NEITHER BEIJING NOR HANOI BUT A CUBAN MARKET SOCIALISM
AbstractThe recently announced 'updating' of the Cuban socialist model, a euphemism for what is in reality a shifttowards a policy of 'market socialism', has logically raised the supposition on the part of some commentators that Havana is copying the Chinese or Vietnamese model of development. This article derives from an examination of studies of both the Chinese and Vietnamese economic reform processes and compares them with the Cuban example. It concludes that while the Cuban market socialist project has undoubtedly been informed by a study of their Asian counterparts and inevitably resembles them in some aspects, there are so many differences between each country's social, economic, geographic and historical characteristics, context and experience, that the Cuban model, forged out of its own circumstances and praxis, is potentially a new and unique form.Keywords: China, Vietnam, Cuba, market socialism, economic reformsIntroductionCuba, Vietnam and China superficially have a lot in common. They are all socialist states with single party systems led by a Communist Party that claims the mantle of representing the whole population. They all adopted socialist systems in response to colonial or neo-colonial domination and interference and, in the case of Vietnam and Cuba, they adopted socialism on the back of an explicitly nationalist revolution. Both Vietnam and Cuba fought the United States in their respective ways. However, historic and political similarities such as these tend to mask huge differences. At a time when Cuba is now obviously adopting what has come to be termed a 'market socialist' model, after the two processes that are already under way in China and Vietnam, there is perhaps an inevitable tendency to see the Cuban process as being a copy of those that have taken place in its Asian counterparts. In this article I agree that there are characteristics of the Cuban process that inevitably resemble policies that have been adopted in both China and Vietnam but I also argue that the many and huge differences between the Cuban situation and those of its Asian partners mean that the Cuban model is a very different and potentially new and unique form of market socialism.Cuba, Vietnam and China ComparedIn order to arrive at a suitable point of departure for discussion, the figures in Table 1 provide basic comparators that I believe should be taken into account when asking the question whether or not or how far Cuba might be following a Chinese or Vietnamese path. The table provides evidence that the physical, geographical, economic and historical differences between the three countries are far greater than the mere political similarity of apparently opting for a market socialist solution to the crises that each faced in terms of the challenges their respective state socialist models faced.An analysis of the table shows that China is an economy of unprecedented scale with an enormous domestic market. Vietnam is smaller but nevertheless significantly larger than Cuba in terms of its land area and population. By comparison Cuba is a small island economy of very limited scale.China and Vietnam are thousands of miles away from the United States while Havana is just 171km from US shores. This geographical difference apart, the historic influence and the former hegemonic relationship make the relationship between the US and Cuba very different from that which pertains in the cases of either Vietnam or China.Chinese and Vietnamese societies, values, traditions, demographics, and their multiple ethnic and religious minorities, make them very different from those of the more homogeneous Cuban society. There are 56 and 54 recognised ethnic groups in China and Vietnam respectively, whereas in Cuba there are officially none. Although Cuba is a racially differentiated society, culturally and linguistically it is homogeneous.Furthermore, both China and Vietnam emerged from ancient Asian feudalistic societies through an experience of colonialism that was very different from the way in which Cuba was colonised. …
Cuba: From State Socialism to a New Form of Market Socialism?
Cuba's post-revolutionary economic history was penalized by the twin sets of distortions stemming from its former, artificial trade relations with the Soviet Union and from the very nature of the state socialist model. Yet, Cuba's centralized resource allocation system and the consistent priority granted to the satisfaction of basic needs led to a remarkable accumulation of human capital and an extraordinary development of public services. Moreover, they serendipitously endowed the country with a lingering comparative advantage in some advanced, knowledge-based services sectors (SS). However, the tension between Cuba's exceptional human development achievements and the weakness of their material foundations cannot be maintained indefinitely. The central planning mechanism entails serious intrinsic deficiencies. The socialist principle of distribution according to work can no longer be ignored. The role of the market and monetary-commercial relations must be drastically enhanced. The shortcomings of the present system should be fully acknowledged and dealt with boldly, with a comprehensive structural reform program. The ultimate goal of such a program should be to definitively supersede the traditional state socialist model, leading to a transition towards a specifically Cuban form of market socialism.
Arab Uprisings and the Outstanding Return to Democracy: Tunisia as a Model
In the wake of the Middle Eastern crises, the Tunisian case in focus has been doted as a unique phenomenon being that it was the Genesis of the revolution that ultimately spread across the Middle East like wild fire, but has eventually heralded a new dawn as democracy has incidentally returned to the Empire. This literature therefore looks closely at the extent to which the ‘DignityRevolution’ has been instrumental in the Middle East uprisings, which have brought an end to dynastic autocracies. The literature zeros in on the Tunisian uprising which has attracted global concerns, sympathy and has sparked interests in the international arena. The literature finds that the people hold colossal prospect in the uprising and its resultant effect, as it paved the way for the revolutionist to generate, gather and disseminate information on the condition of the entire region to the international community. The people in this context were of utmost importance and played a very crucial role in the creation of awareness, mobilization of protesters and utmost determining the direction of the uprising and also ensuring a speedy return to democratic rule. The paper submits that the role of the people in ensuring that the ruins of the uprising is not left littering around and democracy restored is highly commendable and should be a model for all other Arab countries involved in the revolution.