Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2009/01/04
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Intolerance to any form of self determination, both internally and externally, within one's sphere of self interest somewhat gets the gist of it. sd On Jan 4, 2009, at 9:05 AM, Bob W wrote: > That's as may be, but it doesn't actually answer the question, > which was > "why do you think a large contingent of Cubans fighting in the > Spanish Civil > War 'makes sense' of the 'American reaction(s) to Cuba'?". I'm > interested to > learn, because to me it doesn't make sense. > > Bob > >> -----Original Message----- >> From: lug-bounces+leica=web-options.com@leica-users.org >> [mailto:lug-bounces+leica=web-options.com@leica-users.org] On >> Behalf Of Slobodan Dimitrov >> Sent: 04 January 2009 15:49 >> To: Leica Users Group >> Subject: Re: [Leica] Cuba? >> >> The reaction to Cuba predates any Marxist carbuncle. While currently >> seeming irrational to Europeans, the attitude is firmly >> grounded in a >> long standing interventionist position, or point of view. >> Self determination, within a people who are perceived as a subject >> people, is usually seen as a disease which needs to be cauterized. >> The Caribbean has been a hot bed of self determination from the very >> beginning. With Haiti and Cuba leading the charge. >> When I was in the service, I remember Gen. Westmoreland being taken >> out of Viet Nam and given the Southern Command. I thought >> that at the >> time it was a demotion. But in spit of the Asian hot conflict, the >> Southern Command position was considered more important, >> hence a reward. >> Some time ago, I had the chance to hear a particular speech by Rev. >> James Lawson. It was at an MLK event. He said a sentence which I'll >> never forget, that the job of the US military in Latin America is to >> make sure no 14 year old ever grows up to become a Martin Luther >> King. That speech was made in the late 2000's. >> sd >> >> >> On Jan 4, 2009, at 3:00 AM, Bob W wrote: >> >>>> Some time ago, I became acquainted with a veteran from the Spanish >>>> Civil War. He was lucky enough to have been repatriated to >>>> the United >>>> States. That was before, and just barely, Petain had those interned >>>> on the French side of the border sent to the Mauthausen-Gusen camp. >>>> So while we were talking, I asked a question for which I >> could never >>>> get a straight answer. That was whether the Mexican >>>> contingent in the >>>> Republican forces were the largest group of foreign volunteers, as >>>> most historical presentation would have it. Without hesitation, he >>>> said the Cubans were. I stood there, somewhat transfixed for a >>>> moment, and said to him, now it makes sense. That is, the American >>>> reaction(s) to Cuba. >>>> sd >>> >>> I don't understand how this makes sense of the US attitude towards >>> Cuba, and >>> I'd be grateful if you could explain. >>> >>> I don't know a great deal about this, but I sutudied a bit >> of Spanish >>> history when I was learning Spanish at college, and some of >> my school >>> teachers were veterans of the civil war. Here is how I figure it - >>> please >>> correct me if I've got things wrong: >>> >>> The Spanish Civil War (73 years ago) was a long time before >> the Cuban >>> revolution (50 years and 3 days ago), and before the revolution >>> Cuba was a >>> banana republic client of the USA. Since the USA was >> neutral about the >>> Spanish Civil War it's likely that the Cuban government's position >>> would >>> also have been officially neutral, and Cubans who went to Spain >>> would have >>> been volunteers, even if unofficially helped by the government. >>> Given the >>> historical relationship between Spain and Cuba it would be entirely >>> understandable for many Cubans to wish to be involved in the civil >>> war on >>> one side or the other, but they would, officially at least, >> have been >>> volunteers who went under their own steam. >>> >>> The current attitude of the US towards Cuba arises from the >> time of >>> the >>> Cuban revolution and the relationship between Cuba and the >> then Soviet >>> Union. The Cuban revolution did so a great deal of damage to US >>> interests >>> over there; Cuba, with Soviet backing, tried to export the >>> revolution to >>> other parts of Central and South America, and Cuba became a >> potential >>> bridgehead for the Soviets into the US, so the USA took a >> hard line >>> about >>> relationships with Cuba. >>> >>> Since the collapse of the Soviet Union the hard line is >> continued not >>> because of any real threat to the US from Cuba, but because of >>> continued >>> vested political interests. >>> >>> I'd be interested to find out why you think the Spanish >> Civil War has >>> anything to do with the US attitude to Cuba. >>> >>> Bob >>> >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Leica Users Group. >>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Leica Users Group. >> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >> >> > > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information