I write to you with a heavy heart and a free mind. We cannot allow the Cuban people to die and the memory of the Revolution to be cast into the dustbin of history. This is not the time to assess the Revolution’s past or present. Mr. President, you know that over the years I have written several texts offering constructive criticism of the Cuban regime. The moment is different now: it is a matter of saving Cuba from the clutches of a political monster democratically generated in the world’s largest democracy. It is no less monstrous for having been democratically generated. Hitler was too. It merely speaks volumes about the (lack of) quality of the democracy that generated it.

The issue is humanitarian and political. The democratic world, which values sovereignty, owes a great deal to Cuba. The Portuguese-speaking African countries would likely not be sovereign today were it not for Cuba’s decisive aid at the right moment, at great human cost to Cuba and against the geostrategic interests of the most powerful countries, including the then Soviet Union. Without Cuba, the end of apartheid in South Africa would not have come about when it did. Cuba has saved millions of lives around the world through its doctors. Brazil and Portugal, among dozens of other countries, have benefited from this remarkable work for the health of their peoples—an achievement a thousand times more deserving of the Nobel Peace Prize than many others that have received it.

We will never know what the true potential of the revolution is or was because it has been subjected to a barbaric embargo that has lasted for over sixty years, practically since the Revolution began.

But solidarity with the people and the sovereignty of Cuba is not a mere humanitarian act in favor of a population that is literally starving to death. It is an eminently political act against the tyranny of the powerful who want to see the return of the odious colonialism from which Latin America freed itself two hundred years ago. Cuba is Gaza without bombs! The tyrant’s dream is to build Rivieras on the rubble and mass graves.

Dear President,

Fortunately, there are those who resist. Today I am proud to be European because the Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, has publicly defied tyranny. If his defiance is followed by other political leaders, perhaps we can save Cuba and world peace. The significance of Pedro Sánchez’s gesture lies in the fact that Spain is Europe’s fourth-largest economy and a democracy.  Brazil is one of the world’s largest economies and is also a democracy of which Your Excellency is the most authentic symbol.

That is why I ask you, Mr. President, to follow Pedro Sánchez’s example, to disobey, and to make your disobedience heard loud and clear. We have Pedro Sánchez in Europe, and we will have Lula da Silva in Latin America! I am certain that influential acts of disobedience will emerge on other continents as well. Do not let short-term calculations recommended by well-meaning advisors—but lacking a strategic vision of the future—discourage you from rebelling against tyranny and prevent you from saying loud and clear to the tyrant of the North: Enough! And if Cuba needs oil to survive, do not hesitate to send it!

Tyrants do not stop until someone stops them!

The democratic and peace-loving world will thank you, and you can be certain that your act of courage, like the miracle of the loaves of bread, will be multiplied by many others. And I dare to think that your act will inspire Brazilian democrats who will soon be called to the polls to elect their new President.

Quintela, March 18, 2026

Boaventura de Sousa Santos

Boaventura de Sousa Santos is the emeritus professor of sociology at the University of Coimbra in Portugal. His most recent book is Decolonizing the University: The Challenge of Deep Cognitive Justice.