Defending the Cuban Revolution and Strengthening Proletarian Internationalism

The Left Chapter
5 hours ago
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Via the Algerian Party for Democracy and Socialism (PADS)

On the Occasion of the 24th International Meeting of Communist and Workers’ Parties

Defending the Cuban People and the Cuban Revolution Against the Embargo and Imperialist Aggression; Strengthening Proletarian Internationalism; Uniting the Struggle of Communist and Workers’ Parties Against the Monopolistic Capitalist System and for Socialism.

Dear Comrades,

Representatives of communist and workers’ parties from around the world,

The Algerian Party for Democracy and Socialism (PADS) extends to you its internationalist and revolutionary greetings, and expresses its appreciation to the Communist Party of Cuba and to the organizers of the 24th International Meeting of Communist and Workers’ Parties, recognizing it as an important forum for exchanging experiences, deepening Marxist-Leninist analysis, and coordinating the struggle of communists and workers in the face of the intensifying contradictions of contemporary capitalism.

This meeting is taking place on a historic occasion: the centennial of the birth of Fidel Castro, whose name is inextricably linked to the revolutionary struggle of the Cuban people and to the resistance against imperialist hegemony. Honoring this legacy does not mean reducing history to a mere memory; rather, it means defending the right of peoples to self-determination, the social gains achieved by the Cuban Revolution, and strengthening international solidarity among workers and peoples struggling against capitalist exploitation and imperialist hegemony.

For the Algerian Party for Democracy and Socialism, solidarity with Cuba is based on proletarian internationalism and the unity of the working class’s interests, not on diplomatic or geopolitical considerations. It expresses the solidarity of the working class and the toiling masses in their common struggle against monopoly capitalism and imperialism and for socialism.

The Algerian Revolution was a national liberation revolution against French colonialism, while the Cuban Revolution, led by the Communist Party, paved the way for the overthrow of the hegemony of monopoly capital and the construction of a socialist society. Hence the need to distinguish between the tasks of national liberation and those of the socialist revolution, while emphasizing that the struggle against colonialism and occupation is only complete when linked to the struggle for working-class power and the abolition of the exploitation of man by man.

Through decades of steadfast resistance in the face of the blockade and imperialist aggression, the Cuban people have proven that peoples are capable of defending their sovereignty when they organize their struggle against monopolies and imperialism. The Cuban Revolution has also embodied the principles of proletarian internationalism through its support for national liberation movements—particularly in Africa—and its contributions in the fields of health, education, and international cooperation, affirming that socialism places society’s achievements at the service of the people’s needs, not at the service of capitalist profit.

From this perspective, defending Cuba does not mean siding with one state against another, but rather defending the Cuban people’s right to continue on their socialist path, free from the embargo and imperialist interference, and expressing class solidarity with Cuban workers in the face of attempts to subjugate them to the will of the monopolies. At the same time, the Algerian Party for Democracy and Socialism adheres to a concrete Marxist–Leninist analysis that links international solidarity with class analysis, while rejecting both imperialist propaganda and uncritical support.

Proletarian internationalism is not a moral slogan, but a revolutionary principle based on the unity of the historical interests of the international working class and on the coordination of the struggle of communist and workers’ parties against the monopolistic capitalist system and for socialist-communism.

Dear Comrades,

The history of the Cuban Revolution has been intertwined with the history of the struggle of a people who refused to submit to the domination of foreign capital and imperialist interests. The victory of the Cuban Revolution marked a break with a system controlled by foreign monopolies and paved the way for profound changes in the areas of property ownership, economic organization, and social policies.

Through decades of resistance in the face of the blockade, pressure, and interference, the Cuban people have proven that peoples are capable of defending their independence when they organize their struggle against imperialist forces. Furthermore, Cuba’s experience has taken on an international dimension through its solidarity with the peoples of the world—particularly the peoples of Africa and national liberation movements—and through its contributions in the fields of health, education, and international cooperation.

The proletarian internationalism we defend is based on a fundamental truth: workers in all countries share common interests that conflict with those of the monopolies and capitalists who compete among themselves for markets, resources, and spheres of influence.

From this perspective, defending Cuba is not a matter of defending the interests of one state against another, but rather an expression of class solidarity with the Cuban people and with workers facing imperialist pressure, and a rejection of the use of economic and political force to impose the will of the monopolies on the peoples.

Dear Comrades,

Cuba’s achievements in the fields of education, health, science, and culture represent significant social gains linked to an approach that prioritizes social needs over the logic of capitalist profit.

However, Marxist-Leninist analysis requires us to always adopt a scientific and class-based stance. Defending Cuba against imperialist aggression does not mean abandoning a concrete analysis of economic and social developments, nor does it mean replacing the scientific study of reality with uncritical political support.

The fundamental questions posed by Marxist analysis remain:

Who owns the principal means of production?

Who controls the economy?

Which class determines the direction of social development?

Is production organized to meet the needs of society or to serve the accumulation of capital?

The communist position rejects both imperialist propaganda that seeks to distort the Cuban Revolution and justify aggression against it, and any position that separates solidarity from class analysis.

Our solidarity with Cuba is based on two interrelated principles:

the defense of the Cuban people’s right to self-determination, free from any imperialist interference, and adherence to the Marxist-Leninist analysis of the development of society and social relations.

Dear Comrades,

The economic, commercial, and financial blockade imposed on Cuba for decades is a form of imperialist aggression employed by the United States in an attempt to subjugate a people who have chosen a path independent of the hegemony of foreign monopoly capital.

This blockade cannot be understood merely as a dispute between two states or a temporary diplomatic measure; but must be analyzed within the framework of the nature of imperialism as the monopolistic stage of capitalism, where large monopolies dominate, banking and industrial capital intertwine, the export of capital expands, and competition among capitalist centers for markets, resources, and spheres of influence intensifies.

The economic, military, and diplomatic policies pursued by imperialist powers do not stem from abstract principles, but rather reflect the interests of the ruling capitalist classes and monopolies, which seek to protect their positions and strengthen their profits and global influence.

The blockade imposed on Cuba aims to create economic difficulties, disrupt its trade and financial relations, weaken its capacity for development, and use economic pressure as a means to force the Cuban people to abandon their social and political choices.

This embargo is also accompanied by a broad ideological campaign aimed at distorting the image of the Cuban Revolution and socialism, and at blaming the socialist system for the difficulties resulting from imperialist sanctions and pressure.

The Algerian Party for Democracy and Socialism condemns all forms of imperialist intervention and political and economic pressure targeting the Cuban people, and affirms that the right of peoples to self-determination cannot be subject to the will of monopolies and imperialist powers.

At the same time, his analysis rejects the notion of explaining every social phenomenon solely through external factors. The historical development of any society is the result of an interaction between international conditions and its own internal contradictions; therefore, the defense of Cuba must go hand in hand with a scientific analysis of economic and social relations.

From this perspective, our solidarity with the Cuban people is international and class-based, grounded in the rejection of imperialist aggression and the defense of the right of workers and peoples to choose their own path of development, free from capitalist hegemony.

Dear Comrades,

The Cuban cause cannot be separated from the general developments of the global imperialist system and from the intensification of contradictions within contemporary capitalism.

Imperialism is not merely an aggressive foreign policy pursued by a particular state; rather, it is a historical stage in the development of capitalism characterized by the dominance of monopolies and by the struggle among the major capitalist centers over the redistribution of markets, sources of raw materials, spheres of investment, and spheres of influence.

At the present stage, competition among various imperialist centers—including the United States, the European Union, China, and Russia—is intensifying, as each power seeks to strengthen its economic, political, and military position within the global system.

The realignment of the international balance of power does not signify the emergence of progressive camps in opposition to imperialist camps; rather, it reflects the ongoing competition among capitalist powers, each seeking to defend its own interests.

From this perspective, China and Russia—despite their contradictions with the United States and its allies—do not represent anti-imperialist forces from a class perspective; rather, they are two capitalist states participating in global competition and defending the interests of the capitalist classes and the monopolies associated with them.

The criterion for communists is not to choose any imperialist center as the “lesser evil,” but to expose the class nature of these conflicts and defend the independence of the working class from all bourgeoisies and imperialist centers.

Dear Comrades,

The escalation of military spending, the buildup of arms, the expansion of military alliances, and the establishment of military bases are not isolated phenomena; rather, they are an expression of the intensifying contradictions within the global capitalist system.

NATO is a military alliance that serves the interests of the imperialist powers that lead it and acts as a tool to protect their strategic interests. However, opposing this alliance does not mean that every power competing with it is a progressive force or an ally of the working class.

Competition among capitalist powers revolves around control over markets, energy, resources, technology, transportation routes, and spheres of influence.

This competition can take various forms:

Economic sanctions;
Trade wars;
Military interventions;
Proxy wars;
direct armed conflicts.

In all these cases, it is the workers and the people who pay the price, while the monopolies preserve their interests and profits.

Therefore, the position of the working class cannot be to side with any party in the imperialist rivalry, but rather to build an independent stance based on the struggle against imperialist wars, the defense of peoples’ right to self-determination, and linking the struggle for peace to the struggle against the system that produces wars.

Dear Comrades,

The wars and conflicts taking place in various regions of the world are a manifestation of the intensifying contradictions within the global imperialist system. Military clashes are inseparable from the competition among capitalist powers for control over markets, natural resources, transportation and energy corridors, and geopolitically strategic locations.

In this context, developments in the Middle East must be analyzed independently of the narratives put forward by imperialist powers to justify their interventions. The conflicts in the region are linked to competition among the major capitalist centers and to attempts to rearrange the balance of power in a way that serves the interests of monopolies and capital.

Any military intervention by imperialist powers—whether under the pretext of “security,” “democracy,” or “the war on terror”—essentially serves the interests of the ruling classes seeking to protect their economic and political influence.

In this context, the war against Iran must be understood as part of the broader struggle for control and influence in the region. Interests related to energy, trade routes, geographic location, and regional balances are key factors in these confrontations.

However, the Iranian people cannot be reduced to a pawn in the rivalry between capitalist powers. The communists’ position is based on defending the right of peoples to self-determination and rejecting any imperialist intervention, while at the same time preserving the independence of the working class from all ruling classes.

The same principle applies to the Palestinian people.

The Algerian Party for Democracy and Socialism reaffirms its support for the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination, their resistance to occupation, and their struggle to establish an independent state. Solidarity with the Palestinian people is solidarity with an oppressed people facing occupation and aggression, but it does not mean granting any capitalist power or any regional bourgeoisie a political mandate at the expense of the independent interests of the working class.

Communists defend the rights of the peoples, while at the same time continuing their class analysis of all political and social forces, based on the interests of the workers and the masses.

Dear Comrades,

The situation in Venezuela is yet another example of the nature of imperialist contradictions in the current era.

Imperialist powers often use slogans such as “democracy” or “human rights” to justify their interventions, while economic and strategic interests reveal the true nature of the existing conflicts.

Venezuela’s geographical location and its possession of significant energy resources have made it a target of competition among various global capitalist centers.

Consequently, external interventions and pressures against Venezuela must be understood within the context of the struggle among major powers to maintain their positions and influence in Latin America, rather than as a mere defense of abstract political principles.

Peoples who possess natural resources and strategic locations often find themselves facing attempts to subjugate them to the interests of international monopolies.

Dear Comrades,

Defending Cuba today is part of the broader struggle against the global imperialist system.

The blockade, sanctions, and political and media pressure are not merely isolated measures, but tools used by imperialism to try to stifle a social and political experiment that has chosen a path different from that of monopoly capitalism.

The aim of these policies is not limited to weakening the Cuban economy; it also includes dealing an ideological blow to the very idea of socialism itself, by portraying the difficulties Cuba faces as proof of socialism’s failure, while ignoring the impact of the blockade and external aggression.

Defending Cuba does not mean presenting an idealized picture of reality, nor does it mean abandoning a concrete analysis of economic and social developments; rather, it means defending the Cuban people’s right to continue on their path without imperialist powers imposing a return to the hegemony of foreign capital.

Dear Comrades,

The crisis of contemporary capitalism is not merely a series of cyclical economic crises; rather, it reflects the deep-seated contradictions inherent in the capitalist mode of production itself.

Despite the tremendous development of the productive forces and the scientific and technological progress achieved by humanity, capitalism remains incapable of harnessing this potential for the benefit of society as a whole, because social production is subject to the control of private ownership of the means of production and the logic of profit maximization.

The fundamental contradiction of capitalism persists between the social character of production and the private character of the appropriation of the wealth produced.

This contradiction is evident in:

The increasing concentration of wealth in the hands of a minority of capitalists;
The control of key sectors of the economy by monopolies;
The exploitation of the wage-earning workforce;
The worsening of job insecurity and unemployment;
Recurring economic crises;
The subordination of social needs to the logic of private profit.

The anti-communist ideological offensive waged by the ruling classes aims to convince workers that capitalism is a system without alternative, and to prevent them from understanding the class-based causes of exploitation, crises, and wars.

But history proves that the contradictions generated by the capitalist system itself pave the way for the struggle to change it.

Dear Comrades,

Scientific socialism is not merely a moral imperative for achieving a more just distribution of wealth, nor is it merely a set of social reforms within the framework of the capitalist system.

Communism is a revolutionary transformation of the relations of production and the nature of political power, based on ending the control of monopoly capital over the principal means of production, placing the economy under social control, and directing production according to social needs rather than the law of profit.

The essence of the communist cause lies in the question:

Who owns the means of production?

Who controls the wealth produced?

In the interest of which class are the economy and society organized?

The transition to socialism—that is, communism—means establishing the power of the working class and its social allies, that is, a power aimed at building a new society free from the exploitation of human beings by other human beings, based on cooperation among peoples and on the use of society’s wealth to serve its collective needs.

From this perspective, communism is not merely a policy for redistributing income within capitalism, but rather a radical transformation of the very foundations of the economic and social system.

Dear Comrades,

The struggle against imperialism, the struggle against wars, and the struggle for communism are interconnected links in the working class’s struggle, even though each has its own specific character.

It is the duty of communists to confront imperialist aggression, reject military interventions, fight against sanctions and blockades used to punish peoples, and defend every people’s right to self-determination.

However, this struggle must not turn into support for one imperialist power against another, or into choosing the “lesser evil” among imperialist powers.

The working class has no common interest with any bourgeoisie or monopoly that seeks to control markets, resources, and spheres of influence.

The historic task of communist and workers’ parties is to build an independent line for the working class and to transform the daily struggles against exploitation into organized political consciousness in the struggle for workers’ and communist power.

Dear Comrades,

In the face of the intensifying contradictions of the global imperialist system, a historic responsibility falls upon the communist and workers’ parties.

This responsibility consists of:

Developing a Marxist-Leninist analysis of contemporary reality;
Exposing the class interests behind international conflicts;
Resisting bourgeois and anti-communist propaganda;
Organizing workers, youth, and the masses;
Strengthening international solidarity among communist and workers’ forces;
Defending the independence of the working class from all capitalist forces.

The unity of communist and workers’ parties does not mean eliminating differences in experience and analysis, but rather working together on the basis of the fundamental principles of the struggle against capitalism and imperialism and for communism.

Dear Comrades,

The solidarity of the Algerian Party for Democracy and Socialism with the Cuban people and the Cuban Revolution is not a diplomatic solidarity between governments, nor is it a geopolitical alignment between states.

It is an international and class-based solidarity with the Cuban workers and with the Cuban people’s right to determine their own path of development, free from the embargo and imperialist pressure.

We call for:

The lifting of the economic, commercial, and financial embargo imposed on Cuba;
An end to all unilateral coercive measures against the Cuban people;
Respect for the Cuban people’s right to freely determine their future;
Rejection of all forms of imperialist intervention.

Dear Comrades,

Here in Havana, on this historic occasion, the Algerian Party for Democracy and Socialism affirms that international solidarity must not remain a mere declaration, but must be transformed into organized action among workers, peoples, and communist and workers’ parties.

Defending Cuba means defending the peoples’ right to sovereignty.

Defending Cuba means rejecting the blockade and imperialist aggression.

Defending Cuba means standing in solidarity with workers and peoples in the face of exploitation and domination.

And we reaffirm:

No to imperialist wars!

No to interventions and aggression against the peoples!

No to making workers pay the price for the crises of the capitalist system!

For the unity of communist and workers’ parties!

For proletarian internationalism!

For the struggle of workers and peoples against imperialism and capitalism!

For communism!

Long live the Cuban Revolution!