DSA condemns all acts of aggression against the Republic of Cuba by the United States
In September of 2020, the United States government issued a new wave of economic sanctions aimed against the Republic of Cuba. These latest sanctions, in yet another attempt to subvert the Cuban economy, target consumer goods and Cuban hotels. In this latest escalation, the administration has once again made clear their intent to annihilate Cuban sovereignty, Cuban socialism, and to terrorize the nation’s millions of inhabitants.
The U.S. blockade of Cuba is the longest continuous embargo in modern history. This imperialist policy has been the cause of hardship and family separations spanning decades. The United Nations has voted overwhelmingly to condemn U.S. sanctions against Cuba every year since 1992. The U.S. sanctions impede the inflow of necessary materials and fatally hamper Cuban development. While 2018 UN estimates have calculated a direct loss of $130b in trade alone, the toll of the embargo on Cuban life can hardly be quantified.
The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) condemn the shameful U.S. embargo of the Republic of Cuba. DSA declares solidarity with the Cuban people in their struggle against U.S. aggression, and pledges to marshal our resources in the battle to end the illegal blockade.
DSA International Committee submits the following demands:
–The United States government must nullify all economic sanctions against the Republic of Cuba. The United States government must dissolve the Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity (Libertad) Act of 1996 (Helms-Burton Act), and all economic sanctions against the Republic of Cuba. American citizens and businesses must be permitted to conduct fair trade with Cuba, and Cuba should no longer be blocked from engaging in free commerce as a member of the international community.
–The U.S. government and its allies must immediately cease all operations of espionage, coercion, and propaganda meant to destabilize the Republic of Cuba. The national sovereignty, internal processes, and self-determination of the Cuban people must be respected. Such programs are acts of unwarranted aggression, and the U.S. will cease meddling in the affairs of Cuba and its regional allies.
–The U.S. government must permanently suspend all operations in Guantánamo Bay, withdraw all personnel, and cede all territory back to the Republic of Cuba. Maintained against the will of the Cuban people, the infamous Guantánamo Bay Naval Base is an egregious violation of human rights. The naval base contains a detention site notorious for the torture of prisoners, and for the terrorizing, torture, and murder of Cuban citizens.
–The U.S. government must permit the free travel between the Republic of Cuba and the United States. The elimination of the people-to-people travel license stunts the Cuban tourism industry and limits meaningful personal and cultural exchange between the Cuban and American people. The U.S. government must abandon its effort to keep our peoples apart. American citizens and Cubans living in the U.S. should be free to travel to Cuba in whatever capacity they deem appropriate.
–The U.S. government should request medical assistance from Cuban medical brigades, encourage medical collaboration with Cuban doctors and researchers, and permit the import of Cuban pharmaceuticals. Cuba is internationally lauded for sending medical professionals to all corners of the world as an act of humanitarianism and medical internationalism. The Cuban biotechnological industry leads the way in developing groundbreaking medicines and treatments against a variety of ailments, including treatments for COVID-19. The U.S. government has proven to be ineffective in containing the outbreak of COVID-19, which has accounted for at least 200,000 deaths in the U.S. as of this October. Cuban medical professionals should also be invited to operate in American territory in order to administer urgent care to our most vulnerable citizens, and American medical professionals should be permitted to collaborate with Cuban researchers in developing new treatments.
Further, DSA (through the DSA International Committee) issues a call to action to its national membership in mobilizing against the illegal embargo of Cuba, and encourages its members and chapters:
–To publish chapter statements and press releases condemning the U.S. embargo of Cuba, and all U.S. interference on the island.
–To organize local campaigns to lobby city councils and legislators to join the growing number of American cities already against the U.S. blockade. These campaigns might include letter writing to local and state legislators, public demonstrations, educational events, social media, and artwork in solidarity with Cuba against sanctions.
–To consider including the opposition to the U.S. embargo on Cuba as a requisite position for all electoral candidates seeking DSA endorsement, local and national.
–To organize in coalition with members of the Cuba Solidarity movement beyond DSA, to seek out other National Network on Cuba (NNOC) member organizations in your area, to collaborate on Cuba Solidarity projects already in motion.
DSA will not compromise on the virtue of socialist internationalism. We will not permit American imperialism to violate Cuban autonomy. We answer the call of the Cuban people, and stand beside our Cuban friends in the building of a better world.
In light of these new sanctions, Democratic Socialists of America reiterates its position in condemning all acts of aggression against the Republic of Cuba by the United States. In the name of peace, we commit our organization to solidarity with the Cuban socialist struggle, and to an independent, socialist Cuba.