Features

The threat and consequences of nuclear war

Message to the National Assembly: Year 52 of the Revolution

Fidel Castro

2010-08-12, Issue 494

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/features/66662

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cc Carolonline‘Given the fact that Iran will not give an inch to the demands of the United States and Israel, which have already mobilised several of the means of warfare to their disposal, they will have to launch the attack as soon as the date agreed by the Security Council on June 9, 2010 – with the established rules and requirements – expires. There is a limit to all what man hopes to achieve, which he cannot surpass. In this critical case, President Barack Obama is the one who would give the order to start the so much announced and publicised attack, following the rules of the gigantic empire,' proclaims Fidel Castro.

At the beginning, only eight weeks ago, I thought there was no possible solution to the imminent danger of a war. The situation before my eyes was so tragic that I thought there was no other way out but the possibility to survive – quite likely perhaps – in the region of this hemisphere that for no reason could become a target of a direct attack, as well as some isolated regions of the planet.

It was very difficult to figure that out, knowing that human beings always cling to some sort of perspective, however remote.

Despite everything, I tried.

Fortunately, I did not take long to realise that there was one hope – as a matter of fact, a very profound one. However, if that possibility was missed, the disaster would lead to the worst consequences. Then there might be no possible salvation for the human species.

Nevertheless, I strongly believe this would not be the case. Quite on the contrary, the conditions for what seemed to be only until very recently an undreamed-of situation are right now in the making.

One man, the president of the United States, will have to take this decision on his own. Quite certainly, given his multiple occupations, he has not realised that as yet, but his advisors have started to get an understanding of the situation, judging by the simple actions that have been taken, such as the ceasing of the tortures imposed on Gerardo, something that had not been done during the last twelve years of implacable hatred by the system against Cuba and against him. Today one could predict that the next step would be the authorisation that would allow Adriana to visit him in prison or his immediate release or both. It was through Adriana that I learned that, after twelve years of unjust and cruel imprisonment, his morale is now higher than ever.

Given the fact that Iran will not give an inch to the demands of the United States and Israel, which have already mobilised several of the means of warfare to their disposal, they will have to launch the attack as soon as the date agreed by the Security Council on June 9, 2010 – with the established rules and requirements – expires.

There is a limit to all what man hopes to achieve, which he cannot surpass.

In this critical case, President Barack Obama is the one who would give the order to start the so much announced and publicised attack, following the rules of the gigantic empire.

However, just at the moment when he gives that order, which would be, besides, the only one he could give, taking into account the power, the speed and the uncountable number of nuclear missiles accumulated as a result of an absurd competition among powers, he would also be ordering the immediate death not only of hundreds of millions of persons, among them an incalculable number of citizens of his own country, but also the crew members of all the vessels of the US fleet deployed in the seas surrounding Iran. A war will break out simultaneously in the Near and Middle East as well as in all Eurasia.

Fate would have it that, on that precise moment, the US President would be a person of African and White, Mohammedan and Christian descent. HE WILL NOT GIVE SUCH ORDER!!!, unless we help him become aware of it. And this is what we are doing here.

The leaders of the most powerful countries in the world, whether allies or adversaries, with the exception of Israel, would encourage him not to do it.

After that the world will bestow upon him all the honours he might deserve.

The order that has been currently established in the planet shall not be able to last. Soon after, it will inevitably collapse.

The so-called hard currencies will lose their value as the instrument of the system that has exacted a contribution of wealth and unlimited sweat and sacrifice from the peoples.

New forms of distribution of goods and services, education and management of social processes will peacefully emerge, but if a war breaks out, the current social order will disappear abruptly at a much higher cost.

The population in the planet could be regulated; non-renewable resources could be preserved; climate change could be prevented; all human beings could be guaranteed a useful employment; the ill could be assisted; essential knowledge, culture and science to the service of man could be guaranteed. The children, adolescents and youth of the world will not perish in that nuclear holocaust.

This is the message I wanted to convey to you, dear comrades of our National Assembly.

I am now ready to account for my words, answer the questions you may want to ask me and listen to your opinions.

Thank you, very much.

* Speech to the FIRST SPECIAL SESSION OF THE SEVENTH LEGISLATURE OF THE NATIONAL PEOPLE’S POWER ASSEMBLY OF CUBA


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