"Decolonialism Monthly": Statement on Cuba and Iran

Group of people protesting in solidarity with Cuba

After illegally kidnapping Nicolas Maduro—the duly-elected leader of Venezuela—in early January, the US empire has shifted its priority to targeting two other nations that have long resisted its imperial hegemony: Cuba and Iran. The strategies being implemented to break these two nations differ in execution, but both approaches—if not halted—will be incredibly violent and cause the death and immiseration of millions. For Cuba, an island nation just 90 miles south of Florida, the US has escalated its 66+ year long stranglehold in the hopes of finally snuffing out any promise of the Cuban Revolution. For Iran—a much larger and more geographically difficult target to subdue—the US has amassed the largest buildup of military assets in the Middle East since the second Iraq war. After Iran justifiably defended itself last year from unprovoked attacks, the US and Israel regrouped and laid the groundwork for a second, more destructive assault. A potentially devastating war has begun following air strikes from the US and Israel on Tehran at the end of February. The attacks resulted in the deaths of hundreds of Iranian civilians as well as the Ayatollah (Iranian head of state).

The pretext for the current bout of aggression was the Iranian protests over economic conditions caused by Western sanctions. Western media has claimed that thousands of protesters were massacred by Iranian security forces in a matter of days, even though these claims are unverified and come from western-backed institutions with links to intelligence services, such as the CIA and Mossad. These same media outlets have ignored claims that foreign agents were agitating the protests to violence.

The Trump administration claims to have been "negotiating," with Iranian officials prior to the attacks, but in actuality only made unreasonable demands, such as asking them to surrender the ballistic missile program which they used to defend themselves in the twelve-day war (2025). It is also worth noting that the US and Israel, always the provocateurs, attacked Iran in 2025 while negotiations were actively underway. The world is on the precipice of a major war thanks to the US empire and Israel, its colonial attack dog. Like all imperialist objectives, Trump’s recent attacks and the prospect of a protracted war with Iran is supported by Democratic and Republican lawmakers alike, including local Congressional representative, Greg Landsman. The consequences of attacking Iran will not be as limited as attacking Cuba or Venezuela; Iran has the capacity to strike back with real force. Economically, it can close the Straight of Hormuz and send oil prices around the world skyrocketing. A regional war would be devastating enough on its own, but while China and Russia are currently limiting their aid to material and diplomatic support, if either of them got involved, a global conflagration would likely ensue. If this situation leads to war, no matter the scale, working class people will suffer and be forced to die for imperialism.

Here in the western hemisphere, a different form of war continues against Cuba. Prior to the Cuban Revolution in 1959, Cuba was ruled by brutal dictator Fulgencio Batista, who gave control of the country's assets over to US private interests. As John F. Kennedy admitted in a speech delivered in Cincinnati in 1960, "At the beginning of 1959, U.S. companies owned about 40 percent of the Cuban sugar lands - almost all the cattle ranches - 90 percent of the mines and mineral concessions - 80 percent of the utilities - and practically all the oil industry - and supplied two-thirds of Cuba's imports." Wealthy foreigners treated the island as their playground, and organized crime ran highly profitable prostitution and gambling rackets. The Cuban revolution put a stop to the exploitation by nationalizing key industries, expropriating excess property for redistribution, and punishing and/or exiling those who had abused the people of Cuba for so long. Since the revolution, the US government—at the behest of exiled gusanos and US corporations, bitter at having lost their ability to plunder the island--has continuously sought to overthrow Cuba's revolutionary government and return the island (and its resources) into the hands of a US-friendly puppet government.

Which brings us to today. A severe escalation of the sanctions and blockade of Cuba has already caused immense hardship of a people who have endlessly been the target of threats and attacks from the US. Venezuela had previously provided Cuba with significant quantities of oil, but is now unable to do so after America's actions in January. Similarly, the US has strong-armed Mexico into halting oil shipments to Cuba. Living conditions on the island are degrading rapidly, with energy being rationed for critical services, international flights being canceled for lack of fuel, food spoiling from lack of refrigeration, and transport services being curtailed. After watching Israel's largely unobstructed genocide of Palestinians, it appears that the US is expecting the world to meekly stand by as it implements similar methods of collective punishment (a UN war crime) against the Cuban people. The end goal is obvious: to cause enough suffering that the Cuban government is either forced to capitulate, or collapses entirely.

It should be readily apparent that the US empire is the greatest threat to global safety and has the ability to bring the entire world to ruin if it is not brought to an end. Its actions are guided by the capitalist ruling class which seeks to further enrich themselves and are unconcerned with the devastation they wreak on working class lives and livelihoods. All working class people should support the nations opposing US hegemony—not blindly, but with an understanding that, no matter the faults of a given nation, the primary foe that must be defeated is US imperialism. The US empire is in terminal decline and is growing increasingly belligerent, choosing the path of overt violence as its last remaining option to try and maintain its hegemony. Those of us in the belly of the beast must do anything and everything in our power to resist. A strong working class movement capable of weakening US imperialism from the inside will assist those who are resisting it from the outside. For ourselves and for all those who bear the brunt of US military intervention: Unity, strength, and solidarity are indispensable. The time is now!