The ideas for which Che Guevara died in his time remain relevant in ours

On 9 October 1967 Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara was executed by a Bolivian army officer at the end of his ill-fated attempt to foment revolution throughout Latin America. He was executed at the behest of the CIA, who hoped his death would deal a major blow to the influence of the Cuban Revolution in a part of the world traditionally viewed as America’s backyard; its role to provide the cheap labour, raw materials, and markets required to maintain the huge profits of US corporations.

But the CIA were wrong, just as successive US administrations have been wrong, in thinking that the ideas for which Che Guevara fought and died could ever be ended with a bullet. On the contrary, over five decades after Che’s death the ideas for which he died continue to inspire the poor and exploited of the undeveloped world.

That a tiny island nation with a population of just over 11 million people, located 90 miles off the coast of Florida, should have the temerity to assert its right to political and economic independence from the United States and survive for so long is nothing short of astonishing. Indeed, not only have the ideas for which Che Guevera gave his life survived, they have never been more popular or potent, illustrated by their role in informing the left’s rise across Latin America in defiance of the…