[Marxism] Fidel Castro -- another sucker for Obama-Hitler? (Fidel's comment on Obama speech)

["Fred Feldman" <ffeldman@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Fidel's array of quotes from Obama's speech -- which masses of Cubans
probably won't see any other way -- certainly demonstrates that the politics
of his talk are radically different within the imperialist framework from
Hitler's "peace" speech. To equate them is to try to resolve a debate with a
smear, with demagogy. And it's the kind of thing that can lead to left-right
blocs against Obama social-fascism.
Fred Feldman

The following introductory remarks are from CubaNews:
Here Fidel presents extensive excerpts from the
remarks Obama made in Cairo, and makes a few of
his own observations about them. I've taken the
liberty of posting the English translation with
Fidel's short comments highlighted. 

In a remarkable exercise, Fidel Castro is using
his comments to present to the Cuban people, as
well as other interested readers, so much of the
exact words which Obama presented in his Cairo
remarks which were aimed at the Islamic world.

In the print edition of today's daily Granma, 
this comprises two full pages, pp. 2-3 of eight.

http://www.walterlippmann.com/fc-06-08-2009.html
====================================================

Reflections by Comrade Fidel

OBAMA'S SPEECH IN CAIRO

On Thursday the 4th of June, at the Islamic University of Al-Azhar in Cairo,
Obama gave a speech of special interest to those of us who are closely
following his political actions given the enormous might of the superpower
he leads. I cite his very own words to indicate what I think are the basic
ideas he expressed, thus summarizing his speech to save time. Not only do we
have to know that he spoke but also what he said.

"We meet at a time of great tension between the United Status and Muslims
around the World..."

"The relationship between Islam and the West includes centuries of
coexistence and cooperation, but also conflict and religious wars.

".colonialism that denied rights and opportunities to many Muslims, and a
Cold War in which Muslim-majority countries were too often treated as
proxies without regard to their own aspirations." 

"Violent extremists have exploited these tensions ." 

".has led some in my country to view Islam as inevitably hostile not only to
America and Western countries, but also to human rights.."

"I've come here to Cairo to seek a new beginning between the United States
and Muslims around the world, one based on mutual interest and mutual
respect ."

".they overlap, and share common principles - principles of justice and
progress; tolerance and the dignity of all human beings." 

".but no single speech can eradicate years of mistrust, nor can I answer in
the time that I have this afternoon all the complex questions that brought
us to this point. 

"As the Holy Quran tells us, "Be conscious of God and speak always the
truth."

"I'm a Christian, but my father came from a Kenyan family that includes
generations of Muslims. As a boy, I spent several years in Indonesia and
heard the call of the azaan at the break of dawn and at the fall of dusk. As
a young man, I worked in Chicago communities where many found dignity and
peace in their Muslim faith.." 

"It was Islam - at places like Al-Azhar - that carried the light of learning
through so many centuries, paving the way for Europe's Renaissance and
Enlightenment".

".And since our founding, American Muslims have enriched the United States.
They have fought in our wars, they have served in our government, they have
stood for civil rights, ."
"And I consider it part of my responsibility as President of the United
States to fight against negative stereotypes of Islam wherever they appear."


".America is not the crude stereotype of a self-interested empire." 

"The dream of opportunity for all people has not come true for everyone in
America, ." 

"Words alone cannot meet the needs of our people.." 

"When a new flu infects one human being, all are at risk."

"When one nation pursues a nuclear weapon, the risk of nuclear attack rises
for all nations." 

".any world order that elevates one nation or group of people over another
will inevitably fail."

"In Ankara, I made clear that America is not - and never will be - at war
with Islam."

".we reject the same thing that people of all faiths reject: the killing of
innocent men, women and children." 

".there's still some who would question or even justify the events of 9/11."

"The victims were innocent men, women and children from America ."

".Now, make no mistake: We do not want to keep our troops in Afghanistan. We
see no military - we seek no military bases there. It is agonizing for
America to lose our young men and women. It is costly and politically
difficult to continue this conflict. We would gladly bring every single one
of our troops home if we could be confident that there were not violent
extremists in Afghanistan, and now Pakistan, determined to kill as many
Americans as they possibly can."

"The Holy Quran teaches that whoever kills an innocent is as - it is as if
he has killed all mankind. And the Holy Quran also says whoever saves a
person, it is as if he has saved all mankind."

"Unlike Afghanistan, Iraq was a war of choice that provoked strong
differences in my country and around the world."

".I also believe that events in Iraq have reminded America of the need to
use diplomacy and build international consensus to resolve our problems
whenever possible."

"Today, America has a dual responsibility: to help Iraq forge a better
future - and to leave Iraq to Iraqis. 

"I have made it clear to the Iraqi people - (applause) - I have made it
clear to the Iraqi people that we pursue no bases, and no claim on their
territory or resources.

"Iraq's sovereignty is its own. And that's why I ordered the removal of our
combat brigades by next August." 

".remove combat troops from Iraqi cities by July, and to remove all of our
troops from Iraq by 2012."

"Nine-eleven was an enormous trauma to our country." 

".in some cases, it led us to act contrary to our traditions and our
ideals."

"I have unequivocally prohibited the use of torture by the United States,
and I have ordered the prison at Guantanamo Bay closed by early next year."

".America will defend itself, respectful of the sovereignty of nations and
the rule of law" 

"The second major source of tension that we need to discuss is the situation
between Israelis, Palestinians and the Arab world." 
"America's strong bonds with Israel are well known. This bond is
unbreakable."
"On the other hand, it is also undeniable that the Palestinian people -
Muslims and Christians - have suffered in pursuit of a homeland. For more
than 60 years they've endured the pain of dislocation."

"Many wait in refugee camps in the West Bank, Gaza and neighboring lands for
a life of peace and security that they have never been able to lead."

"So let there be no doubt: The situation for the Palestinian people is
intolerable. And America will not turn our backs on the legitimate
Palestinian aspiration for dignity, opportunity and a state of their own." 

".two peoples with legitimate aspirations, each with a painful history that
makes compromise elusive."

"It's easy to point fingers - for Palestinians to point to the displacement
brought about by Israel's founding, and for Israelis to point to the
constant hostility and attacks throughout its history from within its
borders as well as beyond."

".if we see this conflict only from one side or the other, then we will be
blind to the truth."

"The only resolution is for the aspirations of both sides to be met through
two states, where Israelis and Palestinians each live in peace and
security." 

". For centuries, black people in America suffered the lash of the whip as
slaves and the humiliation of segregation. But it was not violence that won
full and equal rights."

"Hamas must put an end to violence, recognize past agreements, recognize
Israel's right to exist." 

".Israelis must acknowledge that just as Israel's right to exist cannot be
denied, neither can Palestine's. The United States does not accept the
legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements."

"This construction violates previous agreements and undermines efforts to
achieve peace. It is time for these settlements to stop."

"And Israel must also live up to its obligation to ensure that Palestinians
can live and work and develop their society."

"Progress in the daily lives of the Palestinian people must be a critical
part of a road to peace, and Israel must take concrete steps to enable such
progress." 

"The Arab-Israeli conflict should no longer be used to distract the people
of Arab nations from other problems." 

"The third source of tension is our shared interest in the rights and
responsibilities of nations on nuclear weapons." 

"In the middle of the Cold War, the United States played a role in the
overthrow of a democratically elected Iranian government."

"Since the Islamic Revolution, Iran has played a role in acts of
hostage-taking and violence against U.S. troops and civilians."

"Rather than remain trapped in the past, I've made it clear to Iran's
leaders and people that my country is prepared to move forward. The question
now is not what Iran is against, but rather what future it wants to build." 

"I recognize it will be hard to overcome decades of mistrust, but we will
proceed with courage, rectitude and resolve. There will be many issues to
discuss between our two countries, and we are willing to move forward
without preconditions on the basis of mutual respect."

"I understand those who protest that some countries have weapons that others
do not. No single nation should pick and choose which nation holds nuclear
weapons. And that's why I strongly reaffirmed America's commitment to seek a
world in which no nations hold nuclear weapons."

".any nation - including Iran - should have the right to access peaceful
nuclear power if it complies with its responsibilities under the Nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty."

In these three first topics of his speech we find the basic objective of his
trip to that Islamic University of Egypt. One cannot blame the new president
of the United States for the situation created in the Middle East. It is
obvious that he wants to find an exit from the colossal mess created there
by his predecessors and by the very development of events over the last 100
years. 

Not even Obama could imagine when he was working in the black communities of
Chicago that the terrible effects of a financial crisis would combine with
the factors that made his election as president in a strongly racist society
possible. 

He takes office at an exceptionally complex time for his country and the
world. He is trying to resolve problems that he perhaps considers to be
simpler than they really are. Centuries of colonial and capitalist
exploitation have given way to a world where a handful of overdeveloped rich
countries coexist with another handful of immensely poor countries that
provide raw materials and labor force. If you add China and India, two truly
emerging nations, the struggle for natural resources and markets make up an
entirely new situation on the planet where human survival itself has yet to
be solved.

Obama's African roots, his humble background and his amazing ascent awaken
hope in many who like shipwreck victims try to hold on to a piece of wood in
the middle of the storm. 

His statement that "any world order that elevates one nation or group of
people over another will inevitably fail" is correct; or when he declares
that "people of all faiths reject the killing of innocent men, women and
children" or when he reaffirms to the world his opposition to the use of
torture. Generally speaking, several of his abovementioned statements are
theoretically correct; he clearly perceives the need for all countries, with
no exceptions of course, to give up nuclear weapons. Well-known and
influential personalities in the US see this as a great danger, as
technology and science generalize access to radioactive material and ways of
using it, even in small amounts. 

It is still early to pass judgment on his degree of commitment to the ideas
he presents, and up to which point he stands firm in sustaining, for
example, the proposal of looking for a peace agreement built on fair bases,
with guarantees for all the states in the Middle East. 

The current president's main difficulty lies in the fact that the principles
he is advocating contradict the policy the superpower has pursued for almost
seven decades, from the end of the last battles of World War II in August of
1945. I put aside at this moment the aggressive and expansionist policy it
applied on the peoples of Latin America, especially Cuba, when it was still
far from being the most powerful nation in the world.

Each one of the norms advocated by Obama in Cairo contradicts the
interventions and the wars promoted by the United States. The first of them
was the famous Cold War which he mentions in his speech, unleashed by the
government of his country. Ideological differences with the USSR do not
justify the hostility towards that state which contributed more than 25
million lives in the war against Nazism. Obama would not be remembering in
these days the 65th anniversary of the Normandy landings and the liberation
of Europe if it were not for the blood of the Soviet troops. Those who freed
the survivors of the famous Osviecim concentration camp were Soviet army
soldiers. The world was unaware of what was happening there even though
quite a few among Western official circles knew the facts. How millions of
Jewish children, women and old people were atrociously murdered, and
millions of Russian children, women and old people lost their lives as a
result of the brutal Nazi invasion in a quest for living space. The West
granted concessions to Hitler and conspired to launch him and they finally
pushed him to occupy and colonize Slavic lands. During World War II, the
Soviets were US allies, not enemies.

They dropped and tested the effects of two nuclear bombs over Hiroshima and
Nagasaki, two defenseless cities. Those who perished there were mainly
Japanese children, women and old people. 

If one were to analyze the wars promoted, supported or waged by the United
States in China, Korea, Vietnam, Laos, Kampuchea, among the millions of
people who died, many were children, women and old people. 

The colonial wars of France and Portugal after W.W. II had the support of
the United States; the coups and interventions in Central America, Panama,
Santo Domingo, Grenada, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay, Peru and Argentina were
all promoted and supported by the United States. 

Israel was not a nuclear power. The creation of a state in territory from
which the Jews were driven into an exodus by the Roman Empire 2000 years ago
was supported in good faith by the USSR as well as other countries in the
world. At the triumph of the Cuban Revolution we had relations with that
state for more than a decade until its wars of conquest over the
Palestinians and other Arab peoples led us to severe them. Total respect for
religion and Jewish religious activities has been maintained without any
sort of interruption.

The US never opposed Israeli conquest of Arab territories, nor did it
protest the terrorist methods used against the Palestinians. On the
contrary, it created a nuclear power there, one of the most advanced in the
world, in the heart of Arab and Muslim territory, creating in the Middle
East one of the planet's most dangerous places.

The superpower also used Israel to supply nuclear weapons to the armies of
apartheid in South Africa, to be used against Cuban troops which alongside
Angolan and Namibian forces were defending the Peoples' Republic of Angola.
These are fairly recent events which the current US president surely knows
about. Thus we are not foreign to the aggression and the danger the Israeli
nuclear potential represents for peace. 

After the three initial points of his speech in Cairo, Obama starts
philosophizing and lecturing about US foreign policy: 

"The fourth issue that I will address is democracy", he said. 

"So let me be clear: No system of government can or should be imposed by one
nation on any other." 

"America does not presume to know what is best for everyone, just as we
would not presume to pick the outcome of a peaceful election."

"But I do have an unyielding belief that all people yearn for certain
things: the ability to speak your mind and have a say in how you are
governed; confidence in the rule of law and the equal administration of
justice; ."

"These are not just American ideas; they are human rights. And that is why
we will support them everywhere."

"The fifth issue that we must address together is religious freedom." 
"Islam has a proud tradition of tolerance . I saw it firsthand as a child in
Indonesia, where devout Christians worshiped freely in an overwhelmingly
Muslim country."

"Among some Muslims, there's a disturbing tendency to measure one's own
faith by the rejection of somebody else's faith."

".fault lines must be closed among Muslims, as well, as the divisions
between Sunni and Shia have led to tragic violence, particularly in Iraq."

".it is important for Western countries to avoid impeding Muslim citizens
from practicing religion as they see fit - for instance, by dictating what
clothes a Muslim woman should wear. We can't disguise hostility toward any
religion behind the pretence of liberalism." 

"I reject the view of some in the West that a woman who chooses to cover her
hair is somehow less equal, but I do believe that a woman who is denied an
education is denied equality. And it is no coincidence that countries where
women are well educated are far more likely to be prosperous."

".the struggle for women's equality continues in many aspects of American
life, and in countries around the world."

"I am convinced that our daughters can contribute just as much to society as
our sons. Our common prosperity will be advanced by allowing all humanity -
men and women - to reach their full potential."

"The Internet and television can bring knowledge and information, but also
offensive sexuality and mindless violence into the home. Trade can bring new
wealth and opportunities, but also huge disruptions and change in
communities."

".invest in online learning for teachers and children around the world; and
create a new online network, so a young person in Kansas can communicate
instantly with a young person in Cairo." 

".we have a responsibility to join together on behalf of the world that we
seek - a world where extremists no longer threaten our people, and American
troops have come home; a world where Israelis and Palestinians are each
secure in a state of their own, and nuclear energy is used for peaceful
purposes ."

"That is the world we seek. But we can only achieve it together." 

"It's easier to start wars than to end them.

"that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us 

"We have the power to make the world we seek, but only if we have the
courage to make a new beginning, keeping in mind what has been written. 

"The Holy Quran tells us: "O mankind! We have created you male and a female;
and we have made you into nations and tribes so that you may know one
another." 
The Talmud tells us: "The whole of the Torah is for the purpose of promoting
peace." 
The Holy Bible tells us: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be
called sons of God." (Applause.) 
The people of the world can live together in peace." 

As you can see, tackling the fourth topic in his speech at Al-Azhar
University Obama stumbles into a contradiction. After beginning his words
with a maxim as is his custom, stating that:

"No system of government can or should be imposed by one nation on any
other", a principle in the Charter of the United Nations as a fundamental
element of international law, he immediately contradicts himself with a
declaration of faith that turns the United States into the supreme judge
over democratic values and human rights. 

Then he refers to subjects related to economic development and equal
opportunities. He makes promises to the Arab world; he points our advantages
and contradictions. It would really appear to be a public relations campaign
carried out by the United States with the Muslim countries; in any case,
this is better than threatening to destroy them with bombs.

At the end of the speech there is quite a mix of subjects.

If one takes into account the length of the speech, without using paper, the
number of lapses is negligible as compared with his predecessor who used to
make a mistake in every paragraph. He is a very good communicator.

I tend to observe historical, political and religious ceremonies with
interest.

This one at Al-Azhar University seemed to be to be an unreal scene. Not even
Pope Benedict XVI had declared such ecumenical phrases as Obama did. For a
second I imagined the pious Muslim, Catholic, Christian or Jew, or someone
from any other religion, listening to the president in the spacious hall of
Al-Azhar University. At a certain moment I couldn't tell whether he was in a
Catholic cathedral, a Christian church, a mosque or a synagogue. 

He left early for Germany. For three days he toured politically significant
sites. He participated and spoke at commemorative ceremonies. He visited
museums, received his family and dined at famous restaurants. He has an
impressive working capacity. Some time will go by before we see anything
like it again.

Fidel Castro Ruz
June 8, 2009
7:12 p.m.



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