[Marxism] Alan Woods/Fred Weston: Vultures hovering over Cuba after Fidel Castro steps down

[Walter Lippmann]

Woods is the main leader of what is probably the largest Trotskyist
tendency existing today. He has visited Cuba, speaks Spanish and has
had his writings published in Cuban editions. His tendency has been
at the Havana Book Fair in previous years, and is well-known there.

Unfortunately, even Woods and his group, which surely think that 
they and ONLY they have the correct program, continue to repeat the
mantra of so many others, that Fidel Castro has resigned, when any
person who reads what Fidel Castro has actually SAID can see that
resignation is the last thing on Fidel Castro's mind. But Fidel
has most certainly NOT resigned, even though Woods says it in the
very first SENTENCE of his twenty-six-hundred word commentary.

While there's lots of interesting analytical stuff here, Woods and
his tendency are like so many in the Trotskyist world trying to drive
a wedge between Cuba and China when China and Cuba have close economic
diplomatic and military ties. Just this week it's been announced that
Cuba and China are exchanging television channels, while Washington 
does everything it can to isolate Cuba, China helps Cuba to break out
of its isolation. Woods and his tendency see divisions in Cuba which
he wants to highlight, while encouraging internal division within the
country at a time when maximum clarify and unity are needed. Today we
see the growth of more and more public discussion, more and more open
dialogue within the country over its problems. That's vitally needed.

GRANMA: China and Cuba Exchange TV Signals 
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/message/80317

Part of the problem is the refusal of these tendencies to recognize
the centrality of Fidel Castro's leadership role in the Revolution.
Such tendencies have long tried to contrast Fidel against Che and
they invariably prefer Che, safely dead over forty years ago, with
Fidel, alive and active, taking full response bility for leadership of
Cuba's revolution, as much and as long as he has been able to do so.
Indeed, he is STILL providing leadership, right now as he announced
he will not accept re-election to SOME of his essential leadership
positions.

At the end of this twenty six hundred word commentary, we read this:

At a time when Fidel Castro represents that section that is trying to 
fight against capitalism, that is a monstrous position. That is what 
Bush is saying. Instead, we should say, "let's direct our fire against 
these rotten bourgeois, these millionaires, these people who have 
accumulated fortunes in dollars. Let's purge them. Let's get rid of 
them. Down with the nascent bourgeoisie!" "Down with corruption." 
We should be attacking the agents of imperialism in Cuba who are 
undermining the planned economy and destroying socialism.

TROTSKYISM AND THE CUBAN REVOLUTION
A detauked webliography with comments:
http://www.walterlippmann.com/tacr.html
======================================================================

Vultures hovering over Cuba after Fidel Castro steps down   
By Fred Weston and Alan Woods     
Wednesday, 20 February 2008  


On Tuesday, February 19, Fidel Castro announced he was resigning 
his position as President of Cuba.

FULL:
http://www.marxist.com/cuba/cuba-after-fidel-castro.htm