U.S. "Presidential Message on Cuban Independence Day, 2025" and the Narratives of Revolution

 

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 The White House posted a message on the anniversary of the day traditionally celebrated as Independence Day in Cuba. That message, Presidential Message on Cuban Independence Day, 2025, reinforced a number of narrative points, some of which might be worth emphasizing.  

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The first was to shift narrative focus back to the day traditionally celebrated as the day on which sovereign authority was transferred to the Cuban people in 1902 (20 May) and away from the 26th of July, the date celebrated as the day of Revolutionary Victory by the forces led by Fidel Castro in 1959. The difference in narrative is important.  Traditionally, 20 May 1902 marked the date that the United States transferred authority from its military occupation forces to Cuban authorities, and when Tomás Estrada Palma was sworn in as the first president of the Cuban Republic, four years or so after the Spanish conceded the end of their control over what had been their overseas colony. For the current government, it could be argued that many have taken the position that Cuban independence was not established either in 1898, nor in 1902, but with the victory of Fidel Castro in 1959. The narrative starting point then orients any analysis of Cuban history. 

The second suggests the continuing role of the United States as the protector of the Cuban people  (as in the late 19th century) against oppression, whether foreign or domestic. That narrative line is also critically important and underscores the consistent position of the United States in seeking regime change in Cuba as a condition for normalized relations. Indeed, even during the briefest of thawing in relations toward the end of the Obama Administration, President Obama made clear that regime change was never off the table, though  persuasion rather than force was to be the method of choice. See  Remarks by President Obama to the People of Cuba (22 March 2016). 

I’ve made it clear that the United States has neither the capacity, nor the intention to impose change on Cuba. What changes come will depend upon the Cuban people. We will not impose our political or economic system on you. We recognize that every country, every people, must chart its own course and shape its own model. But having removed the shadow of history from our relationship, I must speak honestly about the things that I believe -- the things that we, as Americans, believe. As Marti said, “Liberty is the right of every man to be honest, to think and to speak without hypocrisy.”

So let me tell you what I believe. I can't force you to agree, but you should know what I think. I believe that every person should be equal under the law. (Applause.) Every child deserves the dignity that comes with education, and health care and food on the table and a roof over their heads. (Applause.) I believe citizens should be free to speak their mind without fear -- (applause) -- to organize, and to criticize their government, and to protest peacefully, and that the rule of law should not include arbitrary detentions of people who exercise those rights. (Applause.) I believe that every person should have the freedom to practice their faith peacefully and publicly. (Applause.) And, yes, I believe voters should be able to choose their governments in free and democratic elections. (Applause.) ( Remarks by President Obama to the People of Cuba (22 March 2016).)

Those words rankled in Cuba, of course, and the results were predictable, except perhaps to the American elites.  At a time when actions would have resonated better, the temptation to use words overpowered reason, and here we are. 

Third, at its most pointed was a message--that indeed the revolution is not over, and that what had been started in the countryside with the resistance to the March 1952 coup  has yet to run its course. This is not just the usual and tired language of regime change.  Done better--and perhaps Secretary Rubio is up to the task for which he is a notable champion--the narrative recasts the Revolution in a way that permits its rhetorical strengths to be turned against it. That is, the language of the Revolution incomplete, the language of the Revolution abandoned, the language of the Revolution betrayed might go much father in advancing the desires of the United States than the usual self serving rhetoric that is as worn out on its side, as that which remains vibrant only perhaps for those who still remain and remember 1959, and the leadership of the established order. The narrative shift would effectively transpose the notion of the striving for the perfection of the revolution from the revolutionaries and their allies who ascended to power at the moment of the defeat of the last non-communist leader in 1959 and move it to a new vanguard of revolutionary forces seeking to perfect the cause but for quite different ends. There is a hint of this here.  

That could have been the aim but the U.S. is traditionally not good at things like this. The biggest obstacle, of course, are self-imposed.  That could have been the aim but the U.S. is traditionally not good at things like this. The current Cuban government can only rejoice in that knowledge, though they earn little for the effort of stabilizing their version of the revolution as a perpetual state of misery (see Cuba and the Constitution of a Stable State of Misery: Ideology, Economic Policy, and Popular Discipline). Like many factions in Cuba, and like the Partido Comunista de Cuba itself, most groups look backwards--to that critical day in January 1959.  One want to return to the moment before 1 January 1959, the other wants to freeze in time that moment of victory and protect its a-historical essence. (Discussed in the essays, Cuba's Caribbean Marxism (2018)).

In the meantime, the games continue around the equilibrium point of the unfinished revolution the direction of which remains an open issue. The text of Presidential Message on Cuban Independence Day, 2025follows below. 

 

Office of the First Lady

Presidential Message on Cuban Independence Day, 2025

The White House

May 20, 2025

On May 20, 1902, after years of fierce warfare in the late 19th century, the Cuban flag was raised for the first time in a mighty victory for the cause of freedom.  This Cuban Independence Day, we honor the courageous patriots who broke free from Spanish colonial rule to heroically embrace the eternal values of liberty, sovereignty, and human dignity.  My Administration offers its heartfelt support to the people of Cuba as they once again seek to secure their God-given rights—and we recommit to assisting them in their righteous pursuit of self-government.

For far too long, the communist Cuban regime has trampled on the rights of its people to lead lives of freedom—and has caused endless poverty, suffering, and hardship.  America will continue to work alongside our allies and partners in the Western Hemisphere to bring stability, liberty, cooperation, and a free future to the people of Cuba.

As President, I also stand firmly united with the millions of Cuban Americans who have courageously escaped the horrors of Cuban communism, rejected the evils of tyranny, and built their lives, families, and futures on American shores.  America benefits greatly from the strength, warmth, and generosity of millions of Cuban Americans, who have contributed to our way of life.

Today, we honor the strength of all those who have dedicated their lives to fighting for their beloved homeland.  We pay tribute to the distinctive role Cuban Americans have played in our national story.  Above all, we renew our resolve to support the Cuban people in their quest for security, prosperity, and independence.