Note: This episode was, after several reschedules, recorded via Whatsapp Audio Call, with Charles joining me from Cuba at 4 in the morning his time. Although we chose the most reliable means of communication, and editing has helped, the call cut out at points and there are several moments in the podcast where the audio crackles or glitches. I’m grateful to Charles for his patience, and I hope you find the conversation I valuable as we did. In this episode, Charles McKelvey and I discuss Cuba’s political system of people’s democracy, the historical development of the Cuban Revolution, and the ongoing struggle for socialism in the 21st century. The conversation draws on Charles’s 25 years of travel to and study of Cuba, and covers the realities of life under the US blockade, how Cuba’s democratic system actually works, and why the Western left has failed to understand it. We explore: * From conservatism to socialism – Charles’s intellectual journey from a conservative upbringing in 1950s Philadelphia, through the anti-war and Black Power movements, to the Centre for Inner City Studies in Chicago, and finally to Cuba. * Life under the blockade – What daily life is like in Cuba right now and the determination of the Cuban people to endure. * Cuba’s people’s democracy – How the political system works: direct elections to 168 municipal assemblies across 12,422 local voting districts, with 85–95% participation, and a National Assembly that holds the highest authority in the nation. * The Communist Party’s role – How the Party selects its members (approximately 15% of the population), educates, guides, and recommends - but does not decide. Only the National Assembly, elected by the people, has the authority to decide. * Fidel and the Revolution – How the 1959 revolution became socialist, the role of Fidel’s leadership, and the agrarian reform that made the revolution anti-neocolonial. * Surviving the Special Period – How Cuba endured the collapse of the Soviet Union, and why the political system of people’s democracy was the foundation of its survival. * Cuba’s achievements – Healthcare, education, science, and the commitment to equality through free, universal education. * What Cuba got wrong – In Charles’ view, the failure to explain the Cuban system to the world, and the cultural challenge of the work ethic. * The Western left’s failure – Why the Western left has failed to understand and explain Cuba’s political system, and the Eurocentrism that underpins this. * Pragmatic socialism – Cuba’s mixed economy: state direction, private enterprise, and foreign investment, and how this compares to China and Vietnam. * The blockade and the future – Why Charles believes the blockade is not eternal, and what a shift in US policy toward Cuba might look like. Charles McKelvey is a retired college professor from the United States who has spent the past 25 years travelling extensively to Cuba, seeking to understand its political-economic-cultural system and writing clear explanations for the English-speaking world. He is the author of the Substack column Knowledge, Ideology, and Real Socialism in Our Times, where he provides commentaries on Cuba, the USA, and the anti-imperialist drive of the Global South from a Marxist-Leninist-Fidelist perspective. You can find Charles’s work here: Charles’ other work: The MAGA Phenomenon: A Marxist-Leninist-Fidelist Analysis People’s Democracy in Cuba Global Learning, Vanguard Press For my written views on Cuba, you can find my piece on Che Guevara here: Thanks for reading Fault Lines Politics! Subscribe free - essays and podcasts on political theory, history, and power, delivered fortnightly. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit faultlinespolitics.substack.com
