Anonymous Comrade offers: "(actually Fidel Castro says--with some "editing" by the Anonymous Comrade) After 26 days of relentless bombing, those who have been following
events from day to day can see that what has happened up until now is
exactly as we predicted.
The war began inexorably. We knew that it was extremely unlikely,
practically impossible, that it would not happen. Nevertheless, this
has not led us, either before or after, to become discouraged or
renounce our stance.
We insisted that it was necessary to fight against terrorism and
against the war. A spirit of revenge or hatred against America never
led us. It was with sadness that I meditated on the mistake that, in
my view, was being made but I never uttered an insult or a personal
offense. I have often said to those involved in this battle of ideas
that there is no need to personally offend anyone. I rather enumerate
facts, avoid adjectives, and analyze with cool head and wage
arguments. That preserves our moral authority and prevents anyone
from questioning the strength and sincerity of our position.
Presently, I am afraid that if the possibility existed to defeat
terrorism without a war, through cooperation and with the unanimous
support of all the international community leading to truly efficient
measures and to the building of a strong moral conscience against
terrorism, that possibility tends to fade away with every passing day.
The worst would be to come to a point when it would no longer be
possible to find a solution that way because I see it ever more
clearly that it is absurd and impossible to try to resolve this
through war. I try to imagine what was going through the minds of the
American political and military strategists; maybe they thought that
a colossal deployment of forces would crush the will of the Taliban;
perhaps, they were hopeful that an initial devastating blow would
attain that objective.
Everybody knows the estimates made by NATO during the war against
Yugoslavia. The idea was that the objectives would be accomplished in
5 days, but almost 80 days passed and it had not happened. It is also
a known fact that despite the extraordinary display of technology and
means, the Serbian army was practically intact. The envoys of Russia
and Finland had to weight heavily to "persuade" the adversary through
diplomatic channels when the time had come to fight on the ground,
something that the members of the coalition were not particularly
fond of.
I do not share the view that the United States' main pursuit in
Afghanistan was oil. I rather see it as part of a geo-strategic
concept. No one would make such a mistake simply to go after oil,
least of all a country with access to any oil in the world, including
all the Russian oil and gas it wishes. It would be sufficient for the
U.S. to invest, to buy and to pay. Based on its privileges, the
United States can even purchase it by minting reserve bonds on a 30
years maturity span. That is how, throughout more than 80 years, it
has bought products and services accounting for over 6.6 trillion
dollars.
Military actions in Afghanistan are fraught with dangers. That is an
extremely troubled area where two large countries have fought several
wars. There are profound national and religious antagonisms between
them. The population of the disputed territory is mostly Islamic. As
the tempers grow frail, a war might break out; and both countries
have nuclear capability. That risk is as serious as the
destabilization of the Pakistani government by the war. That
government is being placed in a highly complicated position. The
Taliban emerged there, and they share the same Pashtun ethnia with an
undetermined number of Pakistanis, in fact, no less than 10 million;
and I have chosen the most conservative figure among those that have
been mentioned. They also share with fanatic passion the same
religious beliefs.
The U.S. military are usually well versed in their trade. I have met
some when, after retirement, they have visited Cuba as scholars. They
write books, tell stories and make political analyses. I was then not
surprised by the information released by The New Yorker magazine of
October 29 in the sense that there was a contingency plan to seize
the Pakistani nuclear warheads, in case a radical group took over the
government of that country.
It was absolutely impossible for the American strategists to overlook
that substantial risk. Every bomb dropped on Afghanistan, every
picture of dead children or people dying or suffering from terrible
wounds, tend to compound that risk. What is hard to imagine is the
reaction of those responsible for protecting those weapons, to a plan
that is by now of public domain as much as Chronicle of a death
foretold by Gabriel García Marquez.
I am not aware of something the U.S. Special Services should know
only too well, that is, where and how those nuclear warheads are kept
and the way in which they are protected. I try to imagine -and it is
not easy-- how such an action could be conducted by elite troops.
Perhaps, one day someone might tell how it could be done. But, still,
I find it hard to imagine the political scenario in the aftermath of
such an action when the fight would be against over 100 million
additional Muslims. The U.S. government has denied the existence of
such contingency plan. It was to be expected. It could not do
otherwise.
The most logical question that crosses my mind is whether the heads
of governments and statesmen who are friends of the United States and
have a longstanding political and practical experience did not see
these potential dangers, and why they did not warn the United States
and tried to persuade it. Obviously, America's friends fear it but do
not appreciate it.
It is always difficult to try to guess when it comes to these issues.
But, there is something of which I am absolutely certain: it would be
sufficient if 20 or 30 thousand men used clever methods of irregular
warfare, the same that the United States wants to use there, and that
struggle could last 20 years. It is completely impossible to subdue
the Afghan adversary in an irregular warfare on that country's ground
with bombs and missiles, whatever the caliber and the power of these
weapons.
They have already been through the hardest psychological moments.
They have lost everything: family, housing, and properties. They have
absolutely nothing else they can lose. Nothing seems to indicate that
they will surrender their weapons, even if their most notable leaders
were killed. The use of tactical weapons, which some have suggested,
would have the effect of multiplying by one hundred that mistake and
with it unbearable criticism and universal isolation. Therefore, I
have never believed that the leaders of that country have seriously
considered such tactics, not even when they were most enraged.
These are simply my thoughts that I am expressing to you. I think the
way to show solidarity with the American people that lost thousands
of innocent lives, including those of children, youths and elders,
men and women to the outrageous attack, is by frankly speaking out
our minds. The sacrifice of those lives should not be in vain, but
rather it should be useful to save many lives, to prove that thinking
and conscience can be stronger than terror and death.
We are not suggesting that any crime committed on Earth should be
left unpunished, I simply do not have elements of judgement to accuse
anyone in particular. But, if the culprits were those that the U.S.
government is trying to punish and remove, there is no doubt that the
way in which they are doing it will lead to the creation of altars
where the alleged murderers will be worshiped as saints by millions
of men and women.
It would be better to build an enormous altar to Peace where
Humankind can pay homage to all the innocent victims of blind terror
and violence, be it an American or an Afghan child. This is said by
somebody who considers himself an adversary of the United States'
policies but not an enemy of that country, one who believes to have
an idea of human history, psychology and justice.
Having come to this point there is only one more issue left to discuss.
What is happening with the anthrax is absolutely incomprehensible.
Real and sincere panic has been created. The stocks of medications to
fight that bacterium are being depleted. Many people are buying gas
masks and other devices, some of which cost thousands of dollars.
Extravagant behavior can cause more damage than the disease. When
there is an outbreak of any disease, whatever the cause, it is
essential to warn the people and to provide information on the
illness and the measures that should be taken to prevent it, diagnose
it and fight it. Diseases are carried from one country to another in
natural ways, that is, through people, animals, plants, food,
insects, commercial products and a thousand other ways, without the
need for anyone to produce them in laboratories. That is how it has
been historically. That is the reason for so many public-health
regulations.
The chaos and the psychological reaction to anthrax have turned the
American society into a hostage of those who want to hurt it, knowing
beforehand that they will sow terror. On numerous occasions our
country has had to face up to new diseases affecting people,
plantations and herds, many of them deliberately introduced. No
wonder our country has graduated 67,128 medical doctors and thousands
of technicians in plant and animal health. Our people know what
should be immediately done in such cases.
No other country in the world compares with the United States in the
number of research centers, laboratories and medications, or the
capacity to produce them or purchase them, to fight that or any other
disease.
In the face of real or imaginary risk, either current or future,
there is no other choice but to educate the people to cope with them.
This is what the Cubans have done.
The causes that gave rise to panic should be analyzed. Certainly, it
could not be said that the United States is not in risk of terrorist
actions. However, I do not believe that under the present
circumstances of generalized alertness, and the measures taken, any
group inside or outside America could come up with a coordinated
action, organized in every detail for a long time, synchronized and
executed with such precision as that of September 11.
In my view the main risk may lie with individual actions, or actions
carried out by very few people from inside or outside America that
could cause lesser or greater damage. None can be underestimated. But
as important as the preventive measures that should be taken to
tackle such risks, or even more important, is to psychologically
disarm the potential perpetrators. And these include those who might
want to do it out of political extremism, vengeance or hatred, or a
significant number of people who are frustrated, unstable or deranged
who might feel tempted by the spectacular or by wishes to be the main
actors of well-known events. They could drive the American people mad
by sending mail with or without anthrax. Everything possible should
be done to put an end to panic, extravaganza and chaos, then danger
will be reduced.
In Cuba we have also seen the arrival and circulation of letters and
postcards with strange powders and other things. One hundred and
sixteen of them were detected from 15 to 31 October. 72 were coming
from abroad: 36 from the United States, 8 from Great Britain, 3 from
Canada, 2 from the Checkia Republic, 2 from Spain, 2 from The
Netherlands, 1 from Denmark, 1 from Chile and 1 from the Arab
Emirates. Of these letters 25 were addressed to me. I thank the
senders for their kindness.
Our laboratory staffs are becoming real experts. Thirty-one
originated within the country and circulated here, several were no
more than bad jokes. Five were being sent from Cuba to other
countries: 2 to the United States, 1 to Pakistan, 1 to Italy and 1 to
Costa Rica. In eight cases it has not been possible to determine
where they have come from.
Out of the 116 letters that have been examined, except for 24 that
are still under analysis, no biological agent has been found. Not one
worker in our postal services, the offices in the Palace [of the
Revolution] or the laboratories has been contaminated. We are all in
good health. There was no sensationalism, no scandal, no alarm or
panic. No one purchased gas masks or medications. I am telling you
the story simply to illustrate what I said about how incomprehensible
it is what has happened with the anthrax in America.
Even if a bacterium had been introduced here, there would be no panic
and everybody would know what to do. But, it would certainly be very
difficult for a letter to go out from Cuba to another country
carrying viruses or bacteria. We are pleased to know that the two
letters addressed to the United States did not leave our country,
neither did the others that were supposed to get to other countries.
And thus we will cooperate with every people in the world. Our
doctors and other specialists as well as our technicians, research
centers and our modest experience will be available in the struggle
against biological bio-terrorism and other forms of terror.
It is clear by now that America's friends fear it but do not
appreciate it. Cuba is not in the least fearful of the enormous power
of that nation, but it can appreciate its people.
