The Forum, entitled "For Dialogue among Civilizations and for a Culture of Peace", was traditionally held in the main political space, the Palacio de Convenciones (International Conference Centre) in Havana, from 28 to 31 January 2025, with delegates from more than 95 countries. In total, there were about 1,000 people, half of whom were foreigners and the other half Cubans. This conference is held every two years and is dedicated to the birthday of Cuba's national poet and philosopher, the apostle of the revolution, José Marti (172 years old this year).
On 28 January, a large plenary session was held to open the conference with the participation of the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of the Republic of Cuba, Miguel Diaz-Canel, the President of the National Assembly of People's Power of Cuba, Esteban Lazo, the country's Prime Minister, Manuel Marrero Cruz, and other senior government officials, including the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Culture. The plenary session also featured a lecture by Brazilian theologian and intellectual Frei Bett on "Justice as a path to peace and balance in the world". On Wednesday, 29 January, working sessions began in the morning and evening in all rooms of the conference centre with speakers from different countries. A delegation from Russia was also represented.
A variety of topics were discussed, from the problems of Western colonialism and racism to ecological challenges and the legacy of revolutionary thinkers, including, of course, Fidel Castro. Compared to the previous conference, which the author of this article also attended, there were more presentations on multipolarity. Many mentioned Russia's role in building a more just world order and in the fight against neo-Nazism. In a historical context, in the context of the 80th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany and its allies, the importance of international solidarity with Moscow was emphasized.
The conference was held in parallel with two decisions by Donald Trump that directly affect the "island of freedom" and which also point to the more expansive approach of the current White House administration. First, returned Cuba to the US list of state sponsors of terrorism, from which it was removed a few days ago by outgoing President Joe Biden. Secondly, he has declared that the US naval base at Guantánamo Bay - in reality part of the illegally occupied territory of sovereign Cuba - will be used to house migrants from Latin American countries.
The Guantánamo base is one of the most shameful aspects of US policy, especially when it comes to human rights violations. And now it seems that Donald Trump wants to increase discontent and criticism of Washington.
Both decisions drew strong condemnation in the region. Although the new White House administration is trying to win the support of its satellites in Central and South America, as evidenced by the recent trip of the new Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
At a press conference held by Marco Rubio on 4 February 2025 at the doors of the presidential house in Zapote, Costa Rica, he declared: "Costa Rica is a reliable ally in the fight against Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua, enemies of humanity." Costa Rica, like Colombia and Ecuador before it, has become yet another place where the US is strengthening its military and intelligence presence under the pretext of alleged cooperation on bilateral security and the fight against drug trafficking.
It is telling that Costa Rica does not have its own national security or defence doctrine. It is one of the few countries in the world that does not have armed forces, and Costa Rica has to rely on partners for regional security. In fact, there is not even a doctrine of a sovereign and independent foreign policy. This allows Washington to keep Costa Rica under its influence and to manipulate local politics, which has made the country a satellite colony of the United States.
There was also talk of about new advanced technological mechanisms and "biometric systems" to be installed in Costa Rica to deter "masses of dangerous migrants", "drug traffickers" and "terrorists".
Marco Rubio uttered similar statements in the Dominican Republic, although he also spoke about energy options, aid to Haiti and neighbouring Puerto Rico.
In this renewed US interest in the region (Donald Trump's scandalous remarks about Canada and Greenland are also worth mentioning), one can clearly see a new variation of the Monroe Doctrine, which in the early 19th century asserted the imperative of US hegemony in the Western Hemisphere and, after Theodore Roosevelt's 1904 amendment, actually became the basis for military interventions and direct interventions "for the benefit of civilized society".
But despite the growing US pressure on our strategic partners in Latin America, as Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua are referred to in Russian foreign policy doctrine, as well as the ongoing special military operation, Russia can take advantage of this situation to strengthen its presence, in geopolitical terms, at the mercy of the United States,
The Cuba-Venezuela-Nicaragua triangle alone represents a powerful combination that, with appropriate investment by Russia and the implementation of joint projects (including regional infrastructure and logistics), could lead to a change in the balance of power and be an important trump card in Russian foreign policy in the Western Hemisphere.
In addition, the Morena party is in power in Mexico, which is friendly to Russia and has always supported Cuba's international rights. The expansion of Russia's diplomatic presence in the Caribbean region has long been necessary. In its time, Cuba has managed to establish stable diplomatic relations there, despite more than 60 years of sanctions by Washington, and many states in the region are consolidating their support for the Cuban Republic. In particular, the Caribbean Community CARICOMwhich includes 15 countries, mainly from the Lesser Antilles but also Guyana, Suriname and Belize, pursues a synchronised policy on many foreign policy issues, including voting at the UN. Based on Cuba's experience of interacting with this community, Russia could also better defend its interests.
While there is political will to create multipolarity in Latin America, new and diverse levels of interaction with the countries of the region would clearly give this process further impetus.
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