Roberto Orro’s paper “Petrolism in Cuba” addresses a topic that has been off the radar, but has great relevance to Cuba’s economy and is critical to sustaining its current regime. It should be widely circulated, especially in the oil and financial sectors.1 A more in-depth look at two issues discussed only tangentially in the piece […]
Promoting Democratic Change in Cuba: A Retooled U.S. Policy to Foster Multilateral Support
Notes1 In July of 2006, Fidel Castro “temporarily delegated” power to his brother during a severe health crisis. Raúl had been second-in-command and head of the Armed Forces since the two brothers led the revolutionary forces to power almost five decades earlier. After the designation of Raúl as leader, Fidel remained out of public view. […]
Cuban Americans and Foreign Direct Investments in Post-Castro Cuba: Comment
The subject paper by José Azel is very well written, both from a literary and scholarly point of view. It is also manageable for readers better versed in economics as well as those less familiar with the subject matter. A weakness is that it stays solely within the bounds of the theoretical propositions selected for […]
Fidel Castro, Inc.: A Global Conglomerate
Since 1997, Forbes magazine has featured Fidel Castro in its annual Billionaires’ Edition as one of the richest rulers in the world. Initially, Forbes assigned to Castro a share of Cuba’s reported GDP (gross domestic product) for the previous year, which yielded a fortune of approximately $150 million. Since 2003, however, it began using a […]
International Law and Other Considerations on the Repatriation of Cuban Balseros by the United States
Notes1 The Cuban government prohibits leaving the national territory without prior government authorization. “Illegal exit” is punishable with one to three years in prison and financial penalties.2 The term balsero (“rafter”) typically depicts Cubans who escape or attempt to escape from their island-country usually in makeshift rafts, small boats, and other primitive vessels. Some are […]