Opinion

Guantanamo Murderer Gets 32 Years

Several months ago I told the readers of Havana Times about Anny, a cousin of mine, who was murdered by her husband, “Cojo.” A few days ago the sentencing was handed down to this guy, who has now been convicted of two deaths.

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The Risks of Optimism

A friend and colleague with Havana Times told me that most of us who write for this magazine are “whiners” (himself included). We both noted that this is an attitude that isn’t entirely sincere, since if life in Cuba doesn’t also give people reasons for joy, who could put up with it?

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The Cynical US Policy on Cuba

Once again the Obama administration has included Cuba on its list of countries that sponsor international terrorism, while at the same time collaborating with the Castro government on this issue.

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Salaries and Productivity: the Cornerstone

The principle of increasing productivity as a prerequisite for increasing people’s wages seems irrefutable, from an economic standpoint. However, it’s not something pleasing to those Cubans who are forced to “inventar” (invent) to make ends meet.

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Admiring the Leader

I’m not a great admirer of Fidel Castro, I doubt that his strengths outweigh the many mistakes he committed and that we still suffer. This feeling (my lack of admiration for him) sometimes gives me a deep sense of guilt.

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The Challenge Posed by the Intelligentsia

Today, I want to sound the alert regarding the importance of the position adopted by intellectuals in the circumstances our country is now facing. Although our principal task is to build a new economic model, our challenges are also political and ideological ones.

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Socialism in Cuba: Is It Worth Saving?

Socialism, known up to now as a system established following revolutions marked by the Marxist “dictatorship of the proletariat”, is presented as a failure. As for capitalism, whose origin is very different, we can say that it too is marked by frustration. In looking at the origins of these two systems, I am able to answer — for me at least — the dilemma behind those two failures.

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London 2012: The Party Where Many Cry

After being delighted by the opening ceremony of the London Olympics, as the traditional competitions began, with these came my frustrations – because in sports, inexorably, someone wins and another one loses.

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