“The Only Thing One Can Do in America Is Emigrate”

the AZEL PERSPECTIVE Commentary on Cuba's Future, U.S. Foreign Policy & Individual Freedoms - Issue 373 B

José Azel's latest books "On Freedom" and "Sobre La Libertad" are now available on Amazon.  “The Only Thing One Can Do in America Is Emigrate” (Previously published) Share Tweet Forward

Simón Bolívar, El Libertador, fought nearly 500 battles to gain independence from the Spanish Crown for present-day Venezuela, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Panama. Yet, near the end of his life he despaired at the situation in Latin America. In 1830, he wrote to General Juan José Flores:  “Use the past to predict the future. As you know, I have ruled for twenty years, and from these I have derived only a few sure conclusions: 1) America is ungovernable, for us; 2) He who serves a revolution ploughs the sea; 3) The only thing one can do in America is emigrate; 4) This country will fall inevitably into the hands of unrestrained multitudes and then into the hands of tyrants so insignificant they will be almost imperceptible, of all colors and races; 5) Devoured by every crime and extinguished by ferocity, the Europeans will not dignify us with their conquest; 6) If it were possible for any part of the world to revert to primitive chaos, it would be America in her last hour.”  It has been nearly 200 years, but Bolívar’s harsh indictment seems as valid today as it was in his time.  In search of good governance, Latin America has accumulated the world’s most tortuous constitutional history. According to a study by Jose Luis Cordeiro, 19 of the 21 Latin American nations have had at least five constitutions, eleven of the countries have written at least ten, and five countries have adopted twenty or more constitutions. The Dominican Republic leads the world’s count of constitutions with 32, followed by Venezuela with 26, Haiti with 24, and Ecuador with 20.  To be clear, these are not constitutional amendments, but far-reaching rewritings to rework the structures of government. In contrast, Canada has had two constitutions and the United States one. In Latin America, each new constitution is promoted as necessary to “refound the nation.” Yet, good governance is not about constitutions, and several very successful societies such as the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Israel, do quite well without a formal constitution.  If by good governance we understand a leader’s ability to provide the citizenry safety and security, political freedoms and participation, rule of law, transparency, accountability, human rights, and sustainable economic opportunity then, for the most part, Latin America has yet to experience sustained good governance.  Latin America’s most famous mythical creature is not the chupacabras. As Gabriel Garcia Marquez put it, “The only mythical creature Latin America has ever produced is the military dictator...” In present day context, we must include totalitarian Cuba, and the new authoritarianism of titular “democracies” like Venezuela, Nicaragua, Bolivia, etc.  It is not, as Bolívar thought, that Latin America is ungovernable. Rather, the region’s problems flow from an appraisal of political stewardship mostly focused on a leader’s ability to deliver political goodies, not public goods. This is a politico-fiscal pathology where public support is created, not through exceptional public service, but through patronage. It is more politically rewarding to channel benefits to known interest groups than to politically amorphous groups.  The sociopolitical heritage from Spain and the post-colonial experience has engendered in Latin America an understanding of the role of government significantly different from the principles of limited government and inalienable rights of the U.S. experience. It is a perverse understanding that measures the quality of governance by the amount of social expenditures that government incurs.  Limited government does not come naturally to a Hispanic culture of statist political tendencies. Latin America, seduced by the siren song of “social justice,” has trouble accepting the unequal results of the marketplace. This often results in constitutional plasticity and some form of messianic personalist leadership.  Good governance is what will most improve lives in Latin American. For this the citizenry needs to learn to evaluate the stewardship of their leaders more responsibly. Good governance is about promoting socioeconomic systems where most citizens are able to provide adequately for their own needs. Only then will Bolívar’s dictum prove untrue that, the only thing one can do in America is emigrate. 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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