The EU Commissioner for External Relations confirmed today what we discussed a few days ago—that the EU wants to move toward a compromise with Cuba in relations and dialogue, which will involve reformulating the Common Position in favor of a more cooperative approach. Meanwhile, El Salvador’s newly elected President, Mauricio Funes, announced last week that […]
While Cuba’s World Baseball Classic team was in the United States this week, two Cuban journalists deserted the team and their duties in order to avoid returning to the island. Yuri Boza snuck away the first day that the team arrived in Southern California. Raúl Arce, the well-known sports writer for Juventud Rebelde “disappeared” just hours […]
Cuba was knocked out of the World Baseball Classic on Wednesday after losing 5-0 to Japan in San Diego’s Petco Park. The defeat was disappointing but not entirely surprising to fans, who had watched Japan rout Cuba 10-6 in the same venue during the finals of the Classic in 2006, and therefore had a sense […]
For the Ladies in White, this week is the sixth anniversary of the sentencing of their husbands, sons and fathers—Cuban dissident journalists jailed in 2003 for reportedly “receiving money from the United States with the aim of destroying the Revolution“—and they are mirroring the years with six days of demonstrations. Their protests are simple and […]
Louis Michel, the European Union Commissioner in Charge of Development and Humanitarian Aid, has made it clear that the EU is working toward revising and updating its position on political change in Cuba. Current policy is defined by the “Common Position,” elaborated in 1996, which states in its opening paragraph: The objective of the European […]
The Fifth World Water Forum kicked off yesterday in Istanbul and will continue through March 22nd. During the week, participants from around the globe take part in a number of discussions and debates that purportedly seek “to find solutions to achieve water security.” The Forum is held every three years, with the last event held […]
Three hurricanes (Ike, Gustav and Paloma) ravaged Cuba in 2008, causing over $10 billion in losses. Half a million homes were partially or fully destroyed, thousands of acres of crops wiped out, and health and communications infrastructure severely damaged in some areas. Predictably, those areas have not yet bounced back. But Brazil has been a […]
A prominent scholar on Cuban development, Arch Ritter, posits that an impasse in Cuban-US relations may be inevitable for years to come. His article in Canada’s Globe and Mail is worth a read, and his analysis deserves serious consideration. Ritter’s point is that although Raúl is willing to open channels of dialogue with the United States, […]
For Cuban-Americans, opportunities to travel to the island have significantly multiplied this week with the passing of the omnibus bill. As previously noted, individuals with relatives on the island are now allowed to visit them annually, instead of once every three years. But the new allowances go even further, by broadening the definition of “family.” […]
This post can also be seen on FPA’s Latin America Blog. One of the greatest and diverse minds in public policy today is Fareed Zakaria. Once the host of a wonderful public policy show Foreign Exchange on PBS, Fareed Zakaria GPS is now likely CNN’s best and most in depth show on American media today. […]
One of the greatest and diverse minds in public policy today is Fareed Zakaria. Once the host of a wonderful public policy show Foreign Exchange on PBS, Fareed Zakaria GPS is now likely CNN’s best and most in depth show on American media today. Zakaria has done much to add colour in the shadows of […]
Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans Frontières, or RSF) officially published their annual report of the “List of Internet Enemies” today. Cuba has a prominent place in the report: it is the only Western Hemisphere country in the ranks. RSF actually calls Cuba “one of the most backward Internet countries,” and reports that only 2% of the […]
Despite opposition from several prominent Republicans and two Democrats (Bill Nelson of Florida and Bob Menendez of New Jersey), this evening the Senate passed the $410 billion spending bill that included several Cuba provisions. The bill is on its way to the White House, where Obama has given every indication that he will sign it. […]
Yesterday we noted that Manuel Orozco’s new Inter-American Dialogue report called Cuban dollar exchange policies harmful to remitting Cuban families. Those policies, in conjunction with Cuba’s dual currency system, merit a more detailed examination of their historical roots and of recent developments and consequences. From 1857 until 1994, only one Cuban currency existed—the Cuban peso […]
On March 5, the Inter-American Dialogue in DC released an interesting and important report on Cuban migration and remittances. The statistics presented in the report are for the most part unique because of the highly politicized nature of the subject. There is not a generally accepted source for remittance data in Cuba, for example; […]