Those who would protest that only regime change and full recognition of human rights in Cuba should precede any deal have surely had their arguments demolished. This month marks the 112th anniversary of the signing of the lease for the Guantánamo base between the Cuban and US governments. For at least half this period the base hasn’t been welcome in Cuba, and it’s high time the US worked out a timetable to hand the land back to the Cubans.
Read MoreCuban reality is slowly changing under the leadership of Raul Castro. Some people tend to deny this fact, obsessed as they are with downplaying the significance of events that contradict their perceptions, tastes or downright interests. The reforms and changes are there, and they are gradually giving shape to a society that is clearly different from the one that preceded it.
Read More“The annexation of Cuba is publicly and widely discussed here as an inevitable fact, as the outcome of what is referred to as ‘gravitation.’” – Spanish Consul in New York, December of 1867. Cover photo: www.american.edu
Read MoreThe book “Revolution, Socialism, Journalism: Cuba’s Press and Journalists Before the 21st Century” makes an important contribution to our understanding of Cuban history because it delves deeply into the “old problem of democracy, freedom and the role of the press.”
Read MoreNoam Chomsky welcomes President Obama’s decision to begin normalizing relations with Cuba, but cautions that after more than half a century of U.S. meddling in the island nation, it’s the minimum step he could take.
Read MoreI would love to look at those who would beat their chests and yell “socialism or death!” straight in the eye and question those who would deprive those of us who admired countries in the West for their freedom of expression, plurality and culture. What could they possibly tell us now? That Paris Hilton represents the exploited workers of the United States, that she is a shining beacon of progressive thought or an icon of the counter-culture vanguard?
Read MoreFor days, I’ve been hearing comments about protests in Nicaragua that seem suspiciously ill-intentioned. Since I know Cuban leaders adore Daniel Ortega, frequently praising and paying tribute to him and his administration – I decided to conduct a search for news or opinion pieces about Nicaragua’s inter-oceanic canal project published in Cuba. My intention was not to dispel any doubts, but to reaffirm my confidence in our press.
Read MoreThese conversations may seem like a joke, but they’re absolutely true. We could say they are part of the everyday, “magic realism” of socialism (perhaps not as “real” as Soviet socialism, but certainly a lot less “updated” than we would want). Many tourists come to the country hoping to plunge into this fantastic, Caribbean isle, but most like to look at it from the outside, without the wheels of bureaucracy grinding their vacations into bits with absurd resolutions and restrictions.
Read MoreRound two of the high level talks to normalize diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States is set for Friday, February 27 in Washington D.C. The first and foremost order of business is clearing the way to the opening of embassies in the respective capitals. Other more difficult issues like the fate of the US Guantanamo Naval Base and Prison Camp, and compensation for confiscated properties at the beginning of the Cuban revolution will no doubt be left for further on in the negotiations.
Read MoreShe arrived. Hungry, with only 2 dollars in her purse (the same “lucky $2 bill” carried by many Cubans) and wearing the only decent clothes she had after crossing eight countries. Susana’s journey began on Sept. 27, 2014, when she left Cuba for Ecuador with her partner and two friends, Marcos and Alejandro.
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