Notes1 Cuba’s Revolutionary Armed Forces (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Cuba—FAR) have undergone over the years a dynamic change in their role and doctrine as a defense institution, from their genesis of the Rebel Army who fought the Batista dictatorship. Army General Raúl Castro has called the FAR a “vanguard of the state,”2 ready to defend […]
Equipo de Coordinación y Apoyo al Comandante en Jefe: Cuba’s Parallel Government?
Fidel Castro, who is in his forty-second year in power and domination of Cuba’s political landscape, has utilized different political mechanisms to ensure his dictum over the Cuban polity. Among these mechanisms have been institutional conflict, rivalry and the use of parallel structures of government that have been the successful keys in perpetuating his unilateral […]
Soldiers and Businessmen: The FAR During the Special Period
Cuba’s economic crisis began as a result of the collapse of the Soviet Union and an inefficient management of the economy. This crisis brought uncertainty to the survivability of the Revolution. Soviet subsidies to the Cuban economy could no longer be counted on by the Castro regime. A new focus on economic methods and techniques […]
Evolution, Transition and the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces
Cuba’s Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR) have learned to adapt to the changing environment. Since the Soviet Union’s disintegration, the FAR have had to refocus their core mission and reassert their value in the Cuban polity. As a result of the loss of economic aid from the Soviet Union, the FAR have become a constabulary force, […]