In a move to balance power in the Western hemisphere Russian President Vladimir Putin and Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel denounced U.S. “interference into domestic affairs of sovereign nations.” In an effort to secure what Diaz-Canel, who replaced President Raul Castro in April invited Putin to visit Cuba next year calling the ties between the two nations “brotherly.”
Read MoreWell, a little after 3 PM on Monday, Alina Balseiro (president of the National Election Commission) revealed the preliminary results of the Constitutional Referendum that was held in Cuba on February 24th, which resulted in a comfortable win for the YES vote, which implies that Cuba will soon have a new Carta Magna.
Read MoreOn February 24th, Cuba’s new Consitution was voted in, and as always in post-revolutionary politics, it was without any surprises and had a predictable outcome. This is the third constitution to be born in the nation’s life as a Republic (ever since 1902), and the second ever since the Revolution triumphed in 1959.
Read MoreSince the dialogue was made public, much of the population actually distrusts it, not only because the initiative was taken by Ortega, but also, because it is known intuitively that a political negotiation during a governing crisis does not happen out of good will (as the naive say). Instead, it is imposed by the one who has the advantage.
Read MoreOrtega’s acceptance doesn’t mean that he’ll attend the dialogue in good faith, in search of an authentic solution to the crisis. His objectives aren’t the same as ours; he’ll be looking for a way to neutralize his isolation and the international sanctions, preserve his power and maintain himself in the Presidency until 2021, while evading justice and assuring impunity for him and his, among others.
Read MoreThe rebellion of April of last year was born as a spontaneous protest against social security reforms that, when repressed with extreme violence, led to the citizen demand for free elections and for the resignation of Ortega and Murillo. The independent press and cell phone communication became a formidable vehicle of citizen empowerment that multiplied the resonance of the protest.
Read MoreMy wife calls from Holguin: “When you come, don’t forget to bring a packet of salt, a bottle of cooking oil and some rags to clean the floor.” “But, wait, don’t they have these things there”, I complain, thinking especially about the new and generous fees Cuba’s National Bus Company has put on overweight baggage.
Read MoreBack in the 1980s thousands of Irish people backed the Sandinistas in Nicaragua – after they overthrew the dictator Anastasio Somoza. Daniel Ortega was a leader of that revolution and the president – he still heads the Sandinista National Liberation Front to this day. But that organization has changed beyond anything we could have imagined in the 1980s.
Read MoreThe mere announcement that the negotiations could be reinstated has generated moderate expectations in a society that yearns for peace, justice and democracy. The news has been noted by the international community that is evaluating whether this means a change in Ortega’s refusal to dialogue, prior to applying new sanctions for serious violations of human rights.
Read MoreIt is logical that the news of the meeting made by Ortega with some bankers, with the participation of the Nuncio and Cardinal Brenes, provoked so much controversy. It is logical, in the first place, because there are no known details of the conversations or the real intentions of those involved. Secondly, because the Nicaraguan people are accustomed to burning themselves with milk, with deceptions, disappointments, pacts and re-pacts.
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