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Cuba and Its Neighbours: Democracy in Motion
Cuba's Neighbours Under
United States, Venezuela, Bolivia and Ecuador.
In this groundbreaking book, Arnold August explores Cuba's unique form of democracy, presenting a detailed and balanced analysis of Cuba's electoral process and the state's functioning between elections. By comparing it with practices in the U.S., Venezuela, Bolivia and Ecuador, August shows that people's participation in politics and society is not limited to a singular U.S.-centric understanding of democracy. For example, democracy as practised in the U.S. is largely non-participatory, static and fixed in time.
Cuba, by contrast, is a laboratory where the process of democratization is continually in motion, an ongoing experiment to create new ways for people to participate. August argues forcefully for the need to develop mutual understanding of different political systems and, in doing so, to not be satisfied with either blanket condemnation or idealistic political illusions, both resulting from a refusal to analyze the actual inner workings of each process.
United States, Venezuela, Bolivia and Ecuador.
In this groundbreaking book, Arnold August explores Cuba's unique form of democracy, presenting a detailed and balanced analysis of Cuba's electoral process and the state's functioning between elections. By comparing it with practices in the U.S., Venezuela, Bolivia and Ecuador, August shows that people's participation in politics and society is not limited to a singular U.S.-centric understanding of democracy. For example, democracy as practised in the U.S. is largely non-participatory, static and fixed in time.
Cuba, by contrast, is a laboratory where the process of democratization is continually in motion, an ongoing experiment to create new ways for people to participate. August argues forcefully for the need to develop mutual understanding of different political systems and, in doing so, to not be satisfied with either blanket condemnation or idealistic political illusions, both resulting from a refusal to analyze the actual inner workings of each process.
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 22, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 25, 2025
Es un buen libro para ver cómo funciona el sistema político cubano y, aunque la parte de comparación se ha vuelto algo obsoleta con los años es bastante decente explicando la evolución de la sociedad cubana con el paso del tiempo y las dificultades que tiene en el presente su sistema político. Creo q mi mayor queja de este libro es q es demasiado corto y no entra tanto en detalle en las consecuencias directas de ciertas decisiones como a mí, estudiante de ciencias políticas, me gustaría. En general es un muy buen libro para desmitificar un país q ha superado lo insuperable y q continua luchando en condiciones inimaginables de adversidad.
March 8, 2024
Despite only being a 232 page long book, this was a serious test of patience, comprehension, and…. attention span. I’ll say from the gate, if you’re strictly a history buff, this isn’t going to be the book for you, as history in the materialistic sense barely makes up a quarter of the content in Cuba And It’s Neighbors: Democracy in Motion. Much of this is focused in the first 100 or so pages to give a background on the 5 democracies examined here; Bolivia, Ecuador, Venezuela, the USA, and of course, Cuba, the bulk of the book.
The majority of this focuses instead on the very “motion” that shapes Cuba’s democracy dating all the way back to Céspedes and Martí, and then later Castro. Once it gave this transitional period a good go, the rest (about half of the book) was an extremely wordy, dense, and almost overly detailed description on how the election processes work, from the “grassroots” I.e. municipalities and circumscripciones. It discusses the party’s involvement, terms, delegations, and participation in a decentralized manner, which then works its way up to the provincial level. This then is where a delegate can take on the role of full time work within the political sphere, acting as a participative member rather than a representative one. Finally, that works up to the national level, which is where you find those that deal in your Castros and whatnot. This is grossly oversimplified, because if I tried to type out every detail, it would take hours.
More importantly, the book stresses issues that still continue within this, and focuses on a theme of how true democracy IS always in motion, and never stagnant. It’s very interesting how it manages to paint a nation controlled by one party into an open dialogue of participation that is far from what anyone in the U.S. could imagine (yet they’d likely still be the ones to call Cuba a dictatorship). It explicitly pulls not only from many many works and interviews, but from the Cuban constitution itself, and its explicit goal of building democracy around true involvement, not mass accumulation of capital (that then funds two parties and tries to call it democratic; seriously, what a joke). And yet, the author rarely never inserts their own opinions or views unless it’s really warranted.
If I had any complaints, it’s just that in some spots, this is just a little too much (well, that and some of its comparisons to former USSR and eastern bloc states felt a bit dishonest, or under-researched when it made small mentions of elections there). 232 pages isn’t long, but the text on the page felt like I read two “normal” pages for every one. Add on the fact that this was SO wordy and so difficult to follow at times that I had to reread many parts to digest it. In other words, unless if you’re interested in political science to the level that I am, I would stay away from this. However, for those seeking really great information on the subject, this is a goldmine, and I say power forward!
The majority of this focuses instead on the very “motion” that shapes Cuba’s democracy dating all the way back to Céspedes and Martí, and then later Castro. Once it gave this transitional period a good go, the rest (about half of the book) was an extremely wordy, dense, and almost overly detailed description on how the election processes work, from the “grassroots” I.e. municipalities and circumscripciones. It discusses the party’s involvement, terms, delegations, and participation in a decentralized manner, which then works its way up to the provincial level. This then is where a delegate can take on the role of full time work within the political sphere, acting as a participative member rather than a representative one. Finally, that works up to the national level, which is where you find those that deal in your Castros and whatnot. This is grossly oversimplified, because if I tried to type out every detail, it would take hours.
More importantly, the book stresses issues that still continue within this, and focuses on a theme of how true democracy IS always in motion, and never stagnant. It’s very interesting how it manages to paint a nation controlled by one party into an open dialogue of participation that is far from what anyone in the U.S. could imagine (yet they’d likely still be the ones to call Cuba a dictatorship). It explicitly pulls not only from many many works and interviews, but from the Cuban constitution itself, and its explicit goal of building democracy around true involvement, not mass accumulation of capital (that then funds two parties and tries to call it democratic; seriously, what a joke). And yet, the author rarely never inserts their own opinions or views unless it’s really warranted.
If I had any complaints, it’s just that in some spots, this is just a little too much (well, that and some of its comparisons to former USSR and eastern bloc states felt a bit dishonest, or under-researched when it made small mentions of elections there). 232 pages isn’t long, but the text on the page felt like I read two “normal” pages for every one. Add on the fact that this was SO wordy and so difficult to follow at times that I had to reread many parts to digest it. In other words, unless if you’re interested in political science to the level that I am, I would stay away from this. However, for those seeking really great information on the subject, this is a goldmine, and I say power forward!
July 6, 2017
An important and insightful book which is very timely given the renewed attacks by the US against Venezuelan and Cuban sovereignty.
The book is divided basically into three sections. The first section explores democracy in the U.S., specifically focusing on how the representative and two-party nature of this system results in rightward drift, voter apathy resulting from lack of real choices, and the primacy of the accumulation of private property everywhere. Co-optation of social movements factors into all of these areas and is explored in an insightful and convincing way.
The second section explores Venezuela's Bolivarian Revolution and the "pink tide" countries in South America. These democracies are shown to be increasingly participatory and inclusive, carving out spaces for traditionally oppressed groups like indigenous nations or peasant farmers to have real and binding input in the re-writing of their constitutions, for example. Here the author begins to make the case that these South American/Caribbean nations democracies are "in motion," as compared to the staid, inert, and ossified U.S. model.
If those countries are "democracies in motion" and are in the process of "democratizing," this raising an important question: What are they moving away from and what are they moving toward? The author argues they are moving away from a system that serves primarily the accumulation of private property and capital and toward participatory or protagonistic democracy that necessarily benefits more and more the masses rather than a tiny class of elites. Ecuador and Bolivia state that they are explicitly anti-neoliberal and uphold 21st Century Socialism as a goal. Venezuela is clearly farther along the same road, serving as a laboratory for the other like-minded nations.
In the third section of the book, we explore Cuba's unique democracy in motion. A strong case is made that the island has been under a process of democratization starting even before Jose Marti and which continues today. Through firsthand observation and interviews with Cubans, the author details historic and contemporary forms of Cuban participatory democracy, from the dialectic mass public meetings where Fidel acted as a mirror and megaphone to the public will, to the participation of ordinary workers in the drafting and revising of constitutions and legislation, to the grassroots organizations that today exist at the hyper-local sub-neighborhood level. The Cuban electoral system is demystified in exhaustive detail -- and it is made clear that even the representative aspects of Cuban democracy are fundamentally different than those of non-revolutionary states because they exist in the context of the revolution, to further the revolution.
I can't recommend this book enough.
The book is divided basically into three sections. The first section explores democracy in the U.S., specifically focusing on how the representative and two-party nature of this system results in rightward drift, voter apathy resulting from lack of real choices, and the primacy of the accumulation of private property everywhere. Co-optation of social movements factors into all of these areas and is explored in an insightful and convincing way.
The second section explores Venezuela's Bolivarian Revolution and the "pink tide" countries in South America. These democracies are shown to be increasingly participatory and inclusive, carving out spaces for traditionally oppressed groups like indigenous nations or peasant farmers to have real and binding input in the re-writing of their constitutions, for example. Here the author begins to make the case that these South American/Caribbean nations democracies are "in motion," as compared to the staid, inert, and ossified U.S. model.
If those countries are "democracies in motion" and are in the process of "democratizing," this raising an important question: What are they moving away from and what are they moving toward? The author argues they are moving away from a system that serves primarily the accumulation of private property and capital and toward participatory or protagonistic democracy that necessarily benefits more and more the masses rather than a tiny class of elites. Ecuador and Bolivia state that they are explicitly anti-neoliberal and uphold 21st Century Socialism as a goal. Venezuela is clearly farther along the same road, serving as a laboratory for the other like-minded nations.
In the third section of the book, we explore Cuba's unique democracy in motion. A strong case is made that the island has been under a process of democratization starting even before Jose Marti and which continues today. Through firsthand observation and interviews with Cubans, the author details historic and contemporary forms of Cuban participatory democracy, from the dialectic mass public meetings where Fidel acted as a mirror and megaphone to the public will, to the participation of ordinary workers in the drafting and revising of constitutions and legislation, to the grassroots organizations that today exist at the hyper-local sub-neighborhood level. The Cuban electoral system is demystified in exhaustive detail -- and it is made clear that even the representative aspects of Cuban democracy are fundamentally different than those of non-revolutionary states because they exist in the context of the revolution, to further the revolution.
I can't recommend this book enough.
November 7, 2022
A phenomenal read, though not the most approachable. August here presents the idea of a democracy in motion which at first baffled, then amazed me.
A democracy which is static, in which the only participation that occurs is maybe casting a piece of paper in a box every 2 or so years is a dying democracy. The author analyses democracies in the US, Venezuela, Bolivia and Ecuador to give context and then dives deeply into Cuba's ever changing yet strong, lively democracy, e.g. a democracy in motion. Definitely a book that challenged some of my preconceived notions about Cuba. The text is thorough and though it is pretty dry I found it inspiring.
I only gave 4 stars instead of 5 because the amount of emaculate detail the author goes into can be exhausting to parse, even though those details are necessary for a complete understanding of Cuba, its' people and democracy.
A democracy which is static, in which the only participation that occurs is maybe casting a piece of paper in a box every 2 or so years is a dying democracy. The author analyses democracies in the US, Venezuela, Bolivia and Ecuador to give context and then dives deeply into Cuba's ever changing yet strong, lively democracy, e.g. a democracy in motion. Definitely a book that challenged some of my preconceived notions about Cuba. The text is thorough and though it is pretty dry I found it inspiring.
I only gave 4 stars instead of 5 because the amount of emaculate detail the author goes into can be exhausting to parse, even though those details are necessary for a complete understanding of Cuba, its' people and democracy.
August 5, 2020
I am not a political science student/graduate so I found a lot of this outside of my understanding. I wanted to read it though because I want to understand the government of a country where I have some much loved friends. I still learned a lot but it was a tough go.
February 19, 2025
Estaba leyendo este libro para mi tesis, pero no salió tan útil como esperaba. No obstante, la investigación que hace August es sumamente importante como adición al canon académico occidental, aún mientras la situación política en Cuba ha desarrollado mucho entre la fecha de publicación y hoy. No es decir que no es un texto útil, pero ya necesita una nueva edición.
October 25, 2023
Very high quality exhibition of Cuba's political system even containing first-hand data from the author, as well as puts it in context to the Pink Tide of similar left-wing movements in Venezuela and Bolivia. Very well written and easy to follow along with and understand.
February 26, 2025
super descriptive and an easy read for anyone looking to understand the practical workings of the cuban political system. the book does its job well, but makes me want a follow up set in 2025
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews