the interactions among countries (such as the UN) have encountered limited success. Part of the reason why Castro engenders so much animosity is that Cuba has been a bastion of disobedience toward the world’s establishment. Whatever rights may be violated in Cuba, the Revolution exemplifies the possibility of disregarding the mandate of the big powers (especially after the fall of the Soviet Union). And the US exemplifies the monarch incapable of whipping a rebellious servant straight. Even if one’s overall assessment of the Cuban regime is still negative, it’s a relief to know that small countries can still retain autonomy.