On July 20, Trump administration Secretary of State Marco Rubio released a 100-page report titled “Cuba: The Capital of 21st Century Communism,” which alleges that Havana directs decades-long subversion, espionage, and radical leftist movements within the U.S. The report’s incendiary allegations, not backed up by any evidence, links a long list of American progressive activists, human rights organizations and labor unions to what’s described as the threat of “Far Left Terrorism.” The report’s release comes as Trump has imposed an oil embargo on Cuba, creating a humanitarian crisis on the island nation.
Political observers believe the release of this document points to the administration’s intention to use these unsupported charges to justify a future U.S. military attack against Cuba, to criminalize progressive activists and move forward with indictments and arrests, and possibly use the absurd claim that Cuba poses a threat to this November’s midterm election, in order to delegitimize or manipulate the outcome.
Between The Lines’ Scott Harris spoke with Chris Hedges, a Pulitzer Prize–winning former New York Times foreign correspondent and author, who asserts that the Trump regime—by weaponizing anti-Cuba rhetoric—is preparing for McCarthyite blacklisting and criminalizing of U.S. progressive activists.
CHRIS HEDGES: This definitely lays the groundwork for an assault against the left. That’s not hidden. You have this hundred-page report, which is a pretty remarkable non-reality-based document that demonizes all sorts of groups, Code Pink, as either front groups or fellow travelers. I mean, I found it just stunning in its mendacity. I mean, for example, it goes after the Inter-Religious Foundation for Community Organization. This is known as the IFCO. This is an ecumenical social justice organization that was founded by the Presbyterian Church. And they describe this as part of, I’m quoting, “Cuba’s Solidarity Network, which facilitates radical agitation within the United States.” I mean, the whole notion that mainstream Protestant denominations like the Presbyterian Church—I actually happen to be an ordained Presbyterian minister—of fomenting radical agitation is absurd. But what this report is essentially doing is criminalizing any group that provides humanitarian assistance to Cuba, which I just want to flag is not a crime.
It spends a lot of time demonizing the National Lawyers Guild, along with Democratic Socialists of America, describes the NLG. The NLG is an important, all activists know it. It’s a very important legal organization where volunteer lawyers, they’ve represented me when I’ve been arrested in front of the White House for protesting the endless wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, etc. They describe it as quoting, “One of the most persistently relevant and insidious organization in Cuba’s US network.” We’re really at a situation that’s worse than McCarthyism because McCarthyism blacklisted individuals. But what this administration is doing is essentially blacklisting institutions, including universities such as Harvard, Columbia, which unfortunately their administrations have folded under this frontal assault. So yes, it’s a very insidious and dangerous document. And I think as I do in my Substack column, you have to pair it with the assault against the elections.
SCOTT HARRIS: Well, Chris, should we be cautious and not take this report too seriously, given the fact that there’s a concerted strategy in the Trump White House to say or do something outrageous almost every day, normalizing what I think is vile, anti-democratic and irrational policies? Could this be another case of just more nonsense throwing spaghetti against the wall, following Trump whisperers, Steve Bannon’s theory of “flooding the zone”? Conversely, what’s the danger of not taking this set of bogus McCarthyite accusations seriously?
CHRIS HEDGES: No, I think you have to take it very seriously. I mean, although it’s not based in reality,
The idea that the National Lawyers Guild or Code Pink are somehow subversive Cuban proxies trying to spread communism, they don’t care. I mean, fascist regimes are about denouncing dissidents as a mortal threat to the nation and then crushing them. And no totalitarian state is honest in terms of presenting evidence to justify this repression. It’s all traditionally fictitious, but you have to look at the language that is used. I mean, for instance, they go after Democratic Socialists of America and they say that the DSA serves, and I’m going to again quote, “As a particularly potent illustration of the ideological victory of Cuba’s effort to position itself as a spiritual capital of Third World radicalism. These networks, the report claims include,” again, I’m quoting, “powerful leftist nonprofits, anti-ICE collectives, socialist groups, and Marxist militant organizations in the U.S.” It claims that these groups are either directly tools of Cuba or fellow travelers with Cuba.
Again, I’m going to quote, “That has sought to undermine, degrade, destabilize America with spies and soldiers, but also with students and intellectuals, with terrorist cells, but also with solidarity committees and nonprofit networks with intelligence officers operating under diplomatic cover.” This is really, really scary language because it essentially brands all of us. I am a supporter of the DSA and was Ralph Nader’s speech writer and am a socialist. It really brands us as not just traitors, but as terrorists. So I think we have to take it very, very, very seriously. I think it is a very clear signal of where we’re headed and it’s not good.
Listen to Scott Harris’ in-depth interview with Chris Hedges (34:42) and see more articles and opinion pieces in the related links section of this page. To subscribe to our podcasts, email newsletters, our Between The Lines Radio Newsmagazine Substack or social media, subscribe here.
