By Johan Galtung*, 23 December 2014 – TRANSCEND Media Service
The immediate reaction to Obama’s Executive Order of 17 December 2014–re-establishing diplomatic relations, easing travel, swapping prisoners–was a sense of relief: finally correcting a more than 50-year old stupidity. But why now? Later. First, back to June 1960.
**Sign in front of the American interests office, Havana. Cuban addresses a threatening Uncle Sam, “Mr. Imperialists, we have absolutely no fear.” | Author: Idobi, September 2000 | Wikimedia Commons
We drove from New York to Key West, then a ferry–the captain was Norwegian–to La Habana; we wanted to drive all over, talk with everybody to understand. And the social picture was very clear: black, woman, low class overwhelmingly in favor of the revolution; white, man, middle-upper class ended up in Miami.
Why gender? US imperialism was obvious but in addition Cuba was one big brothel for “puritan” US men. And one of the first acts of the revolution was to stop that, liberate the dirt poor girls, organize vocational training–give them dignity.
