Opinion Archives - Page 457 of 487

Janas’ Schizophrenia and Cuba

“Bureaucratic control” is not one simple feature, nor is it reminiscing a past to which Janas could bid farewell with the blink of an eye; instead, it is a basic component of the Cuban model.

The greatest weakness in the reform initiative lies in the fact that the bureaucrats are in charge of its application, control, the establishment of norms, setting timelines, specifying procedures and deciding on punishment when “shortcomings” are discovered.

Solidarity with the (Other) Five

The pursuit of the intolerance of critical thought deserves a response, be it emanating from Budapest or Manama, Jerusalem or Beijing, Havana or Miami.

Hopes and Protests in Cuba

The recent events in Egypt stirred up surprising expectations among some Cuban exiles. Through Facebook they called upon islanders to rise up, even indicating the exact date that they should begin protesting.

Cuba’s Packed Crypts

Today it is exceedingly difficult to know what is going on, who’s who in the new political and administrative matrix, or in what direction the policies of the island are moving.

Of Generals and Doctors

What I’m trying to do is establish comparisons with the nation’s current situation, appealing to emotive memories that recall experiences from the past.

The Price of Living in Cuba

I experienced the most difficult moments of the Special Period crisis when I was only 16. I had just entered high school when we received the news of the collapse of the socialist camp; the consequences would soon follow.

Flying Higher Doesn’t Mean a Better Flight

In a society where the overwhelming majority of youth not only don’t read, but they speak worse and worse every day, and they are voracious consumers of reggaeton and all types of flashy junk, this physical cutting back on poetry is only a symptom of the true illness that is eating away at us as a nation. It is a spiritual metastasis.

A “Friend of Cuba” Interprets the Reforms

A perverse tradition in the political culture of the island’s leadership (which has permeated the whole of Cuban society) is that the achievements are privatized and the costs socialized.

Finding a Way for Cubans to Help Cuba

Now is the time for the Cuban people and its institutions to develop a different approach to attracting investment and development to the island and shake off the asphyxiating stranglehold of a half century embargo/blockade.