Remembering Fidel Castro on the 2nd anniversary of his death

Fidel Castro died on the evening of November 25th, 2016 at the age of 90. The revolutionary leader has many accomplishments behind his name, and will always be remembered for his role in leading Cuba towards independence and for his principled anti-imperialist stance. He did a lot to modernize and raise the standard of living in Cuba, which was a feudal backwater and a mafia state prior to the overthrow of the U.S. puppet government of Batista. The Cuban Revolution brought many progressive reforms, including: public universal health care, women's emancipation, a mass literacy campaign, the redistribution and nationalization of land, guaranteed housing, and healing and overcoming ethnic divisions so that the Cuban people are united and stand together against the threat of U.S. imperialism. And abroad, Castro showed international solidarity with anti-imperialist forces in the Global South, and in post-colonial nations with independent progressive nationalist governments who also stood up to the global dictatorship of the United States. These fellow post-colonial successes include(d): Syria, Libya under Muammar Gaddafi, the DPRK, Burkina Faso under Thomas Sankara, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.

In fact, and along with Hugo Chavez and Kim Jong Un, Castro was among the first to reach out to Bashar al Assad and Syria in solidarity when the so-called "Syrian revolution" started in 2011. While the Western left was cheering on the NATO-backed Wahhabi terrorists (otherwise known as "moderate rebels") and demonizing Assad, he continued to take a principled anti-imperialist stance. He also showed support for Gaddafi when Libya was under attack from NATO-backed terrorists -- something which was also unpopular with the Western left considering that they cheered on this NATO-Gulf manufactured "revolution" as well and joined the demonization campaign against Gaddafi.

Fidel was indeed a true internationalist. And for Cuba, 'anti-imperialist/anti-imperialism' was most certainly not a dirty word. Anti-imperialism goes beyond the fashionable, toothless, Western liberal academic buzzword known as "decolonizing" -- which, unlike the former, refuses to acknowledge U.S. global dominance and the existence of a global capitalist class.

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Bashar al Assad and Fidel Castro

Hafez al Assad and Fidel meeting in Damascus (?)

Hafez and Fidel, with the Cuban flag behind them

A meeting with Gaddafi

Daniel Ortega (left) joins hands with Gaddafi and Fidel.

A visit to Pyongyang and meeting with Kim Il Sung

Walking with Kim Il Sung and DPRK officials

Shaking hands with Thomas Sankara

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Links:

• https://ahtribune.com/in-depth/1359-fidel-castro.html?fbclid=IwAR13dH7NQitZVXLU30-srmBWzGyXxzu42NdvZGGiO13PkFaIvEu3ruR1VrA

https://www.counterpunch.org/2016/03/29/brother-obama-in-the-footprints-of-the-conquistadores/?fbclid=IwAR2HyDgYLTcTtcWdVtXSSP39HZL7i0XJ9_1ANsM8kD_Bso5mJALIrKmespQ

http://syriatimes.sy/index.php/presidential-activities/27808-legend-of-steadfastness-and-source-of-inspiration?fbclid=IwAR0rreZOgRnJRxFF3Y1gFyaC2ZgdTe8u2p5cvktP6xQk6vm2jXxtYA5V_kU