Opinion Archives - Page 459 of 495

The Execution of Bin Laden & the Cuba Angle

Now the extrajudicial execution of Osama bin Laden is asserted as an irreproachable legal and moral act – as if the status (well deserved) of Bin Laden as criminal vermin justifies his murder.

Changes in Cuba Leave Root Problem Intact

At the beginning of the revolutionary process, the disproportionate presence of guerillas fighters in the government and party leadership could be justified. Fifty years later, and after an unprecedented cultural revolution, such a presence of military men and “historicos” is a divisive error.

The Right to Be Apolitical in Cuba

“Politics is the dirtiest thing there is,” I’ve often heard said. “It’s nothing more than prostitution. Tonight they’re with one, and tomorrow with another.” However, since I began going to school, and without realizing it, I’ve become part of politics.

They Didn’t Like the Cuba Granny Story

What really bothered a friend who is a government official, the same as some other mid-level political cadre, was my story about a grandmother forced to collect tin cans to survive. It was as if they believed it’s enough to kill the messenger for bad news to go away. I’m sorry if I offended anybody, but my job is to write about Cuba, and that includes the poor and the excluded because they too are the children of this nation.

Cuba’s Big Players: God and the Party

The government’s alliance with the church is, according to Raul Castro, a guarantee of “the unity of the nation” in the face of the “mercenaries” (those who subvert the law and are at the service of “a foreign power”).

Gay Pride in Cuba (A Constant Battle)

The issue of homosexuality in Cuba was and continues to be complicated. New times have brought with them an entire outpouring of good will in relation to the question. The history of Cuban society versus LGBTs (Lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people) has had some dismal chapters.

Health Care in Cuba: Free?

I promised myself not to write about Cuba’s health care system for a long time, but what happened to my friend Ronaldo made me take out my pen.

Raul Castro, The First Secretary

To explain what’s happening in Cuba has always been complex, but with Raul Castro in the presidency, it’s becomes even more difficult. He is a discreet man with short speeches and long silences, someone who deals behind the scenes and plays his cards with neither noise nor fanfare.

What Do Your Children Play?

The author of an article I read a while back titled “Generation i” talked about how his daughter, who was only 13 months old, already knew how to look up photos on his iPhone and even changed the configuration of his computer, accidently of course.

Cuba’s Military with Unprecedented Power

We still don’t know what will be the multiple changes made to the “Guidelines” that served as the pre-convention discussion document for the Sixth Congress of the Communist Party of Cuba. But we do know that of the 15 members of the new Politburo, eight are active officers in the military or come from its ranks.