In the name of combating terrorism, U.S. imperialism is girding for battle in a “long war”—at home and abroad—including against states it sees as obstacles to its long-term military, political, and economic interests. In this campaign the employers and their political representatives in Washington—Democrats and Republicans—have both Venezuela and Cuba in their crosshairs. This is the same class that’s simultaneously attacking the wages, safety, dignity, and living conditions of working people at home.

The U.S. government once again singled out Havana and Caracas in its new National Security Strategy report.

Venezuela’s government is accused of “undermining democracy” and seeking to “destabilize the region.”

Having failed in three attempts over the last four years to topple the Hugo Chávez administration, weighty sections of Venezuela’s capitalist class and their supporters in Washington remain committed to undermining and ultimately overthrowing it. Their aim is to shut down the increased political space workers and farmers in Venezuela have today to act in their own interests—to press with more self-confidence for jobs, land, improved conditions, and rights needed in order to fight and win. This is the real source of the U.S. rulers’ venom toward Caracas.

In the same “national security” document, Cuba is charged with seeking to “subvert freedom in the region.”

The “freedom” U.S. officials are talking about is the freedom of capital to superexploit labor and plunder natural resources in Latin America and the rest of the semicolonial world, and keep these nations under imperialist domination to continue siphoning off their wealth. That is a freedom the Cuban people did subvert when they carried out the first socialist revolution in the Americas 47 years ago. Cuba’s toilers drove the local capitalists and landlords from power and established their own government. They took control of land, industry, and natural wealth and they have used these conquests to advance the interests of the working class and its allies in Cuba and worldwide.

Washington and its imperialist allies won’t forgive the Cuban people for setting such an infectious example for working people around the world.

Now is the time to stand with Cuba and Venezuela. Let’s converge on Washington May 20 to demand, “Hands off Venezuela and Cuba!”
 
 
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May 20 march against U.S. threats to Cuba, Venezuela gains support  
 
 
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