Geography Archives: Cuba

  • Cuba’s Economic Reform: Interview with Oscar Martínez

      Oscar Martínez is Deputy Head of the International Relations Department of the Cuban Communist Party.  This interview was conducted during the South African Communist Party visit to Cuba this month. What is the nature of the economic problems Cuba is currently experiencing? In the context of our other problems, the US economic and financial […]

  • EU: “Common Position” against Cuba

      The European Union to the United States: “Yes, my love, I know you like my position, but everyone is saying that you are the only one who has it in common with me.” Pedro Méndez Suárez is a Cuban cartoonist.  This cartoon was published in Rebelión on 7 November 2010.  Translation by Yoshie Furuhashi […]

  • An Uprising at the United Nations (Part 2)

    When Bruno concluded his speech around midday last October 26, as is the norm, it was then time for the explanations of vote prior to the resolution being submitted to the vote. First to speak was U.S. ambassador Ronald D. Godard, senior area advisor for western hemisphere affairs and head of his country’s delegation. His […]

  • An Uprising at the United Nations (Part 1)

    The session of October 26 last at the United Nations General Assembly, which is supposedly the top political authority in the planet, was convened for the purpose of discussing an item that has been reiterated for so long that it even sounds familiar: “Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the […]

  • The Empire from Inside (Part Five)

    CHAPTERS 28 and 29 Obama came down from the residence and saw Biden.  Biden advised him:  “What you’re about to do is a presidential order; it is no longer an issue of continuing a discussion. This is not what you think. This is an order. Without them, we’re locked into in Vietnam”. Obama answered: “I’m […]

  • The Empire from Inside (Part Four)

    CHAPTERS 20 and 21 Assessments about the options regarding the war in Afghanistan continued. Three priorities in terms of civilian efforts are identified: agriculture, education and reduction of poppies. If these aims were to be met, support for the Taliban could be undermined. The big question was still: “what can you do in a year?” […]

  • Iran-Cuba Ties

      Nargess Moballeghi: Two revolutions in two parts of the world for two different reasons. . . .  The Cuban Revolution led by Fidel Castro overthrowing Fulgencio Batista in 1959 and the Islamic Revolution led by Ayatollah Khomeini overthrowing the Shah twenty years later.  Though ideologically they couldn’t have been further apart, they have a […]

  • From Sugar to Services: An Overview of the Cuban Economy

      Summary: In 1989, services comprised no more than 10 per cent of Cuba’s export revenues, with sugar accounting for over 70 per cent.  In 2007, by contrast, it was sugar that made up 10 per cent of overseas earnings while services accounted for 70 per cent.  The article provides an overview of this drastic […]

  • Cubans Sign Books of Condolences for Lucius Walker

      Among those who signed the books of condolences, leaving diverse expressions of love and respect, are students of the Latin American School of Medicine who are from the United States, the youth that the Reverend Lucius Walker, leader of Pastors for Peace, brought to Cuba. At the Instituto Cubano de Amistad con los Pueblos […]

  • Death of Tomy, Great Friend and Cuban Cartoonist

      Born in Barajagua, Holguín, Cuba in 1949, Tomás Rafael Rodríguez Zayas (Tomy) became recognized in the universe of Cuban cartoons in the late 1960s. From 1968 he began to work for Juventud Rebelde and soon became part of the golden era of Dedeté, the humor supplement of this newspaper. His work as a cartoonist, […]

  • The strategic victory

    Within a few days the book titled The Strategic Victory, in which I narrate the battle waged for the extermination of the little Rebel Army, is to be published.

    I begin it with an introduction in which I explain my doubts as to its title “…I didn’t know whether to call it ‘Batista’s Last Offensive’ or ‘How 300 defeated 10,000,'” the latter of which sounded like a science fiction story.

    It includes a small autobiography: “I did not wish to wait for the publication some day of the responses to numerous questions asked me about my childhood, adolescence and youth, stages which converted me into a revolutionary and armed combatant.

  • The other tragedy

    IN my meeting with the CIEM economists on Tuesday, July 13, I talked of the excellent documentary by the French director Yann Arthus-Bertrand, with the participation of the most eminent and well informed international figures, on the other terrible danger to the human species which is taking place before our eyes: the destruction of the […]

  • The origin of wars

    I affirmed on July 4 that neither the United States nor Iran would give in; “one, due to the pride of the powerful, and the other, out of resistance to the yoke and the capacity to fight, as has occurred so many times in the history of humanity…” In almost all wars, one of the […]

  • Finding out the truth in time

    WHEN I was writing one of my previous reflections, as a disaster for humanity was rapidly approaching, my greatest concern was to fulfill the elemental duty of informing our people. Today I feel calmer than 26 days ago. As things continue happening in the short term, I can reiterate and enrich information to national and […]

  • The Inevitable Battle

    I affirmed recently that the world would soon forget the tragedy that is about to occur as the fruit of the policy followed, for more than two centuries, by the neighboring superpower: the United States. We are familiar with its devious and cunning way of acting; the impetuous economic growth attained on the basis of […]

  • A Blow Waiting to Happen

    On Tuesday, June 8 at noon, I wrote the Reflection “On the Threshold of Tragedy” Later, I watched Randy Alonso’s TV program, Roundtable, usually aired at 6:30 pm. That day, outstanding and prestigious Cuban intellectuals taking part in the program answered pointed questions raised by the moderator with eloquent words that showed great respect for […]

  • On the threshold of tragedy

    SINCE the day of March 26, neither Obama nor the president of South Korea have been able to explain what really happened to the flagship of the South Korean Navy, the state-of-the-art submarine hunter Cheonan, which was taking part in a maneuver with the U.S. Navy to the west of the Korean Peninsula, close to […]

  • The Empire and Lies

    I was left with no alternative other than to write two “Reflections” on Iran and Korea, which explain the imminent danger of war with the use of nuclear weapons. I have also expressed the opinion that one of them could be overcome if China decided to veto the resolution that the United States is promoting […]

  • The Empire and the War

    Two days ago, I said in a few words that imperialism was unable to solve the extremely serious problem of drug abuse, which has become a scourge for the people all over the world. Today, I wish to deal with another issue that I consider of major significance. The current danger that the United States […]

  • The Empire and Drugs

    WHEN I was detained in Mexico by the Federal Security Police who, by pure chance became suspicious of certain movements of ours, despite the fact that we were making them with maximum care in order to avoid being snatched by the killer hand of Batista – like Machado did in Mexico when his agents assassinated […]