LET'S FIGHT BACK

LET'S FIGHT BACK
GOD BLESS AMERICA

Monday, April 29, 2024

The Thinking Revolutionaries


the AZEL

PERSPECTIVE

Commentary on Cuba's Future, U.S. Foreign Policy & Individual Freedoms - Issue 354 B
 
José Azel's latest books "On Freedom" and "Sobre La Libertad" are now available on Amazon. 

The Thinking Revolutionaries (Previously published)

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In her book Something That Will Surprise the World, historian Susan Dunn brings together a collection of important letters, speeches, and essays, of the most notable Founding Fathers: George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison. 

These were the “thinking revolutionaries” that together “fought a successful war of independence against the mightiest power on earth, created an enduring constitution for their new nation, established stable representative institutions and a system of adversarial political parties, and set the stage for economic development and growing prosperity.” Their brilliance, boldness, and daring have never been surpassed in American history or elsewhere in the world. 

They were not perfect men, and recent scholarship often highlights their personal eccentricities, self doubts, jealousies, and regrets. And most importantly, they failed to take forceful action against slavery notwithstanding their eloquent condemnations of slavery as the most deplorable form of human degradation. Paradoxically, Washington, Jefferson, and Madison, owned slaves while declaring that all men were created equal. 

Washington hoped that slavery would be abolished by “slow, sure, and imperceptible steps,” and waited until his death to free his slaves. Regarding slavery Jefferson wrote: “I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just.” But he opposed the Missouri Compromise, which prohibited the spread of slavery into states north of the boundary of Arkansas. Jefferson, who believed in a moral government, was horrified that the federal government was intruding into the affairs of the states. His reasoning resonates with many today. 

But, notwithstanding their blind spot on slavery, these Founding Fathers were thinking revolutionaries whose lives centered on ideas. They theorized about government and framed the arguments we are still having today about the proper relationship between individuals and their government. These thinking revolutionaries revealed to us that, the tension between individual freedoms and government authority is an argument without end. 

As men of penetrating intelligence, they not only debated, but wrote extensively, and left us an unparalleled intellectual legacy. Consider the magnitude of their work, as noted by Professor 

Dunn: Washington’s writings consist of thirty-nine volumes. Hamilton’s papers are twenty- seven volumes. Jefferson’s papers, up to the year 1800, take up thirty-one volumes, with twenty-six years of Jefferson’s life left to go. Twenty-two volumes cover Madison’s papers up to 1813, with twenty-three more years to go. Adams’ published papers take up twelve volumes up to 1782, with forty-four years of Adams writings to go. 

The path these Framers mapped, as Madison wrote, had “no parallel in the annals of human society.” Thanks to them, Americans were the first free people in history to choose their own form of government. Often, revolutionary leaders evolve into despots keen on suppressing individual rights, as happened in France, Russia, China, Iran, Cuba and others. We owe our open society to the moderation and tolerance of these thinking revolutionaries. Historians note that the American constitutional consensus was an agreement to disagree. 

As Hamilton understood it, the success of the American experiment depended on the self- restraint of the winners. Similarly, Washington asserted in his Farewell Address: “Infallibility not being the attribute of Man, we ought to be cautious in censuring the opinions and conduct of one another.” To appreciate the remarkable statesmanship of these thinking revolutionaries, consider that, in terms of their political philosophy, these men were irreconcilable adversaries, and quite undemocratic. 

Hamilton, an admirer of the British Empire was clear: “Democracy is our real disease.” His political goal was not to help ordinary Americans to pursue happiness, but rather to increase the power and prestige of the state itself. Jefferson, in contrast, was ever vigilant of the expanding national government and fearful of the government’s encroachment on individual freedoms. Jefferson argued for frequent elections, and Adams dreaded them. In 1790, Adams wrote to Jefferson: “Elections, my dear sir, I look at with terror.” 

Flash forward to our present time and look around the world, not to mention at home, for statesmanship and penetrating political thinking of the quality of Washington, Hamilton, Adams, Jefferson, and Madison. Please let me know if you find it. I can’t. 

Please let us know if you Like Issue 354 B -  The Thinking Revolutionaries on Facebook this article.
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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

                                                                   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

"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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