**The book, *On Cuba: Reflections on 70 Years of Revolution and Struggle*, critically analyzes the United States’ long-standing policy towards Cuba.** Authors Noam Chomsky and Vijay Prashad contend U.S. actions stem from material interests, a need to crush defiance, and a culture of cruelty. U.S. officials casually threatened to destroy the island. Despite intense campaigns, Cuba resisted and achieved successes, notably in health statistics, often superior to the U.S. U.S. media and government efforts frequently discredit positive portrayals, fabricating stories like “Havana Syndrome” to maintain a negative public narrative about the island.
**Historically, the United States has viewed Cuba as its “virtual colony.”** Early U.S. presidents, like John Quincy Adams, articulated the “ripe fruit” theory, believing Cuba would naturally fall into U.S. hands. The Monroe Doctrine, Platt Amendment, and Roosevelt Corollary codified this, justifying military interventions. The U.S. intervened in 1898 to prevent Cuba’s full liberation, ensuring its subservience. Post-1959, U.S. documents reveal anger at Fidel Castro’s “successful defiance,” fearing it would inspire other nations in the region. This fear explains the disproportionate U.S. response, treating international relations like a “mafia” protection racket where non-compliance must be brutally suppressed.
### The Cuban Revolution’s Initial Vision and U.S. Reaction
**The Cuban Revolution, initiated in 1959, prioritized addressing fundamental societal problems.** Fidel Castro’s agenda, outlined in “History Will Absolve Me,” focused on land reform, housing, education, health, industrialization, and employment, aligning with Cuba’s 1940 Constitution. The government’s nationalization of U.S. businesses and land redistribution provoked an immediate U.S. response, leading to the sustained economic blockade against the island. The U.S. State Department explicitly planned “economic dissatisfaction and hardship” to undermine Castro.
### Revolutionary Achievements and Social Progress
**Despite immense external pressures, Cuba achieved remarkable social progress.**
– **Literacy Campaign**: Achieved near-universal literacy through national campaigns.
– **Healthcare Improvements**: Significant advancements in public health led to lower infant mortality rates and disease eradication.
– **Social Reforms**: Addressed deep-seated social inheritances like racism and homophobia, leading to progressive reforms such as the 2022 Family Code, legalizing same-sex marriage and adoption.
These achievements, rooted in a commitment to human needs, fostered popular defense of their revolution.
### Enduring Blockade and Global Isolation of the U.S.
**The collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s plunged Cuba into a “Special Period” of severe economic hardship.** The U.S. seized this vulnerability to intensify its blockade through acts like the Torricelli (1992) and Helms-Burton (1996) Acts, aiming to accelerate regime change. These laws, particularly their extraterritorial reach, drew widespread international condemnation, with the UN General Assembly consistently voting overwhelmingly against the U.S. embargo. This highlights U.S. global isolation on this issue. Despite immense pressure, Cuba maintained its commitment to social development and continued robust internationalist policies, notably providing medical aid and supporting national liberation movements in Africa, showcasing its enduring resilience.
**In essence, *On Cuba* argues that Cuba’s enduring struggle is a direct consequence of its successful defiance against U.S. imperial ambitions.** The authors document U.S. efforts to undermine the Cuban Revolution, contrasting them with Cuba’s remarkable social achievements and unwavering commitment to its national sovereignty and international solidarity, despite severe economic and political pressures.
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