The Cuban political scientist Julio Shiling, director of the Patria de Martí project, made an urgent call to Washington to take immediate action against the Cuban regime, warning that the political window is closing with the midterm elections in November.
Interviewed by Tania Costa for CiberCuba, Shiling articulated a multi-layered geopolitical thesis that connects Cuba with drug trafficking, continental socialism, and Iranian jihadism. His main argument: without resolving the Cuban issue, Washington's entire national security strategy collapses.
"Cuba is the base of Marxist subversion in the Western Hemisphere, and when we talk about continental socialism, we are also talking about drug trafficking, which today involves not only commercial but also armed militias," the political scientist stated.
Shiling described a "symbiotic" relationship between Iran and continental socialism: "The jihadist Iran has a symbiotic relationship with continental socialism through the troops of Hezbollah, which have an extraordinary presence in Latin America."
For Shiling, the time urgency is a decisive factor. Historically, the party that controls the White House loses seats in midterm elections, which would diminish presidential action capacity starting in January.
"The timing is extremely important," he warned, pointing out that the national security strategy announced by the White House last November "everything falls apart if it does not address the issue of Cuba."
"If the United States does not resolve the issue of Cuba, forget about Venezuela, forget about reversing continental socialism, and drug trafficking will continue," he asserted.
The political scientist also argued that Washington's own interests are at stake: "The interests of the United States are affected by drug trafficking and the relationship between domestic terrorism from 'castrocommunism' and terrorist groups in the United States that seek to destabilize the country."
To reinforce his appeal, Shiling turned to history and pointed out Washington's responsibility in the persistence of Castroism. He accused the United States of having contributed to the rise of the dictator Fidel Castro by giving an ultimatum to the regime of Fulgencio Batista and embargoing arms that had already been purchased to fight the 26th of July Movement.
He described President John F. Kennedy's decision to cancel air support at the Bay of Pigs as a "betrayal," stating that "several American officials resigned from their positions out of shame for Kennedy's betrayal."
To that betrayal was added, according to Shiling, the Kennedy-Khrushchev pact of October 1962, through which Washington not only withdrew its missiles from Turkey but also "additionally assured him that not only would they not make any attempt to liberate Cuba but that they would not allow anyone... to protect the Castro communism from military action by the exile."
The political scientist framed his argument within a historical principle: "No historical process of liberation or independence took place without external factors." He noted that American independence depended on France, which funded 90% of the weapons and provided soldiers and ships against Great Britain.
This position contrasts with that of the former British Ambassador to Cuba Paul Webster Hare, who rejected the intervention arguing that “it does not serve the United States, it does not serve Cuba,” citing the lack of organized opposition on the island.
The thesis by Shiling becomes relevant in the context of the survey promoted by more than 20 independent media outlets, which revealed that 60.4% of respondents support a direct military intervention by the United States, while 92% are very dissatisfied with the current system.
"No totalitarian regime falls on its own, none. So we must stimulate, and this would be the moment to act. The United States should not delay any longer in taking action," concluded Shiling.
Filed under: