AQ Podcast: Cuba’s Post-Castro Chapter
The regime’s historic transition comes just as economic frustration and political dissent threaten to boil over.
Fidel Castro’s Fateful Visit to New York, 60 Years On
Simon Hall’s “Ten Days in Harlem: Fidel Castro and the Making of the 1960s” recounts how a brief trip put the Cuban leader on the world stage.
Trump, Venezuela and the ELN: The Geopolitics of Peace in Colombia
The ELN has become an increasingly binational insurgency, with major political implications for the region.
At the Havana Biennial, Artists Test Limits on Free Expression
Cuba’s biggest contemporary art celebration reflected heightened tensions with the U.S.
Cuba Wants Business. Trump Is Making That Harder.
Trump’s waiver of Title III is partial – for now. The uncertainty could hurt both U.S. and Cuban interests.
The Problem With Defending Democracy in Venezuela, But Not Cuba
Maduro can learn from Cuba that if he hangs on a few months, regional leaders will forget about restoring democracy in Venezuela.
How Much Change Will Cuba’s New President Bring?
Raúl Castro will hand off the presidency – likely to his vice-president Miguel Díaz-Canel – leaving Cubans to speculate on the true impact of the shift.
Trump’s New Cuba Sanctions Miss Their Mark
After two years of restored diplomatic ties, new U.S. regulations on Cuba are bringing back a thicket of travel, financial and trade restrictions – and a tougher stance toward the island. The goal of these restrictions, according to U.S. President Donald Trump, is to starve the Cuban government of money from travel, remittances and commercial … Read more
The Trouble With Cuba’s New Economy
When Raúl Castro steps down as Cuba’s president in February 2018, he will hand off to his successor the unfinished task of reforming the economy. It is Cuba’s most urgent need and, at the same time, an increasingly controversial one. Castro succeeded his brother Fidel as president in 2008 amid serious structural economic problems on … Read more
Meet the GOP Congressmen Who Could Sell Trump on Cuba
Those hoping that President Donald Trump will continue his predecessor’s engagement with Cuba have found some unexpected allies. Republican Representatives Rick Crawford of Arkansas, Tom Emmer of Minnesota and Mark Sanford of South Carolina – all vocal supporters of the new president – have each this year re-introduced bills they wrote during the Obama administration … Read more
How a Changing Economy Is Leaving Afro-Cubans Behind
Whether or not President-elect Donald Trump follows through on plans to reverse the U.S.’ economic opening with Cuba, entrepreneurship on the island will be hard to get rid of. Reforms enacted by President Raúl Castro in 2011 (three years before the U.S. rapprochement began) have already led to a boom in restaurants, bed-and-breakfasts, private taxis and other … Read more
Here’s a Blueprint for a Trump-Castro Deal on Cuba
President-elect Donald J. Trump has vowed “to terminate the deal” that his predecessor in the White House negotiated with Cuba’s President Raúl Castro. Trump’s incoming chief-of-staff, Reince Priebus, last week added these details in an interview on “Fox News Sunday”: “Repression, open markets, freedom of religion, political prisoners – these things need to change in … Read more
Far From Silicon Valley, Cuba Cultivates Startup Scene
The barriers to founding a tech startup in Cuba are high. For starters, hardly anyone has access to internet connections faster than dial-up. But that’s not stopping a generation of young entrepreneurs on the island, where a nascent tech community is challenging the idea that tech innovation has to come from places like Silicon Valley. Two of those … Read more
Castro Still Unlikely to Play Ball With MLB
In the latest game of U.S.-Cuba baseball diplomacy, Raúl Castro has home field advantage. The Cuban president on March 22 hosted the first Major League Baseball game in his country since 1999, a potent symbol of MLB’s efforts to take advantage of U.S. President Barack Obama’s diplomatic opening with the island. So far, however, Castro … Read more
This Week in Latin America: Obama in Havana, Venezuela in Crisis
Sign up here to get This Week in Latin America delivered straight to your inbox every Monday. Cuba, Argentina Host Obama: Cuba and Argentina each play host to U.S. President Barack Obama this week, with human rights issues shading both visits. Today, Obama will hold a working meeting with Cuban President Raúl Castro, who will then host a state dinner … Read more
