Alberto Granado died March 6 at the age of 88.
Granado was the companion of Ernesto “Che” Guevara on a motorcycle trip around Latin America, which has been seen as one of the most important events in forming Che’s political views.
While Granado accomplished much, the fact that he recently died sparks an interesting train of thought.
Had Guevara not been executed by Bolivian soldiers in 1967 at the age of 38, how much more would he have affected the world? Though his ability to spark international incidents would have undoubtedly led to more tension throughout the Cold War, we have no idea how much he might have impacted Third World countries.
If he were alive, he would have likely helped better the HIV situation in Africa because of his desire to give medical help to those who can’t afford it. Unfortunately, we will never be able to know for sure.
While thought provoking, an even more interesting question concerns current events in the Middle East.
Specifically, we can try and take the lessons Guevara left us and try to make today’s movements more successful.
What if Guevara had been born a few decades later and had become the revolutionary he was in the last years? Though world events would certainly not have led him down the same path, it’s worth considering.
If we analyze his beliefs, we can assume how he may have acted in today’s world.
Guevara’s main ideals involved fighting poverty, especially those who were oppressed by capitalist or imperialist countries. While his focus in Latin America was largely against businesses like the United Fruit Company, he might have found something similar in today’s situation with oil companies in the Middle East.
Just as he detested America’s involvement against leaders like democratically elected Guatemalan president Jacobo Arbenz, he would probably disapprove of all the ties to America that exist throughout the region.
Beyond his political involvement, however, he would have been appalled by the illiteracy that plagues the region. In a 2009 study by the Global Campaign for Education, illiteracy was reported as 72 percent in Afghanistan, 50 percent in Pakistan and 18 percent in Iran.
Given his continuous attempts to promote education, it’s almost guaranteed he would have tried to fix the literacy situation in these countries.
Lastly, we have to imagine what these revolutions would have resembled if they had a strong political figure at their head. While the Internet and new technology have allowed for events like the revolution in Egypt to be almost completely led by the people, they lack the focus a strong leader may have given them.
This in no way is meant to belittle the achievements of today’s protestors. I will be one of the first in line to celebrate their success, and I only wish I could have helped. Instead, I wonder if their success could have been expanded further.
Of course, I would also love to see Guevara’s military tactics in play against despicable Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi.
Yet, while there are many similarities between the Latin America which Che Guevara fought for and the Middle East of today, the religious situation is far more complicated. It can be argued religion is more of a catalyst for rebellion in this region than poverty.
While it is interesting to dwell on how Guevara might have had an effect on the region, we can really only speculate.
Though he may have been killed far before his time, we can continue to fight for the views Guevara believed in.
Poverty and oppression destroy societies. We must fight them wherever and whenever we can.
Zachary Davis is a 20-year-old history junior from Warsaw,
Poland. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_zdavis.
 
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Contact Zachary Davis at [email protected]