Political Repression in Cuba and the bias of Western “pro-Democracy” indexes

Indexes which monitor political freedoms, such as Freedom House’s Freedom in the World, Economist Intelligence Unit’s Democracy Index, and Polity IV, consistently give Cuba the worst scores in the Americas and label it the only dictatorship in the hemisphere. Western-based journalists, as well as the US government, give it exceptional priority for criticism for political repression.

Nonetheless, many material detriments to political freedom are most severe in other Latin American countries. Politically-motivated murders that involve state forces claim hundreds, if not thousands, of victims a year across Latin America; none of which take place in Cuba, as the last politically-related execution took place decades ago.

The tale of a fascist and a proto-fascist: Hitler and Trump

Many have labeled Donald Trump’s overt xenophobia, authoritarianism, and extreme policies as “fascist.” Despite this, pundits and ordinary Americans are not reacting with as much urgency or fear as they would if an actual fascist such as Hitler or Mussolini were running for president. This makes sense, considering Germans reacted similarly carelessly to Hitler’s rise in their own country. Perhaps out of cognitive dissonance, Americans are reluctant to believe the rise of a major party politician in their supposed democracy is currently reflecting the rise of one of the most evil men and systems in modern history, no matter how real and obvious the similarities may become. This is not to say that Trump will impose a harsh dictatorship, commit a Holocaust, or start a World War. It is to acknowledge the reality that the conditions that give rise to far-right, racist and openly authoritarian leaders know no borders — that a fascist coming to power in the US is possible — and the political atmosphere of 1930s Germany are strikingly similar to 2010s America.