COMMENTARY

Next  Commentary: Hope for a basic shift in US Cuba policy disintegrates into continued polarization Thursday, March 18, 2010 Washington severed relations with Cuba on January 3, 1961 and launched its economic embargo against Havana the following year. Its intended target was to transform Cuba’s political system from being sympathetic to Moscow’s brand of Communism to one more harmonious with the Cold War ideology being... read more... Commentary: Reflections by Comrade Fidel: My recent meeting with Lula Wednesday, March 3, 2010 We met in Managua, on July 1980, 30 years ago -- during the commemoration of the first anniversary of the Sandinista Revolution -- thanks to my contacts with the followers of the Liberation Theology, which had started in Chile when I visited President Allende there in 1971. I had heard about Lula from Friar Betto. read more... Commentary: Cuba - Russia now and then Thursday, February 25, 2010 Years after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the associated termination of cooperation and a strong alliance between Cuba and Russia, both states are now working overtime to revive the relationship which once brought the world to the brink of nuclear war when the Soviet Union covertly installed nuclear missiles. read more... Commentary: No 'common policy,' as Europe grapples over its future ties with Cuba Saturday, February 6, 2010 In January, Spain took over the presidency of the Council of the European Union. Despite being deeply affected by the global financial crisis, Spain confidently proclaimed ambitious objectives for its term at the head of the EU, including the cancellation of the EU’s “Common Position.” read more... Commentary: Next year in Havana? Thursday, February 4, 2010 Next year will mark a half-century since the Bay of Pigs, the failed assault on Fidel Castro’s young regime in Cuba that helped ignite the long cold war across the Straits of Florida. Although Castro himself has largely disappeared from the public stage, replaced at the helm by his brother Raúl, most Americans still think of Cuba... read more... Commentary: Turning Guantanamo Bay into a point of light Saturday, January 23, 2010 The American base at Guantanamo in Cuba, refitted to receive the enemy combatant prisoners and the terrorists of Iraq, Afghanistan and Yemen, is on the verge of being closed again due to negative publicity surrounding the alleged mistreatment of those prisoners.  Guantanamo Bay, with proper leadership and foresight... read more... Commentary: The US-Cuban Relation, what next! Wednesday, January 6, 2010 Cuba has resurfaced in the news once again as a result of new TSA enhanced security screening procedures naming US-bound flights originating from or through "state sponsors of terrorism or other countries of interest". Surprisingly, Cuba tops the list. The US government officially lists four countries as... read more... Commentary: Cuba: Raul's a brutal despot too?! Duh... Friday, November 20, 2009 This week, news organizations reported the fact that Raul Castro is continuing the reign of terror his brother Fidel launched almost 50 years ago as if it were every bit as shocking as the fact that President Barack Obama is continuing many of the oppressive war-on-terror tactics his predecessor George W. Bush deployed. read more... Commentary: Prospects for a resurgent Cuban tourism market Thursday, October 8, 2009 For almost fifty years, the United States has prohibited the vast majority of its citizens from traveling to Cuba as a part of its economic embargo on the island. However, a flood of American tourists may soon be unleashed on this forbidden island as a bipartisan coalition grows in the US Congress. read more... Commentary: President Obama's words versus his performance on Cuba Wednesday, September 30, 2009 President Obama has not taken any decisive steps to veer away from Washington’s benighted, near half-century trade embargo against Cuba. By refusing to take advantage of the opportunity to reject a longstanding and morally-bankrupt policy, which has achieved very few successes. read more... Commentary: Washington's double standard on Cuba Wednesday, September 16, 2009 The recent lifting of Cuba’s suspension from membership in the Organization of American States indicates that Washington’s domination of the Inter-American system has passed. The preconditions set by the OAS for Cuba’s readmission were far weaker than those Secretary of State Hillary Clinton... read more... Commentary: A constructive engagement with Cuba Thursday, September 10, 2009 In the coming days, President Obama must decide whether to renew the Trading with the Enemy Act (TWTEA), which is set to expire on September 14th. TWTEA is the original legislation that was used to implement and sustain the embargo on trade with Cuba, the longest interdiction of its kind in human history. read more... Commentary: Cuba: Gardening its way out of crisis Monday, August 17, 2009 Sunlight brightens the paved streets and historic buildings of Havana, Cuba, bouncing off the tents of vendors and the tin drums of a street band. Once stricken by poverty and inequality, the city has slowly blossomed as a result of the bustling enterprise of urban agriculture. read more... Commentary: An ailing e-empire: Microsoft blitzes Cuba to preserve diminishing financial dominance Tuesday, August 11, 2009 During the last week of May 2009, Microsoft abruptly and inexplicably banned access to its Windows Live Messenger instant messaging service in Cuba. In response to several inquiries, the company defended its action by asserting that “Microsoft has discontinued providing Instant Messenger services... read more... Commentary: Reflections by Comrade Fidel: A Nobel Prize for Mrs Clinton Saturday, July 25, 2009 The never-ending document read yesterday by the Nobel Laureate Oscar Arias is much worse than the 7 points of the surrender paper he had proposed on July 18th. He wasn’t communicating with international opinion in Morse Code. He was speaking in front of the TV cameras that were transmitting his image. read more... Commentary: Cuba keeps ill writer jailed as Norway awards prize Saturday, July 4, 2009 (Bloomberg) -- A few weeks ago, Normando Hernandez Gonzalez got the kind of news that usually prompts cheers and emotion-filled toasts. The Cuban journalist and poet had been awarded the annual Freedom of Expression award by the Norwegian Writers’ Union. A delegation traveled from Oslo to Cuba. read more... Commentary: The US and Cuba: Destined to be an environmental duo? Monday, June 15, 2009 Through accidents of geography and history, Cuba is a priceless ecological resource. The United States should capitalize on its proximity to this resource-rich island nation by moving to normalize relations and establishing a framework for environmental cooperation and joint initiatives throughout the Americas. read more... Commentary: Cuban oil: Havana's potential geo-political bombshell Saturday, June 13, 2009 As the Obama administration slowly inches towards normalizing its relations with Cuba, pressure is mounting on the new president to lift the decades-old, and universally acknowledged, anachronistic embargo. A relic of the Cold War, the Cuban embargo witnessed the loss of its stated purpose years ago. read more... Commentary: While other countries are battling for Cuba to rejoin OAS, Cuba says it is not interested Saturday, June 6, 2009 I write from the Press Centre while the 39th Annual Assembly of the Organisation of American States (OAS) is in progress and I am somewhat at a loss as regards the tremendous move by nearly all of the 34 member nation for Cuba’s re-entry into the western hemispheric bloc, and Cuba seems not to be keen. read more... Commentary: OAS lifts its almost 50-year ban on Cuba Friday, June 5, 2009 The Organization of American States (OAS) is a 34-member organization - representing all the countries of the Americas except Cuba. It promotes democracy and regional cooperation on issues ranging from poverty reduction to drug trafficking. But yesterday the OAS voted to lift the ban it imposed on Cuba in 1962. read more... Commentary: Ostracism or Reconciliation? Cuba, the US and the Organization of American States Tuesday, June 2, 2009 A fateful moment may be at hand in the future of the Inter-American movement. The fate of the Organization of American States (OAS) will be put into doubt this week during its meeting in Honduras, with the prospect of Cuba’s reentry into the organization after nearly fifty years of a US-led suspension looming over the agenda. read more... Commentary: The Cuban Five: A starkly controversial case Saturday, May 23, 2009 During Barack Obama’s first three months in office, his administration took several tentative steps toward rehabilitating the US relationship with Cuba. Up to now such ties have been dominated by unremitting hostility towards the Castro Regime of over the last five decades since the 1959 communist revolution. read more... Commentary: Obama and the Cuban/US issue: Guantanamo Bay Tuesday, April 28, 2009 Guantanamo Bay has repeatedly appeared in the news lately, becoming well known as prison for more than 670 US enemy combatants who have been incarcerated, interrogated and some, tortured over the Bush administration’s mandate on the war over global terrorism. Today, 240 detainees await relocation. read more... Commentary: Cuba and the United States: Let's not waste an opportunity for change Thursday, April 23, 2009 On Tuesday, April 21, Fidel Castro claimed that President Obama “without a doubt misinterpreted” the declarations made by his brother, and Cuban President, Raúl just before this past weekend’s Summit of the Americas in Trinidad. Speaking at an ALBA meeting on Thursday, April 17, Raúl said... read more... Commentary: Caribbean cannot base tourism on US embargo against Cuba Friday, April 17, 2009 US President Barack Obama has fulfilled a promise made to Cuban-Americans during last year’s Presidential campaign to ease travel restrictions allowing them to visit Cuba as they wish, and to send money back home to their dependents. This decision has caused more than a ripple of concern among tourism authorities. read more... Commentary: The Cuban who won't be in Trinidad Wednesday, April 15, 2009 On March 2, Raul Castro shocked the international community by dismissing Felipe Perez Roque and Carlos Lage, two of the most highly regarded officials in his government. This action comes as a sign that he is intent on reforming the troubled administration he inherited from his brother Fidel. read more... Commentary: Obama and the flawed logic on Cuba Wednesday, April 15, 2009 (Reuters) -- The US case for isolating Cuba and keeping it out of international meetings such as this week’s Summit of the Americas sounds simple: the country doesn’t have democratically elected leaders, it holds political prisoners, it violates human rights and its citizens can’t travel freely. All perfectly true. read more... Commentary: The meeting with the Black Caucus: Reflections by Comrade Fidel Thursday, April 9, 2009 The morning was stormy, damp and cold. Strong winds were blowing and the sky was dark. This was no spring day, not warm. Barbara wanted to visit the Latin American School of Medicine where 114 young Americans are studying medicine. The plane that had brought them to Cuba had pushed forward their trip. read more... Commentary: Castro could help Obama to end Cuba embargo Friday, April 3, 2009 Cuba’s President Raul Castro could help US President Barack Obama to end the 49-year old trade embargo that the US has imposed on Cuba and to normalise relations between the two countries. To do so, he will have to implement measures to address human rights issues in Cuba. read more... Commentary: The Prelude: Reflections by Comrade Fidel Thursday, April 2, 2009 The baseball and football classics fill the stadiums and amuse the masses all over the world. Obviously we all consider ourselves experts on the subject –myself included- and get involved in heated arguments with anybody. However, when it comes to the economy, where there are certain events... read more... Commentary: A step towards autonomy and reintegration: The Rio Group and Cuba Tuesday, March 24, 2009 It comes as no surprise that after decades of playing the role of hemispheric hegemon, the United States at the same time has created a critical mass that has inadvertently resulted in a backlash throughout Latin America. Founded in 1986, the Rio Group was created in response to the prevailing US dominance. read more... Commentary: Reflections by Fidel: We are the ones to blame Saturday, March 21, 2009 In the game that finished today at almost 3 in the morning between the teams from Japan and Cuba, we were unquestionably defeated. The organizers of the Classic decided that the three countries in the first three spots of world baseball shall play it out in San Diego, including Cuba. read more... Commentary: Let down on Cuba Monday, March 16, 2009 On March 10, Congress passed a bill containing provisions that will relax travel, trade and remittance provisions within existing legislation, in a move toward implementing the pledges made by Presidential candidate Barack Obama while on the campaign trail. The House had passed the bill on February 25. read more... Commentary: Let down on Cuba Monday, March 16, 2009 On March 10, Congress passed a bill containing provisions that will relax travel, trade and remittance provisions within existing legislation, in a move toward implementing the pledges made by Presidential candidate Barack Obama while on the campaign trail. The House had passed the bill on February 25. read more... Commentary: Reflections by Fidel: A meeting with Michelle Bachelet, the President of Chile Friday, February 13, 2009 It doesn’t matter what I say about the friendly meeting, some news agencies and papers will take the information and will print that the old man, convalescing after a serious illness or some other descriptor directed towards reducing the modest value of whatever I expressed to my prestigious interlocutor. read more... Commentary: Reflections: Deciphering the thoughts of the new president of The United States Saturday, January 31, 2009 It is not too difficult. After taking office, Barack Obama said that the decision to return the territory occupied by the Guantanamo Naval Base to its legitimate owner requires weighing up the extent to which the defensive capacity of the United States would be or not in the least affected. read more... Commentary: Reflections: The 11th president of the United States Saturday, January 24, 2009 This past Tuesday January 20, 2009, Barack Obama took on the leadership of the empire as the 11th President of the United States since the victory of the Cuban Revolution on January 1959. No one could doubt the sincerity of his words as he stated that he would turn his country into a model of freedom. read more... Commentary: Reflections: Meeting Cristina Friday, January 23, 2009 We talked for 40 minutes. It was an intense and interesting dialogue; just as I expected. She is a person of deep convictions. There was no debate. When she spoke at the Auditorium of the University of Havana, she was quick to answer the students’ questions showing her talent and her capacity. read more... Commentary: CARICOM's ironic, if not misguided, call to lift Cuban embargo Monday, December 15, 2008 At an extraordinary summit in Cuba this week, leaders of all countries in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) called on President-elect Barack Obama to lift America’s nearly 50-year embargo against their host country. I have written a number of commentaries calling on American presidents. read more... Commentary: Cuba and the Caribbean united for cooperation Tuesday, December 9, 2008 With the objective of strengthening cooperation ties and to identify new initiatives in the sectors that can contribute to the socio-economic advancement of the region, the 3rd Summit between Cuba and the 14 Caribbean Community Member States will meet on Monday. The main issue to be discussed is cooperation. read more... Next