Because of its importance, I am prioritizing this subject, among others.

     I am not going to deny that the prerogatives of power, whether real, relative or fictitious, have an influence on human beings, because they were all educated this way, right from the remotest of times of the species.

     I did not arrive in just a minute at what I am thinking today about power, but I consider that this is a matter of consistent thinking.  I attribute the modest contribution of our Revolution to the fact that our responses to questions have never regressed, despite the harsh reality imposed upon us by the empire’s brutal blockade.

     In the reflection published on July 31^st, I explained what it meant for me to have spent a year gathering information and meditating in depth on the vital problems which today threaten our species as never before.

     On July 24^th , the Russian news agency Ria Novosti published the following information:

     Colonel General Leonid Ivashov, a defense expert, stated that the main instrument of the US policy is the economic, financial, technological and military dictate.

     By implementing this, the US is trying to secure the world’s hegemony for itself.  Its national security strategy explicitly indicates the necessity of guaranteeing sustainable access, in other words, controlled access, to the key regions of the planet, strategic communications and global resources.  It is a strategy that has been turned into a law, and this brings us to the conclusion that in the future the United States will face even tougher conflicts with Russia, China and India.

     Washington insists on building a system capable of neutralizing the nuclear potential of Moscow and Peking, its strategic rivals, in order to achieve military superiority.  The United States wants to deploy its anti-missile shield not just in Europe but also in other parts of the world, to see what is going on in Russia and China.  Likewise, it is seeking to increase its offensive arsenal at a pace that surpasses even that which was followed during the Cold War.

     After the collapse of the Soviet Union, NATO lost the status it had as a defensive organization when it was founded in 1949, and was transformed into a powerful and aggressive instrument at the service of the world oligarchy, eager to dominate the world.  The new strategic concept of the Alliance, approved on April 1999 as a result of the efforts made by the United States, comprises new functions and expands its sphere of responsibilities to include the entire world, not just the North Atlantic.  The current Secretary General of NATO, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, frequently visits Australia, New Zealand and Japan.  The Alliance has started to ignore International Law and the UN Security Council.  Meanwhile, the United States promotes the expansion of NATO and refuses to ratify the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE), taking on the right to act outside of any limitations and disposing of troops as it wishes.

     The United States would do anything in its power to prevent Russia from being an autonomous player.  The debates on anti-missile defence, Iran and Kosovo, have not generated any formulas for compromise.

      It is important for Russia to consolidate its positions and recover its geopolitical potential.  Early on the 1970’s, when Moscow had achieved nuclear parity with Washington, the latter became aware of the fact that it could not beat Moscow militarily and accepted to negotiate on equal terms. Consequently, in 1972, the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty (ABMT) as well as all other subsequent Strategic Arms Limitations Treaties (SALT) were signed.  Strength is the only thing that the United States cares about.  If it feels to be in a stronger position, it will never make concessions to anyone.

            In order to neutralize the plans for world hegemony it is necessary to build an alternative pole, and we already have the foundations to do so:  the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). 

            In fact, it appears to be rather incorrect to speak about the United States strength.  The United States has military power, a vigorous economy and an enormous amount of hard currency which it can mint in unlimited quantities, but the geopolitical level of the country is extremely low.  The United States inspires very little political confidence in the rest of the world.

     In 1999, China and Russia stated before the UN General Assembly the need to preserve the Anti Missile Defense Treaty of 1972.  All nations voted in favour of the proposal except for four: the United States, Israel, Albania and Micronesia.  The result bears witness to the United States’ total international isolation. 

      Without the participation of Russia, it would be impossible to resolve the situation that has taken shape in the Middle East, the Balkans, the Korean Peninsula and other regions of this planet.  This also holds true for China, which is able to put up to the pressures exerted by the United States.  China enjoys great prestige in the world; it has a powerful economy and a strong currency.

      The SCO ought to recruit new allies and combine the potential of those countries which want to and are capable of implementing an autonomous policy.  First, it is necessary to officially proclaim the rejection against the United States world hegemony.  Second, China and Russia must denounce the deployment of the US anti-missile defense system before the UN Security Council, as an action altering the architecture of global security and threatening the entire international community.  China, India and Russia could form a united front in the face of the United States’ dictates.  It is also possible to propose the stabilization of the global financial system as a task.  Within the SCO framework, a novel philosophy could be formulated, based on the harmony among civilizations and on the rational use of natural resources.  The majority of States will surely support such measures, of that I am convinced.  Thus, a new political pole will come into being, the pole of peace.  The SCO mission is to create a new model of development for human civilization.

      Only an alliance of civilizations could oppose the United States’ empire: the Russian civilization whose orbit includes the Community of Independent States (CIS); the Chinese, the Indian, the Islamic and the Latin American civilizations.  It is an immense space where we could create more equitable markets, our own stable financial system, our collective security mechanisms and our philosophy, giving priority to the intellectual development of man in the face of western modern civilization, which emphasizes material goods, and measures success by the amounts of mansions, yachts and restaurants people have.  Our mission is to reorient the world towards justice and intellectual and spiritual growth.

     So much for Ivashov’s essential thoughts, as published by Ria Novosti.

     We have been able to find out that General Leonid Ivashov is Vice President of the Academy on Geopolitical Affairs; he was Secretary of the Council of Defence Ministers of the Community of Independent States (CIS). On September 11, 2001, the day when the tragic events in New York occurred, which served as a pretext to define the basis of the genocidal policy of the United States almost 6 years ago, General Ivashov was chief of the Military Cooperation Department in the Russian Federation Defence Ministry. He is a truly well-informed man.  It is worthwhile that our people know about his views.

     The concern which the Cuban Revolution has always had about the education of the people is obvious.  Judging by my own experience, I soon came across the idea that only conscience could prevail over the instincts that govern us.  Technological advances today speak of the possibility of manipulating the functions of the cells in the human brain.  What good would all this do in a world ruled by the commercial value of goods and services?  Who will have the final say in this regard?  By this means and through the shameless brain drain, a phenomenon we should adamantly continue to discuss, the most valuable part of the human being could be destroyed: a human being's education via its conscience.

   Laboratories can produce medicines to save lives, which could be something of great social value provided such products are available to all.  But laboratories are also manufacturing all kinds of weapons that could put an end to human life.

     Commercial advertising and consumerism are incompatible with the survival of the species.  After all possible calculations, you will realize that natural resources, space, climate, weather, and the system cannot yield any other outcome, given their pace and the direction in which they are moving. 

Fidel Castro Ruz

August 3, 2007.

7:15 p.m.