‘A space to breathe art’ – and other airs
By Aurelio Pedroso
HAVANA – The moral of the story usually appears at the end of the story, but in this case, I will point out that this story demonstrates that the Cuban people’s inborn ability to undertake new projects on their own deserves the total and definitive elimination of the obstacles, prejudices...
“Free Cuba. Torch a travel agency!”
By Saul Landau
You can disagree with violent anti-Castro dogma, but such dissent could also get you killed – or your business torched as happened on April 25 to Airline Brokers Co. Some Cuban exiles apparently take free speech so seriously that they punish those who use it in “inappropriate” ways.
Ambitious reforms await enactment
By Gerardo Arreola
HAVANA – On paper, a new cycle of economic reforms in Cuba paints an ambitious horizon of potential expansion of the private sector and greater stimuli for agriculture. But although the decisions were approved months ago, they have not been enacted. The dates of application are unknown.
The pace of the economic changes on the island has been indecipherable so far. There is no way to translate into ordinary language how many weeks, months, or years are meant by the official line of “proceeding without haste but without pause.”
Vice President Marino Murillo, the reform’s principal manager, said in late March that “what was ordained so...
Students shackled
The student loan crisis has had two effects. The United States, once the leader in the percentage of college graduates age 25 to 34, has dropped to sixteenth among thirty-six developed nations, with more and more students dropping out because they can’t afford the rising costs. The second effect is ruinous debt: the average indebted college graduate is $25,000 in hock. Total student debt exceeds $1 trillion – now greater than credit card debt.
- From a The Nation editorial after the House GOP budget called for doubling the interest rate charged for government-subsidized student loans.
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European revolt, American echoes?
By Max J. Castro
Enough austerity!
That was the clear message that Greek and French voters sent their leaders at the ballot box last weekend.
Greeks for some time have been in open rebellion against the savage cuts imposed on the...
Argentina and magic soybean: the commodity export boom that wasn’t
By Mark Weisbrot
One of the great myths about the Argentine economy that is repeated nearly every day is that the rapid growth of the Argentine economy during the past decade has been a “commodity export boom.” For example, The New York Times reported last week:
Radio Martí and Cardinal Ortega
By Lorenzo Gonzalo
The Office of Cuba Broadcasting is an organ of the U.S. State Department, created for the purpose of sending radio programs to Cuba. As one might expect, the message in its programs aims to discredit everything the Cuban government does, at the same time that it justifies the actions that Washington takes against the island.
The main purpose of Radio Martí is to interfere with Cuba’s internal affairs under the cover of being a journalistic radio station.
Cuban-Americans’ contributions to Cuba’s future
By Jesús Arboleya Cervera
HAVANA – Much is being said about the possible contribution of Cuban-Americans to the future of Cuba. Some have even described them as the nation’s “saviors”; others have totally dismissed their importance, even their convenience, to the country.
Almost certainly, the fairest evaluation is not at these extremes, so it is advisable to analyze the real potential of these contributions and the requirements for their materialization.
Al’s Loupe
With all respect: It’s not enough
By Alvaro F. Fernandez
I’m glad I spent part of last week and the weekend in the Washington, D.C., area. The first several days were peaceful – I spent them in Virginia with one of my sisters. We brought each other up to date. This country is so big that moments like these are priceless.
As an additional pleasure, spring was on our side. Cool days and evenings, some rain but not enough to keep us from taking our daily strolls.
Click to continue reading...Drones coming to a town near you
By Bill Press
With a dramatic trip to Kabul, President Obama announced the beginning of the end of the war in Afghanistan. But while wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are winding down, a third war is winding up: a war conducted entirely with drones.
It's a long-distance, video game kind of war. ACIA agent sits before a 
computer in Langley, Va., with a joy stick in his hand. On the screen, he's watching video sent from...
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