a Repost
On Ideology
The economic and
political structure of capitalism requires “an ideology, a
consciousness, a way in which the citizenry can be taught to accept the system
as it is. This ideology has many branches but one root, the maintenance and
enhancement of the capitalist economic system. The elements of the dominant
political ideology include: privileging individualism over community;
conceptualizing society as a brutal state of nature controlled only by
countervailing force; acceptance of the idea that humans are at base greedy;
and, finally, the belief that the avariciousness of human nature requires
police force and laws at home and armies overseas.”
The Cuban Alternative
The webinar “International Conference for the Normalization of US-Cuba Relations,” March 21 and 22 presented panelists who discussed the status of United States/Cuban relations, the contemporary Cuban economy, US and Canadian solidarity movements with Cuba, and the consequences of Cuban medical advances for the fight against the corona virus domestically and internationally.
The webinar “International Conference for the Normalization of US-Cuba Relations,” March 21 and 22 presented panelists who discussed the status of United States/Cuban relations, the contemporary Cuban economy, US and Canadian solidarity movements with Cuba, and the consequences of Cuban medical advances for the fight against the corona virus domestically and internationally.
What figured prominently
in the discussion was the history of Cuba’s prioritization of the fulfillment
of the health care needs of its people and Cuba’s commitment to the health and
wellbeing of people all across the globe. From the early days of the
revolution, Cuba committed itself to educating its population and providing
free and effective health care. In the spirit of international solidarity, Cuba
began sending medical professionals to countries all across the globe. Its
first medical mission, 56 health care professionals, was sent in 1963 to
Algeria after the French were ousted.
Since 1963, 450,000 Cuban
health care professionals have served in 160 countries serving six million
people, according to Dr. Jorge Delgado Bustillo, Director of the Central
Medical Collaboration Unit (UCCM). In addition, Cuban tropical medicine has led
to the discovery of Interferon Alpha 2b to treat dengue fever, hepatitis B,
hepatitis C, and HIV. Currently Interferon Alpha 2b is being used in China and
elsewhere to reduce the effects of the corona virus among those with severe
cases. The medication has been produced since 2003 by a joint
Chinese/Cuban corporation called ChangHeber. The development of the medication
has its roots in Cuban/US/Finnish collaboration going back to the early 1980s
and the establishment of the Cuban Center for Genetic Engineering and
Biotechnology (CIGB) in 1986 (Helen Yaffe, “Cuba’s Contribution to Combatting
COVID-19,”Counterpunch, March 17, 2020).
Today Interferon Alpha 2b
is being used in China and there have been requests from Italy, Spain, and
countries in Latin America and the Caribbean to receive Cuban doctors as well
as the anti-viral medication. In addition, there are currently Cuban medical
teams working in 58 countries. The Cuban Ambassador to the United Nations, Ana
Silvia Rodriguez, suggested at the webinar cited above, that now was the time to
put ideology aside and work for international cooperation.
The United States
Rhetoric About Overcoming the Crisis: The Politics of Contagion
At the March 21, press conference update on the status of the COVID-19 in the United States President Trump chose to use the crisis to celebrate his administration’s efforts to combat the spread of the disease. As he does often on various issues, the president claimed that the government response to the crisis was more comprehensive and successful than any efforts ever to combat threats to the health and safety of the United States. President Trump, Vice-President Pence, and other members of the administration political team emphasized five enduring themes deeply imbedded in US ideology.
At the March 21, press conference update on the status of the COVID-19 in the United States President Trump chose to use the crisis to celebrate his administration’s efforts to combat the spread of the disease. As he does often on various issues, the president claimed that the government response to the crisis was more comprehensive and successful than any efforts ever to combat threats to the health and safety of the United States. President Trump, Vice-President Pence, and other members of the administration political team emphasized five enduring themes deeply imbedded in US ideology.
First, the President
said the explicit causes of the crisis were China (“the Chinese virus”) and the
flow of immigrants. Second, the disease will be conquered first and
foremost in the world as a result of American exceptionalism. The US has the
best medical researchers, administrators, and health care professionals. The
US, he implied, has won wars, led the way in research, and is the leader of the
world. Third, the mobilization of the nation’s resources to defeat
the current contagion included the active role of the faith community,
referring to productive meetings the administration had with religious
leaders. Fourth, and undergirding all the rest, was the centrality of
market solutions to this serious challenge to the nation’s health. It is the
corporate sector that now will produce more masks, more virus tests, and
ultimately the vaccines that will control and eliminate the disease. Finally,
the American people are contributing to this national effort by staying home,
not congregating in numbers greater than ten people, and standing six feet
apart from each other. The community mobilizations occurring around the country
to bring food to the needy, to house the homeless, and to provide social
support for the fearful were only fleetingly mentioned.
The Difference: The
Choice
“We are all afraid but we
have a revolutionary duty to fulfill, so we take out fear and put it to one
side,” Leonardo Fernandez, 68, an intensive care specialist, told Reuters late
on Saturday shortly before his brigade’s departure. He who says he is not
afraid is a superhero, but we are not superheroes, we are revolutionary
doctors.”
– Nelson Acosta, “Cuban
Doctors Head to Italy to Battle Coronavirus,” Reuters, March 22,
2020, Reuters.com.
This statement by a Cuban
doctor expresses profound commitment to human solidarity. The duty of the Cuban
doctor is to help persons in need. The very idea of revolution is solidarity,
recognizing the worth of all people, participating with others for the common
good, self-sacrifice, and most of all, putting principles of solidarity above
profit or any sense of superiority.
The coronavirus crisis
and how the US and Cuba respond to the crisis illustrate two paths humankind
can take for a better future. It is for all of us to decide. Reports from
around the US indicate that citizens are choosing the Cuban path, finding ways
to give support to those in need in their communities. These grassroots efforts
could be the basis of broader changes in policy and institutions in the future.
This article appeared in The Diary of a Heartland Radical,
Counterpunch, and CPUSA.org
