LET'S FIGHT BACK

LET'S FIGHT BACK
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Monday, April 24, 2023

Cuba’s Black Elephant

the AZEL

PERSPECTIVE

Commentary on Cuba's Future, U.S. Foreign Policy & Individual Freedoms - Issue 301 B
 
José Azel's latest books "On Freedom" and "Sobre La Libertad" are now available on Amazon. 

Cuba’s Black Elephant

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A “black elephant,” as described to New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, is “a cross between a black swan - a rare, low probability unanticipated event with enormous ramifications - and the elephant in the room: a problem that is widely visible to everyone, yet that no one wants to address, even though we absolutely know that one day it will have vast, black-swan-like consequences.” For me, the term “black elephant” aptly describes the challenges to a democratic transition in Cuba after six decades of totalitarian rule.
When contemplating Cuba’s future, in terms of a genuine transition from totalitarian rule to democratic governance, many observers perceive some sort of popular uprising not unlike the Arab Spring revolutionary wave that began with the Tunisian Revolution of 2010. That movement of violent and non-violent demonstrations, protests, riots, coups, and foreign interventions quickly spread to Libya, Egypt, Syria, Bahrain and elsewhere in the region. Unfortunately, hopes that the Arab Spring movements would result in greater democratic participation proved unfounded. As of this 2018 writing only the uprising in Tunisia has resulted in a transition to democratic governance.  

At this point in time, the expectation of a popular uprising in Cuba is as unlikely as a black swan- a metaphor for an event that is beyond the realm of normal expectations. The term is based on an ancient saying which presumed black swans did not exist, and was often used as a statement of impossibility. When black swans were discovered in Australia in 1697, the term took the meaning of a perceived impossibility that might later be shown to occur. Hopefully this will be the Cuban case.

But, one reason why I theorize that a popular upraising in Cuba is unlikely flows from the political physiognomy of today’s Cuban population: its elephant in the room-an allegory for a controversial or emotional topic, which although obvious to everyone, is deliberately ignored because open discussion will cause embarrassment or sadness. The idiom also implies that the problem will not solve itself.

Cuba’s elephant in the room is its “incivility.” Incivility is a general term for social behavior lacking in civic virtue. Cuba’s deficit of civic virtue has developed as a result of decades of totalitarian rule. The attributes that constitute civic virtue is a concern of political science, but, in essence, by civic virtue we mean personal living habits that are critical for the success of a nation such as tolerance, kindness, respect, humility, gratitude, honor, industry, courage, fidelity, and more.

Indicators such as marriage and divorce ratios, single-parent households, abstinence among teenagers, abortion rates, religious attendance, etc. are often used by social scientists to measure the civic culture of a population. This civic culture mirrors the core beliefs that shape how we live our lives and how we regard our civic duties. It is the “moral ecology” (Michael Novak’s term) that determines whether a free society thrives, or destroys itself. There is a paucity of reliable Cuban social data, but what is available does not speak well for Cuba’s present-day civic culture.

Jorge Luis Borges, in reference to his countrymen, once remarked that “the Argentine tends to lack a moral, not an intellectual culture; he is less concerned to be seen as immoral rather than as a fool. Dishonesty, as we know, enjoys the veneration of all, it is called creole wise-guy (vivenza criolla).” Similarly, among Cubans this vivenza criolla attitude, which ignores rules and looks for loopholes, is almost a source of national pride.

The success of a free republic hinges on the civic virtues of the citizenry and consequently, civic virtue became the moral compass of the Founders of the United States.  John Adams put it this way: “Public virtue cannot exist in a Nation without private Virtue, and public Virtue is the only Foundation of Republics.” And James Madison stated: “To suppose that any form of government will secure liberty or happiness without any virtue in the people is a chimerical idea.”

This lack of civic virtue is Cuba’s black elephant that stomps painfully on my Cuban heart.

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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

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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

"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 FreedomJosé 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.
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.
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.
Pedazos y Vacíos is a collection of poems written in by Dr. Azel in his youth. Poems are in Spanish.
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