00:00And as the 34th discussion on the resolution presented by Cuba on the U.S. blockade,
00:09we are going to have a special guest with us to also help us understand what is happening
00:14today at the United Nations headquarters. Adrienne Pine, she is a doctor in anthropology,
00:21also domestic policy analyst. Hello, Adrienne. Welcome to From the South. Thank you for your time.
00:29Hello, Alejandra. Good to be here. Adrienne, a few days ago, Cuba denounced what it is classified
00:39as a diplomatic pressure imposed by the U.S. on other countries and member states of the United
00:45Nations. How were we able to witness that diplomatic pressure today? How it has been exposed during the
00:53presentation of U.S. diplomatic representative? Well, what we've seen from the U.S. line is
01:02that, of course, they're claiming that absurd things. They're claiming that Cuba somehow has
01:09millions and millions of dollars that they're stashing away and that somehow it's Cuba that's
01:14responsible for the incredible pain that the United States is causing them.
01:19And as we've seen, the actions of the Trump administration, and particularly under Marco
01:25Rubio, all along, not just with Cuba, have followed what they call the Don Rowe Doctrine,
01:31the updated Monroe Doctrine, which is an attempt at a fascist takeover of the hemisphere. Thankfully,
01:37they lost in Brazil, so they're not going to be able to count on Brazil's support. But they're
01:42certainly putting pressure on their vassal states, on the governments that align with the United
01:47States in Latin America in particular, which now, unfortunately, is a majority of them because
01:55of the electoral interference and stolen elections throughout the hemisphere in the past year.
02:01But it's certainly not going to be successful. We've seen this. This is the 34th year, if I'm not
02:11mistaken. And every year, the countries of the world overwhelmingly vote in favor of Cuba and against
02:17the blockade. And this year, they may convince a few countries to, you know, they may convince them
02:24to go on their side. But the result is not going to be fundamentally different.
02:29Also, how has Washington used its diplomatic influence to also divert or try to attempt to
02:37divert the rest of the member states in the United Nations to vote against this resolution?
02:44How is it using its pressure on them?
02:47Well, the United States has one tactic and it's threats. It's I mean, there's a variety of ways that
02:55it carries out threats. It's through these the unilateral coercive measures, for example,
03:01threats of sanctions against countries who don't respect the United States's blockade against Cuba,
03:08threats of tariffs, you know, threats of war in, you know, in, in, in around the world, the way that
03:17the United States acts and the way that it acts with regard to getting countries on board with its Cuba
03:24policy of its genocidal Cuba polity is not different from that. So, you know, so we are seeing that
03:31again, and it's had a, you know, a tremendous impact in terms of Cuba's inability to import oil. Of course,
03:40you know, the United States is letting select tankers of rice and, you know, necessary medical goods to get
03:47through certainly well below what Cuba needs, but it is absolutely preventing oil through threats to
03:55countries around the world that might consider sending it in that have sent it in the past. And so,
04:01you know, it's doing that and it's also pressuring them in similar ways to vote against this powerful
04:07resolution in the United Nations.
04:09Also, to what extent does this pressure is also a way to undermine the principle, the right of every
04:18nation to vote independently at the United Nations?
04:23Well, yeah, the U.S. has obviously never respected the sovereignty of other nations in, in, in any
04:31arena. And we see that again with the dramatic elections meddling over the past year, most recently,
04:39in, you know, in, in the first effort that they've lost, which was Brazil. But there's, you know,
04:45the United States' modus operandi is to prevent sovereignty in, in every arena, particularly in
04:54the Americas, because the United States, as Donald Trump laid out in the Don Roe Doctrine, the corollary
05:01to the Monroe Doctrine, considers Latin America to be its backyard and considers itself to be the
05:08rightful colonizer, the rightful owner, really, of the resources of Latin America, which means that
05:14countries are, are not permitted to have sovereignty over their own resources, over their own, what
05:20should be sovereign decisions. So we're preventing democracy and sovereign practices throughout the
05:26Americas, but the United States acts similarly throughout the world where it has, it has extractive
05:33and other interests. Also, what does this say about the current international order?
05:41Oh, you know, well, I think it's, it's interesting, what we're seeing are really
05:45kind of the, the death throes of the US hegemonic power. It's going to have some countries that it's
05:54able to pull along because it's managed to take over their governments through electoral
05:59appearance and other means. And yet we're at a moment where the hatred for the United States, at least
06:06for the government, is greater than it's ever been, where countries around the world recognize that the
06:13fate of Cuba, the fate of Palestine, the fate of Iran, the fate of Yemen are all interconnected with all
06:22of our
06:22fates. And that the United States imposing its violent form of Zionist imperialism around the world is, is harming us
06:31all.
06:32And we're seeing that reflected in, I would say, actually a greater determination among countries within the
06:41UN General Assembly to not allow the United States to, to deny them their sovereign right to vote as they
06:49please.
06:50How would you describe the stance of foreign affairs minister of Cuba in the face of the statements given by
06:57the
06:57US diplomatic representative and also the almost attempts at, at also closing the debate because of, of, of, of the,
07:06of the
07:06stance of, of Cuban foreign affairs minister?
07:11Yes. Well, I mean, I think that the Cubans have shown just incredible diplomatic skill
07:19and patience in the face of what truly is a genocidal attack on them. What we're seeing is a collective
07:26punishment that has increased the death rate in Cuba enormously. It's increased the infant mortality rate.
07:33And, and, and, and it's no different from, from a hot war. And so in the face of this incredible
07:41violence against their country, which of course has lasted for well over six decades now, but is in the
07:48most acute phase it has ever been because of the total blockade that Trump and Marco Rubio have imposed on
07:55the country. It truly is amazing. I think the restraint and the diplomacy we have seen from the Cuban
08:04diplomats, which contrasts from kind of the rabid fear mongering and lies from US diplomats who are
08:13making absurd claims about Cuba trying to overthrow the United States, making absurd claims about massive amounts
08:21of money being held by Cuban, Cuban diplomats, when in fact, Donald Trump and his family have amassed
08:27around $4 billion of private wealth over the course of his presidency. And so the hypocrisy of US officials
08:35is astounding, but Cubans have been very clear in asserting their sovereignty, their right to live
08:43as, as a, as a people. And, and in denouncing the incredible violence of the US government against their,
08:51their self-determination and their sovereign and, and their sovereignty.
08:56Also in that same vein, what does this say about the double standards of the US, precisely how they showed
09:03up in the midst of these, of these, of this controversy that happened at this hour at the United Nations
09:10headquarters?
09:13Yeah, well, I mean, that the US is sort of the, the, the king of double standards. I mean, talking
09:18about
09:19money when the United States, when, when the Trump family has, has earned, you know, created four
09:27billions of dollars of wealth for themselves, about the Cubans be being somehow human rights violators,
09:33when we are the worst human rights violators in the world, when our prison population is, is
09:39among the highest in the world, used to be the highest. But now, of course, El Salvador has that,
09:45has that distinction. And, you know, and the number of political prisoners we have in this country is,
09:51is astounding. So for the United States to claim to take a high moral moral high ground, when it is
09:58the,
09:59the, it is the cause of the incredible violence and suffering that the Cuban people are, are living
10:06through, is, you know, it, it should be astounding, but actually it's not because it is the way that the
10:13United States acts.
10:14And also, what are the implications for the credibility of the United Nations if all our countries are imposing
10:21diplomatic pressures on them in order to divert their vote at the United Nations General Assembly discussion?
10:30Well, yes, I mean, countries have, have always been, uh, subjected to pressure to vote one way or
10:37another to diplomatic pressure. And, um, you know, and that sort of gives, gives the lie to the noble
10:44idea of the United Nations that, and of course the Security Council, which has, is, you know, is the body
10:52that has the power to, you know, make resolutions effective, whereas the UNGA resolutions are, are merely
10:59suggestions. Um, and the Security Council has prevented any action, uh, being taken to, to protect Cuba
11:07against this incredible violence. So, I mean, the United Nations is, of course, uh, an important
11:14attempt to have a truly multilateral, um, world governance. Um, but it is structured in a way
11:23that still gives the greatest power to the empire, to the imperial state, the United States. Um, so there
11:31are opportunities for countries to, you know, to reject this kind of pressure against their sovereignty,
11:38um, more collectively and more loudly. And, um, and despite the fact that the United Nations has not, um,
11:46effectively done anything to protect Cuba, I do think it's important that they're having this vote. And I think
11:51that there is much more that they could do to stand up to the incredible genocidal violence of U.S.
11:59Empire
11:59in that forum. Thank you, Adrián, very much for your time here from the South and helping us understand
12:05what has happened today, which is very serious for the international law, for the respect of the United Nations
12:12child and, and most of all, because it has died consequences for the Cuban people. Thank you. Thank you.
12:18Hello.
12:18Hello.
12:19Hello.
