Current Events With Julio M. Shiling: Changes Are Coming With Trump
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Talking with the political scientist, writer and director of the political forum and digital publication, Patria de Martí, Julio M. Shiling is a learning experience, an invitation to reflect. With a Master's degree in Political Science, he is a lucid, observant man, attentive to reality, always seeking to glimpse the background of our society.
In light of the changes that are coming with the election of Donald Trump as the 47th president, we wanted to know his opinion on the future that could be glimpsed for the United States, the world, and his observations regarding Cuba.
—Donald Trump's election victory has given him almost total power, controlling both chambers of Congress. How could that power change the course of the United States, and in what sense?
—Donald Trump and the Republican Party received an extraordinary mandate from American society, which is reflected in their control of both chambers, and we can say that they also enjoy an ideological majority in the Supreme Court. That is rarely seen in history.
The mandate is clearly to reverse cultural socialism through different manifestations as seen in these 4 years in schools, and I am not necessarily referring to university education, but to what is primary education. Courses with teachings that start from neo-Marxist premises, in the work on what we know as Diversity Equity Inclusion, which are neo-Marxist forms that contradict the principles of equality before the law and propose mechanisms of discrimination, racism, and sexism, and certain courses that clash with the precepts that are protected precisely by the Civil Rights Law. The second part of this mandate focuses on dismantling the administrative state, what some call the deep state, a series of agencies with enormous powers, even police-like, such as the FBI, the CIA, the Internal Revenue Department, the Environmental Protection Agency, the State Department and intelligence agencies of the armed forces. The third domestic purpose is to strengthen basic freedoms. We have seen these past four years and we can say that the measures in many states against basic freedoms have led many to understand that the United States has lost a great deal of ground in freedom of expression and religious freedoms. We will see measures to strengthen those basic freedoms and strengthen institutions.
—There is a global emergency with Putin's constant threats to use nuclear weapons. How do you view the scenario of this verbal confrontation, which could trigger a world war?
—We have to understand that hesitating policies, which are seen as signs of weakness and international globalist positions that weaken the strength and power of nations like the United States, which has a fundamental role in the stability of the world, are used by the enemies of freedom to unleash wars. The disaster of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan showed those enemies that they had plenty of open ground to advance. Ukraine would never have been invaded by dictator Putin, because there was enough time to have prevented it. The Islamic invasion of Israel points to Iran as the financier of that operation, thanks to Joe Biden providing those resources. China's position on Taiwan is the same; we did not hear these war speeches during the Trump administration, because of the respect that is had for the United States. Starting in January, we will live in a more stable world.
—Populism can be counterproductive in some cases, as it tends to create left-wing authoritarian regimes. However, in the democratic movement, how do you perceive the current trend towards right-wing populism?
—We must be careful with terms. There is a common use of populism and it tends to be associated with authoritarian regimes, both left and right, but the reality is that populism per se is a government that enjoys great popular support and is anti-elitist; in other words, its essence and authority to govern are based on a popular sense. So American populism should not be perceived as a threat to the democratic system. What we can perceive from these 2024 elections is that society, in a bipartisan manner (since there are more Democrats in the country), made possible its desire to return the United States in one direction, in a current known as exceptionalism: Democratic voters who were fed up with a direction they did not share, supported Trump.
—There is a brutal deterioration in the life of Cubans, which, in addition to increasing emigration, is plunging the country into a total crisis. How do you see the Cuban scenario in the short and medium term?
—The Cuban communist system has brought Cuba to its lowest point in the spiritual and material sense, to a state of penury, of spiritual suffocation. There is a minority sector, the privileged of a kleptocracy that provides the dictatorial elite with material benefits. All of this is sustained by state terrorism. The new American government could take measures in the short term to confront and improve this reality in Cuba because the problem is clearly political and ethical. Castro-communism is sustained by Venezuelan oil, aid from friendly regimes, remittances from Cubans abroad, drug trafficking, and slave labor. These sources of income are being closed to the dictatorship. In the short term, we are going to see difficulties and more problems in the use of exoduses as a solution. In the medium term, an increase in popular discontent at the public level.
—With Trump in the White House focused on immigration, but with an unstable backyard in Latin America, do you think the president will take care to refocus and democratize countries like Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua?
—The United States has not made Latin America a priority in a bipartisan manner, and that is very regrettable since countries like China and Iran have taken advantage of this. With Trump, we are going to see a different approach, based on helping to promote regime change and on promoting its own interests for reasons of national security.
—How do you think Marcos Rubio as Secretary of State will influence the democratization of the hemisphere?
—Its influence could be extraordinary. We will see in the Trump doctrine, the Rubio plan, which seeks to encourage regime change among the enemies of freedom, very specifically in Latin America. With Marcos Rubio in charge at the State Department, we will see a zero tolerance policy in the use of immigration as an instrument of war, something that Castro-communism has managed to do every time it has a crisis that could put its political control at risk. We will witness a completely different policy.
—What is the assessment of your organization, Patria de Martí, during the year that is about to end?
—Patria de Martí continues to be involved in a civic awareness campaign, understanding that one cannot live in a free and open society if there is no citizenry aware of what is at stake. Patria de Martí is committed to promoting the phenomenon of recognizing natural rights, equality before the law, and the principle of the rule of law. Without a virtuous society, it is not possible to have a democratic model. What we do is an exercise in the preservation of eternal values. At Patria de Martí we work on the refoundation of the Republic of Cuba, something that will take on greater scope when Cuba is free and democratic.
Published in libreonline.com
Author: Luis de la Paz, Cuban writer, journalist, and editor based in Miami. He hosts “Viernes de Tertulia”, an artistic and literary event on the third Friday of each month at the Creation Art Center. Follow Luis on Facebook
