Cuba’s global relations are on the upswing. In the two years since Raúl Castro took power in July 2006, he has ushered in subtle but important changes in Cuba’s foreign policy while benefiting from a widely-shared desire on the part of many foreign countries to reach out to Cuba during its moment of transition away […]
Can Cuba Escape the Corruption Curse?
Corruption poses an insidious challenge to political legitimacy and economic growth in countries across the world. In many new democracies, the transition away from authoritarian rule has failed to end corrupt practices and even created new opportunities to harness public resources for private enrichment. Similarly, Cuba’s success or failure in controlling corruption will quickly emerge […]
Who’s On First?: The Struggle for Succession in Fidel Castro’s Cuba
Notes1 On January 1, 2004, Fidel Castro marked his fortyfifth year as the president and dominant ruler of Cuba, one of the world’s few remaining communist states. Aged 78 as of August of 2004, he is the longest serving head of government in the world, and only the Queen of England can claim a longer […]
Bridging the Gap: IMF and World Bank Membership for Socialist Countries
Over the last two decades, a range of socialist and post-communist countries have become successfully integrated into the international financial system. This has occurred as the globalization of the world economy has increased the relevance of the international financial institutions (IFIs) as key arbiters of economic policy, the guardians of macroeconomic stability, and the leading […]