Now Available on Kindle "Cuba’s Caribbean Marxism: Essays on Ideology, Government, Society, and Economy in the Post Fidel Castro Era"

I am happy to report the publication of Cuba’s Caribbean Marxism: Essays on Ideology, Government, Society, and Economy in the Post Fidel Castro Era (Little Sir Press 2018; ISBN: 978-1-949943-00-9 (pbk); I SBN: 978-1-949943-01-6 (ebk)). The book includes a brilliant Foreword by Flora Sapio.  The book is available on Kindle and through other eBook distributors. Order Kindle edition HERE.  Other ordering information to follow.

Over the course of future posts I will be introducing  readers to the book. This post includes the Detailed Table of Contents and Summary Introduction.

HERE for the video recording of the launch event for Cuba's Caribbean Marxism: Essays on Ideology, Government, Society, and Economy in the Post Fidel Castro Era, which took place 12 November 2018 at Penn State

Contents

Foreword                                                                                               xi

                  Flora Sapio

Preface and Acknowledgements                                                                           xvii

                  Thanks                                                                                                               xvii

                  Acknowledgements                                                                                        xviii

List of Terms and Abbreviations                                                                 xxii

Introduction                                                                                     1

Chapter 1: Pearl of the Caribbean and Mother of Marxism      5

            1.1 Cuban Transformation Since European Discovery          6

            1.2 Organization of the Chapters that Follow                       11

            1.3 References                                                                         16

Chapter 2: The Centrality of Ideology to Caribbean

            Marxism                                                                                19

            2.1 Ideological Paths Toward Socialist Modernization:        

                        China Versus Cuba                                                    22

                        2.1.1 The Centrality of Ideology                                25

                        2.12. The Cuban Ideological Path—From

                                    Revolution To Lineamientos                             27

                        2.1.3 The Consequences of Ideology for State and

                                    Party Organization and Function                   29

            2.2 The Consequences of Ideology on Economic

                        Reform: Occupational Licensing, Cooperatives

                        and Ley 118                                                                36

                        2.2.1 The Cuban Legal Context                                 36

                        2.2.2 China and Alternative Paths to Marxism

                                    Leninism                                                         39

            2.3 Ideology and Transition—Cuba at a Crossroads             43

            2.4 Conclusion                                                                        45

            2.5 References                                                                         48

Chapter 3: Cuban Leninism as Praetorian Marxism                 55

            3.1 Cuba in a Wider Marxist-Leninist Context                     56

            3.2 The Comparative View from North Korea                      58

            3.3 Conclusion                                                                        68

            3.4 References                                                                         69

Chapter 4: “Order, Discipline, and Exigency:” From

            Ideology to Lineamientos and Reform with Cuban

            Characteristics                                                                        71

            4.1 The Lineamientos                                                                       79

                              4.1.1 General Provisions                                            81

                        4.1.2 Education                                                           84

                        4.1.3 Sport                                                                  93

                        4.1.4 Culture                                                              95

            4.2 Moving Forward                                                               98

            4.3 Conclusion                                                                        111

            4.4 Appendix A                                                                      112

            4.4 References                                                                         113

Chapter 5: The Current State of Political Ideology:

            Caribbean Marxism from Lineamientos to

            (Re)Conceptualization  of the Political and

            Economic Model                                                                  119

            5.1 The Process of the 7^th PCC Congress: A Step Back

                        from the 6^th PCC Congress or a Step Forward for

                        Socialist Democracy?                                                  125

            5.2 The Substance of the 7^th PCC Congress: ‘Reform

                        and Opening Up’ or a Failure to Adjust to a

                        New Era?                                                                    135

            5.3 Conclusions and Implications                                          150

            5.4 References                                                                         154

Chapter 6: The Ideology of Central Planning in the

            Economic and Social Development Plan 2030               159

            6.1 The Plan Nacional de Desarrollo Económico y

                                    Social Hasta 2030 (National Economic

                        and Social Development Plan 2030) (PNDES)         163

                        6.1.1 Introduction (¶¶ 1-11); ONDES Section 1       164

                        6.1.2 Guiding Principles and Thematic Categories

                                    for the Elaboration of PNDES                       165

                        6.1.3 National Vision 2030; PNDES Section III        166

                        6.1.4 Strategic Themes; PNDES Section IV              167

                        6.1.5 Identification of Strategic Economic Sectors

                                    (¶¶ 221-251); PNDES Section V                   174

                        6.1.6 Definitions and Glosses on Key Terms            177

            6.2 From Theory to Decision-Making Structures: How

                        PNDES Informs Approaches to Development

                        Without Market Mechanisms                                    180

                        6.2.1 Extracting and Restating PNDES as

                                    Algorithm                                                       182

                                    1. Core Vision                                                 183

                                    2. Second Order Calculus for

                                                Discrete Decision Making                  185

                                    3. Putting the Equations Together                 191

                        6.2.2 The Caveats                                                       193

            6.3 Conclusion                                                                        195

            6.4 References                                                                         196

Chapter 7: Sovereign Finance, Odious Debt Doctrine,

            and Reform                                                                          199

            7.1 Traditional Odious Draft Doctrine                                  205

            7.2 From a Focus on the Debtor to a Focus on the Lender   210

            7.3 Application to the Situation in Cuba                               217

            7.4 The Silver Lining                                                              221

                        7.4.1 Mandatory Terms and Safe Harbors                 225

                        7.4.2 Presumptions of Benefit                                    226

                        7.4.3 From Repudiation to Responsibility Shifting   226

                        7.4.4 Limiting the Bite of Complicity While

                                    Managing its Occurrence                                227

                        7.4.5 Normalizing Systems of Management of

                                    Global Debt in Global Institutions                228

            7.5 Conclusion                                                                        229

            7.6 References                                                                         230

Chapter 8: The Role of Labor Cooperatives in Cuban

            Reform                                                                                  237

            8.1 Economic Organizations in Cuba—Limiting

                        Power of Individuals to Aggregate Capital or

                        Labor Absent State Oversight                                    242

                        8.1.1 Resetting the Regulatory

                                    Context—The Lineamientos                           242

                        8.1.2 Economic Organization—The Omnipresent

                                    State Sector                                                     248

                        8.1.3 Private Enterprise                                              249

            8.2 The Cooperative in Cuba—An Increasingly Flexible

                        Post-Revolutionary Device                                         254

                        8.2.1 History of Cooperatives in Cuba Post 1959     254

                        8.2.2 Cooperatives in the Lineamientos and

                                    Beyond—Party Line and Legal Changes        255

                        8.2.3 The Cooperative as Proletarian Corporation    258

            8.3 The Cooperative in Global Context—Theory and

                        Engagement in Cuba and the ALBA Zone                 268

            8.4 Conclusion                                                                        272

            8.5 References                                                                         274

Chapter 9: The Challenge of Regulatory Reform: The

            Example of Labor Cooperative Regulation                     279

            9.1 The PCC Guidance for Labor Cooperative Regulation    282

                        9.1.1 The Lineamientos                                                       283

                        9.1.2 The Thrust of the PCC Guidance                      287

            9.2 The December 2012 Regulatory Framework                   287

                        9.2.1 Consejo de Estado Decreto-Ley No. 305

                                    (Consejo de estado 2012ª)—

                                    The Corporate Law of Cooperatives               288

                        9.2.2 Consejo de Estado Decreto-Ley

                                    No. 306—Governmental Impositions

                                    and the private sector contributions

                                    to the National Social Security System          299

                        9.2.3 Council of Ministers Decree                            

                                    No. 309—The Implementing Regulations     300

                        9.2.4 The Ministerial Resolutions

            9.3 The Problem of Labor and the Construction of

                        Socialism in Cuba                                                       306

                        9.3.1 The Lineamientos Point to Conceptual

                                    Differences Among PCC Factions                  307

                        9.3.2 The Economic Reforms May be

                                    Impeded by the Need for Legal Reform        310

                        9.3.3 The Regulations Produce the Form of

                                    Rule of Law Frameworks but Preserve

                                    the Political Discretion of the State

                                    to Make the Rules Available to Individuals   311

            9.4 The Problem of Labor Under the Regime of Capital       313

            9.5 Conclusion                                                                        316

            9.6 References                                                                         317

Chapter 10: Globalization and the Caribbean Marxist

            Multinational: Cuba and Regional Trade                        321

            10.1 The Grannacional—As Concept, Project, and

                        Enterprise                                                                    326

            10.2 From Theory to Practice: Just Commerce,

                        Grannacional Organization, and the Misones                       336

            10.3 Points of Conflict and Intersection Between

                        ALBA ‘Just Commerce’ Principles and

                        International Human Rights Standards                     347

            10.4 Conclusion                                                                      359

            10.5 References                                                                       360

Chapter 11: Reform and Global Corporate Social

            Responsibility: Inbound Investment, and

            Outbound Economic Activity                                            367

            11.1 The Emerging Structures of Global Human Rights      370

                        11.1.1 The UNGPs                                                     370

                        11.1.2 The OECD Guidelines for MNEs                   371

                        11.1.3 The UN Global Compact                                372

                        11.1.4 BITs with Human Rights Components          372

                        11.1.5 Third Party Standards                                      373

                        11.1.6 MNE Internal Norms as the ‘Internal Law’

                                    of the Enterprise                                             373

            11.2 Cuban Investment Structure                                         374

                        11.2.1 Inbound Investment                                        374

                        11.2.2 Outbound Investment                                     376

            11.3 When Global Regulation Initiatives Collide                 377

                        with Cuban Practice

                        11.3.1 Convergence Through Trade and Trade

                                    Practice                                                           378

                        11.3.2 Pressure from MNE Trading Partners and

                                    Investors                                                         380

                        11.3.3 Pressure from International Financial

                                    Institutions (IFIs)                                          381

                        11.3.4 Convergence Through Trade Agreements      386

            11.4 Flash Points and Conflict Zones                                    387

            11.5 Conclusion                                                                      389

            11.6 References                                                                       390

Chapter 12: From Ideology to Cuban Constitutional Reform 397

            12.1 A New Constitution for Cuba: Principles and Reform 401

            12.2 The Constitution as Nkisi: Hope, Desire,

                        and Distrust in Cuban Constitutional Reform          410

            12.3 Popular Referendum and Popular Constitution:

                        Socialist Democracy in Caribbean Marxism              417

            12.4 Conclusion                                                                     422

            12.5 References                                                                       423

Afterword                                                                                         427

 

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Introduction

      This book is about ideology.  Ideology is the conceptual foundation for the individual and societal self-constitution. Ideology is the “fiat lux” (Genesis 1:3) of human organization, of self-awareness translatable into the organization of self and the self’s relations with others, and the development of systems for their orderly operation. It is the constitution of the basic taboos and compulsions that produce self-awareness and the referents from which the world can be known--and ordered. Ideology is the way in which objects are signified, and the way these can be made to point to truth or to lie.

         The theory and practice of ideology is usually of relevance in the margins of the study of law, politics, economics and the like.  It is sometimes understood as “after the fact” posturing or rationalization of little intrinsic value except perhaps to students of propaganda.  It is sometimes assumed that ‘nobody believes it;’ ideology is also said to be used and consumed but never embedded in the way people or institutions think or operate. This book will suggest that ideology quite consciously delimits but also makes possible the development of the principles through which individuals and communities can understand the world around.  That fundamental understanding, made possible within the basic premises for ordering the world that constitutes ideology, is the essential understanding the sufficiency of which makes possible the ordering of social, political and economic lives and institutions, from and around these basic building block premises.  

         This book is also more particularly about Cuba. Cuba serves as an ongoing living experiment in the possibilities of molding individuals and the society along the lines suggested by application of a quite explicit set of grounding principles. Is it possible to view the world solely from a very specific set of premises--in this case derived from European Marxist-Leninism and forged in the context of the socio-political effort of a small state to protect an autonomy from a powerful neighbor expressed as fundamental differences in social, economic, political and cultural organization? In the striving for that answer lies sometimes profound insights into the way that the interaction of ideology and social organization produces quite specific and sometimes predictable approaches to organization and protection of belief systems and their expression through self-disciplining institutions--even in the face of sometimes overwhelming external threat (or the blandishments of substantial material riches). Since 1959, the Cuban experiment with its own increasingly unique brand of Marxism-Leninism has been undertaken with extraordinary transparency. Like other important ideology producing states--the United States, China, and the European Union, Cuba has made it easy to examine the arc of inter-relationship between the development of ideology and the efforts, only sometimes successful, to embed that ideology in the operations of the institutions of Cuban politics, economics, culture, and international relations.

         The essays that comprise the twelve chapters of this book are drawn from a decade and more of thinking about Cuban ideology and its application in the wake of the passing of Fidel Castro, the charismatic founder of what these essays identify as Caribbean Marxism. Many of the chapters were first presented at a number of annual conferences of the Association for the Study of the Cuban Economy,  a non-profit, non-political organization incorporated in the state of Maryland in 1990 affiliated with the American Economic Association and the Allied Social Sciences Association of the United States. Together, these essays consider the arc of Cuban development during a crucial period from the effective assumption of power by Raúl Castro to the beginnings of efforts to prepare for the conclusion of the period of Cuban history dominated by the generation that brought to success the 1959 Revolution that ushered in the current socio-political system. 

The book is divided into twelve chapters, including this one. They are informally divided into two parts. The first seven chapters develop the conceptual framework for understanding Caribbean Marxism as a theory and the challenges that theory poses in the face of reform necessitated by changes in historical condition.  Chapters 2 and 3 develop the baselines of Caribbean Marxism as to its normative principles (Chapter 2) and its organizational structures (Chapter 3). Chapter 4 then considers the role and principles of reform within those structures. Chapters 5 and 6 consider the way that reform has altered basic theoretical premises (Chapter 5), and the principles through which economic activity is conceptualized and organized (Chapter 6). Lastly, Chapter 7 takes Caribbean Marxism outward by examining the way it sees itself in the world and in shaping global discourse in the context of sovereign finance and its political ramifications.

The book shifts focus in Chapters 8 through 12. Where Chapters 1 though 7 examine Caribbean Marxism in more abstract terms, Chapters 8 through 12 focus on the concrete manifestation of these abstract structures in several key areas--economic organization of the private sector, trade and investment, and lastly the project of constitutional reform.  Chapters 8 and 9 consider the labor cooperative as a specific example of the way that ideology shapes reform, and constrains implementation.  Chapters 10 and 11 turn to the outward expression of Caribbean Marxism.  If Chapter 10 considers the projection of Caribbean Marxism outward, Chapter 11 considers the projection inward of global standards to Cuban economic activity. Chapter 12 ends this collection of essays by return to where they started--in an examination of the way that ideology shapes the core organization of the administrative state itself. Its focus specifically is the 2018 Cuban Constitutional reform initiative, through which ideology is incarnated in the organs of state.

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