Cuba suffered nationwide blackouts between October 18–23, after a key thermoelectric plant failed and the landfall of Hurricane Oscar hampered recovery efforts. Shortages of fuel and spare parts were major reasons for the electricity crisis, one of the impacts of the United States’ 62-year blockade of Cuba.
Iván Barreto López works in the Asia-Pacific section of the Cuban Institute for Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP), which coordinates solidarity and relationships with groups outside of Cuba.
Barreto López gave the following speech to a virtual event hosted by ICAP on November 6 about the impacts of the US blockade and how the continued US occupation of Guantanamo represents a violation of Cuban sovereignty.
* * *
Our country suffered the total collapse of our electric power system due to two essential factors: the state of a considerable part of our electric generation infrastructure, fundamentally the thermoelectric plants; and the lack of fuel supply to operate our generation units.
At the same time, while we were facing this complex scenario that demanded the sacrifice and immeasurable effort of our workers in the electric sector, Hurricane Oscar hit the eastern part of our country, causing heavy flooding, considerable economic damages in the area and, even more painfully, the loss of seven lives. Our country is still engaged in recovery and assistance efforts to those communities that have been affected. We are also grateful for the expressions of solidarity and material aid that we have received from different parts of the world.
However, these two scenarios that we faced have a common root in their causes. When we mention the impact of the [US] blockade on our country, we are not talking about abstract impacts that are not reflected in our daily lives.
We are talking about the specific impact of the obstruction of Cuban economic activities or investment in critical sectors for our country (such as electric power). We are also talking about the degenerative impact of the blockade on our country, after more than six decades imposed unilaterally, without any other legal or moral support.
A large part of the reason why our thermoelectric plants do not receive adequate maintenance is due to the sanctions. The responsibility for the instability in the supply of fuel to our country lies with the extraterritorial sanctions imposed by the blockade against companies and shipping companies that export this resource to Cuba.
Hostile US policy is a major reason for the limitations we face in the confrontation of the crisis and recovery of the territories affected by Hurricane Oscar.
That same policy, which for 32 consecutive years has been denounced by the world, most recently this week with 187 nations in favour of lifting the blockade on Cuba. This demonstrates the isolation and arrogance of US imperialism, which can only count on the support of none other than Israel.
'Imperial arrogance'
The territory illegally occupied by the United States in Guantanamo is one of the greatest demonstrations of US imperial arrogance. It keeps that portion of Cuban sovereign territory under its dominion against the will of our people and state, thus setting an extremely dangerous precedent for our people.
The origins of this occupation date back to 1902, when through the Platt Amendment — imposed on our nascent republic by the US after a period of military intervention — that country had strategic naval bases to maintain its dominion over Cuba.
Since the triumph of the Cuban revolutionary movement on January 1, 1959, we have requested the return of that territory. The unequal treaty [to lease Guantanamo to the US in 1903, signed] in the context of subjugation, has been denounced by Cuba on every possible platform and has been shown to lack legal validity.
The persistence of the illegal occupation without any consequences for the US is not only a flagrant violation of the principles of sovereignty and self-determination of peoples, but also constitutes a factor of vulnerability and constant tension for the security and peace of our country and the region, in addition to serving as a centre of torture and other serious violations of human rights committed since its establishment.
On more than a few occasions there have been destabilising attempts, attacks with firearms and provocations from the naval base. Cuba has martyrs who lost their lives as a result of some of these actions.
Undermining humanitarian law
The Guantanamo naval base has also served to promote the US’ military agenda in the region. It has served as a base of operations for interventionist processes in Caribbean and Central American countries and provides a key operational capacity for US military forces in the area.
On the other hand, the Guantanamo naval base could represent a potential node of cyberwarfare activity and platform for attacks in the digital space, as well as monitoring and intelligence gathering.
The continued existence of Guantanamo prison undermines fundamental principles of international humanitarian law and has served to legitimise torture and arbitrary detention in other parts of the world.
Many of the detainees held in this prison for more than two decades have found themselves in legal limbo, without any charges or convictions issued by any court, nor have they been afforded the protection of the most basic fundamental rights.
There are many Cuban, US and international organisations and institutions, including several United Nations bodies and officials, that have reported the violations that take place there.
So what is it that sustains the existence of the US in Guantanamo?
Well, the same arrogance and unilateralism with which it has acted during more than 200 years of the Monroe Doctrine against our Latin American and Caribbean peoples.
The same attitude with which it has tried to subjugate and suffocate the Cuban people during more than 65 years of blockade and hostile actions against our people.
The same attitude with which today it provides military assistance to foment conflicts and promote genocide against the Palestinian people.
The same instinct with which today it promotes regional destabilisation and breaks the declaration of peace assumed by all member states of the region at the [Community of Latin American and Caribbean States] Summit in Havana in 2014.
The same petty interest in plundering the resources of our countries and subjugating the alternative projects that promote sovereign and independent development and harmonious integration between our nations.