Of Enemies and Adversaries

the AZEL PERSPECTIVE Commentary on Cuba's Future, U.S. Foreign Policy & Individual Freedoms - Issue 420 B

José Azel's latest books "On Freedom" and "Sobre La Libertad" are now available on Amazon.  Of Enemies and Adversaries (Previously published) Share Tweet Forward

I have always appreciated the ability of American politicians to insult each other vigorously during a political campaign and then, when the campaign is over, work together in apparent friendship. Such civility does not come naturally to my Latin American tribe. For us an insult can be the topic of discord generations later as in: “Thirty years ago you offended my great grandfather...” This is, in part, because we have not learned to distinguish an enemy from an adversary. Understanding the difference between an adversary and an enemy is essential for democracy to work. An adversary is someone we want to defeat. An enemy is someone we need to destroy. Political scientists note that with an adversary compromise is possible and honorable and, most importantly for democracy, association with adversaries is viable.  With an enemy compromise and association are unthinkable. It is possible to trust and associate with an adversary that plays by the rules, but trust between enemies is impossible. As we see in struggling democracies, the politics of enmity make competition dysfunctional and very personal. Our comportment follows our words.  French political philosopher and historian Alexis de Tocqueville was perhaps the first to notice with amazement and admiration the way Americans associate. In his classic work Democracy in America, published in 1835 after his travels in the United States, Tocqueville writes: “In no country in the world has the principle of association been more successfully used or applied to a greater multitude of object than in America.” He concludes that “nothing...is more deserving of our attention than the moral and intellectual associations of America.”  Tocqueville was a complex thinker who, as a critic of individualism and skeptical of the extremes of democracy, believed that Americans were able to overcome selfish desires through their associations. Associations, for Tocqueville, fostered in America an active political society of adversaries respectful of the laws of the state.  In contrast, in Latin America we often find that versions of a strongman monarchical rule are viewed as the best form of government. It is believed that such a strongman government imitates God’s monarchical government of the world and is best to regulate decisively over enemies. Political maturity is distinguished by independence of thought and action.  In Latin America, political immaturity is characterized by a need for direction from others.  America’s Founding Fathers believed that government, by its very nature, was antagonistic to human liberty and happiness. Bernard Bailyn (1922-2020), eminent historian of early America has pointed out that, “...the American Revolution was above all else an ideological, constitutional, political struggle and not primarily a controversy between social groups undertaken to force changes in the organization of the society or the economy.”  The way Americans differentiate between an adversary and an enemy fosters a culture of individual rights and individual freedom. This contrasts markedly with a Latin American culture of ‘us versus them’ where the perception of others as enemies fosters a collectivist culture.  Individualists believe that life belongs to the person, and the person has inalienable rights to act according to her judgement. Collectivists believe that life belongs, not to the person but to the society to which the individual belongs. For collectivists the individual has no rights of his own and must sacrifice his beliefs for the “greater good” of the group. Individualists speak of individual rights and freedom. Collectivists appeal to the common good or obligations to society.  The collectivist outlook may seem reasonable until we consider that, under the collectivist ‘greater good for the greatest number,’ 51 percent of humanity would be morally justified in enslaving the other 49 percent. Or that, a majority group of hungry cannibals can morally eat the minority.  Philosophically, this presents a fundamental question of whether a person’s life belongs to that person or to a community or the state. Politically, it seeks an understanding of whether that person is an enemy or an adversary. Fortunately, in the United States’ political practice, we generally understand the difference between an adversary and an enemy. In my Latin American tribe, not so much. Please let us know if you  this article. We welcome your feedback. Abrazos, Lily & José (click on the name to email Lily or Jose) José Azel, Ph.D. José Azel left Cuba in 1961 as a 13 year-old political exile in what has been dubbed Operation Pedro Pan - the largest unaccompanied child refugee movement in the history of the Western Hemisphere.   He is currently dedicated to the in-depth analyses of Cuba's economic, social and political state, with a keen interest in post-Castro-Cuba strategies. Dr. Azel was a Senior Scholar at the Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies (ICCAS) at the University of Miami, Jose Azel has published extensively on Cuba related topics. In 2012 and 2015, Dr. Azel testified in the U.S. Congress on U.S.-Cuba Policy, and U.S. National Security.  He is a frequent speaker and commentator on these and related topics on local, national and international media.  He holds undergraduate and masters degrees in business administration and a Ph.D. in International Affairs from the University of Miami. José along with his wife Lily are avid skiers and adventure travelers.  In recent years they have climbed Grand Teton in Wyoming, trekked Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and Machu Pichu in Peru.  They have also hiked in Tibet and in the Himalayas to Mt. Everest Base Camp. They cycled St. James Way (El Camino de Santiago de Compostela) and cycled alongside the Danube from Germany to Hungary and throughout southern France.  They have scuba dived in the Bay Islands off the Honduran coast and in the Galapagos Islands. Most recently, they rafted for 17 days 220 miles in the Grand Canyon.  Their adventurers are normally dedicated to raise funds for causes that are dear to them.  Watch Joe & Lily summit Kilimanjaro. Books by Dr. José Azel José Azel’s writings are touched with the wisdom of a master, and the charm of an excellent communicator. Anyone who wishes to understand why countries do, or do not, progress will find in this book the best explanations. And, from these readings emerge numerous inferences: How and why do the good intentions of leftist collectivism lead countries to hell? Why is liberty not a sub product of prosperity, but rather one of its causes? If it was in my power, this work would be required reading for all college and university students, and I would also recommend its reading to all politicians, journalists, and policymakers. With his writings Azel accomplishes what was achieved in France by Frédéric Bastiat, and in the United States by Henry Hazlitt: Azel brings together common sense with intelligent observation, and academic substance. Stupendous, Carlos Alberto Montaner                                                                    BUY NOW Los escritos de José Azel están tocados por la sabiduría de un maestro y la amenidad de un excelente comunicador. Cualquiera que desee entender por qué los países progresan, o no, encontrará en este libro las mejores explicaciones. De estas lecturas surgen numerosas inferencias: ¿Cómo y por qué las buenas intenciones del colectivismo de izquierda llevan a los países al infierno? ¿Por qué la libertad no es un subproducto de la prosperidad, sino una de sus causas? Si estuviera en mis manos, esta obra sería de obligada lectura de todos los estudiantes universitarios, pero además, le recomendaría su lectura a todos los políticos, periodistas y policy makers. Con sus escritos Azel logra lo que Frédéric Bastiat consiguiera en Francia y Henry Hazlitt en Estados Unidos: aunar el sentido común, la observación inteligente y la enjundia académica. Estupendo. Carlos Alberto Montaner                                                            Compre Aqui "Liberty for beginners is much more than what the title promises. It is eighty themes touched with the wisdom of a master, and the charm of an excellent communicator. Anyone that wishes to understand why countries do, or do not progress, will find in this book the best explanations. Stupendous" Carlos Alberto Montaner Buy Now "Libertad para novatos es mucho más de lo que promete el título. Son ochenta temas tocados con la sabiduría de un maestro y la amenidad de un excelente comunicador. Cualquier adulto que desee saber por qué progresan o se estancan los pueblos aquí encontrará las mejores explicaciones. Estupendo." Carlos Alberto Montaner Compre Aqui In Reflections on Freedom, José Azel brings together a collection of his columns published in prestigious newspapers.  Each article reveals his heartfelt and personal awareness of the importance of freedom in our lives.  They are his reflections after nearly sixty years of living and learning as a Cuban outside Cuba. In what has become his stylistic trademark, Professor Azel brilliantly introduces complex topics in brief journalistic articles. Buy Now En Reflexiones sobre la libertad José Azel reúne una colección de sus columnas publicadas en prestigiosos periódicos. Cada artículo revela su percepción sincera y personal de la importancia de la libertad en nuestras vidas. Son sus reflexiones después de casi sesenta años viviendo y aprendiendo como cubano fuera de Cuba.  En lo que ha resultado ser característica distintiva de sus artículos, el Profesor Azel introduce con brillantez complejos temas en  breves artículos de carácter periodístico. Compre Aqui Mañana in Cuba is a comprehensive analysis of contemporary Cuba with an incisive perspective of the Cuban frame of mind and its relevancy for Cuba's future. Buy now Pedazos y Vacíos is a collection of poems written in by Dr. Azel in his youth. Poems are in Spanish. Buy now

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