If we wanted to assess the results yielded by the United States’ new policy towards Cuba in the course of a year, the clearest illustration of the changes this policy has brought about may be this handshake between Fidel Castro’s son and an unruly Cuban who was previously dubbed a “traitor”, indifferent towards his unexpected host and returning, happy, to the country of his birth.
Read MorePeople in Cuba emigrate because they have no prospects in a country with a devastated economy, an authoritarian system of government and highly limited options in terms of personal realization. Cubans not only live poorly, they can’t complain about it and are unable to picture a brighter future. They are also terribly bored.
Read MoreA delegation of Major League Baseball representatives has just visited Havana, and it’s no secret: they came to explore the field, where skilled players sprout like grass, and to assess the possibility of purchasing such talent with Cuba’s sports authorities.
Read MoreThe Director of the Office of the Mariel Special Development Zone presents as an achievement that eight companies have been approved since it was created in 2013 and where today only three of them are operational. Undoubtedly the idea of moving forward but without haste has been taken very seriously.
Read MoreFernando Ravsberg: “I’m not asking for subsidies; my wish for 2016 is that milk and other staples foods are put in stores at market price without ridiculous taxes that punish the poorest, depriving them of access to them.”
Read MoreNo other issue in Cuba is as thorny and worrisome these days as the adverse results faced by Chavismo in Venezuela’s recent parliamentary elections. Through Telesur and Cuban television, Cubans received the news of the super-majority secured by the opposition with great surprise and concern. For me, personally, it wasn’t much of a surprise at all.
Read MoreWe are on the eve of 2016 and the 7th Congress of the “immortal” Cuban Communist Party (or PCC, for those unfamiliar with the phraseology) is at the gates. To date, the most evident concerns expressed by the top leadership at the different provincial assembly gatherings have had to do with the production of sweet potatoes and things of this nature.
Read MoreIf the economic essence of socialism is that “the means of production are in the hands of the people,” no company structure would represent that system better than a cooperative. We could say it is the “socialist people’s company” par excellence. However, in Cuba, it’s not that simple.
Read MoreImagine you had the chance to decide, at a neighborhood meeting, how part of the public budget should be spent to improve and transform your community. Imagine your apartment building was governed by rules that all tenants knew and followed to the letter.
Read MoreThe night of December 6th – and early morning of the 7th – in addition to marking a historical turning point, sent a particularly worrisome message to Cubans with the possibility of: “Goodbye cheap oil, get ready for power cuts.”
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