I have been reading about the continuing protests in Iran and thought that maybe Cubans could offer some advice. The Cuban people, on the island and in exile, have a unique experience when it comes to “revolution” and maybe its lessons can be of use to people protesting against dictatorship in Iran. Personally, my family had/has people on both sides, communist and democratic, and we (mistakenly) fought for Fidel Castro and (correctly) against Fidel Castro, a common phenomenon.

The first lesson of the Cuban revolution is, if you want to preserve the democratic character of your movement, do not create a cult of personality around a single person. Mousavi is not the chosen one. Men cannot choose amongst themselves who will be the one. I think that Iranians understand this already, given that they backed Khomeini and ended up with the system they are fighting against today.

The second lesson is that the use of force against a regime that is willing to use even more force against you is foolish. Non-violence is preferable. This was a miscalculation of the Cuban exiles who landed in Bay of Pigs, in order to fight the Castro regime, and made the erroneous assumption that the United States would stick by their pledge and assist the anti-communist forces. In the end, the US did not assist the Cubans and communism became further entrenched. Since then, no violent action has been able to match or beat the regime’s repressiveness. So, especially in a mass movement in the modern age, do not engage in violence else the state will crush the pro-democracy movement and even more people will die.

The third lesson is briefly mentioned in the second: do not rely on foreign powers. This is Iran’s democratic “revolution,” not any other country’s. No one has Iran’s interests at heart, except Iranians. The problem with the Cuban exile community is an over-dependence on the United States, something that, after decades of broken promises, has made modern-day Cubans realize that the future of their country is in their own hands. Relying on the US only wasted their time… and with this administration in power, Iranians should not expect any help whatsoever. The current president wants to deal with the current government, not the people of Iran. It’s a sad fact.

The fourth lesson is: do not leave Iran. Too many Cubans left Cuba for America, thinking that they would return once communism failed or was defeated. This never happened, specifically because the only people who could or would be able to defeat communism ended up dispersed around the world, with the highest concentration in Miami. It was the erroneous belief that the United States would fix everything that drew everyone who could leave away from the island. This ended up strengthening the communist regime and denying the pro-democracy movement talent, manpower, and funds. My own family left, the vast majority in eighties, after more than twenty years of “revolution” destroyed their country. Iranians cannot afford to leave, though I suspect that they weren’t even considering that.

The fifth and final lesson is: be brave. Since leaving is out of the question and violence against the state is not advisable, the only thing left for the Iranian people is to stand up to the regime, courageously demand democracy, and report everything that happens. The truth is the only weapon that can defeat governments that survive by controlling information… but this means that protesters will be naked before the repressive machine of the state. Iranians must be brave. From what I have read, they already are.

So in a nutshell, these are some lessons that the new pro-democracy protesters can learn from the Cuban experience. Hopefully, they will be able to create a society that truly respects the will of the people and not the will of a small elite that interpret law how they see fit. While the official position of the United States is not firmly in support of the protesters, the unofficial position of American citizens is always on the side of freedom. We pray for Iranian freedom and safety.

-AG