Spending a week in Tuscany has its benefits, certainly, but without dependable Internet access and Western Hemisphere-centered news items, it seems I’ve missed a number of notable (and indeed, unusual/surprising/jaw-dropping) events in Cuba…
Here are a few of the ones I’m picking up in the airport now. What else have I missed?
Cuba indicates that it will free all its political prisoners
This is an extension of earlier promises and agreements over the last several week following discussions with Spanish officials and high-ranking members of the Catholic Church in Havana, which we discussed in an earlier post. EU countries will almost certainly respond with revision of the common position.
Fidel Castro Makes His First Visit Outside Cuba
Another follow-up, but also at a level unpredicted. Fidel had made a couple appearances recently, exponentially increasing his public presence since 2006, and we discussed them here and here.
Cuba watchers look for signals today
This is, in fact, today, and we’ll have an eye out as Raúl Castro gives his Revolution Day speech. Will Fidel be there, solidifying his renewed public presence and influence? Will Raúl publicly acknowledge the agreement Havana has made to release 52 (and possibly all 75) prisoners that have been detained since the 2003 “black spring” crackdown? [Last week the head of Cuba’s parliament, Ricardo Alarcón, went further then has yet been confirmed and said it was the government’s wish “to free all the people” on condition they had not been accused of murder.]
It would be nearly impossible for Washington not to respond to all this. The prospects are thrilling, though a recent Foreign Affairs piece that I have in hand (and is available for easy purchase online) by Laurie Garrett cautions about the unintended consequences of a quick and dirty lifting of the embargo in terms I had not before considered.
What else have I missed in this week?
(Photo: Sergio Barrenechea/EPA)
A few months ago, I wrote about the early stages of the conflict in Ukraine through the lens of Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. While it appears likely that the war will carry on into the foreseeable future, enough time has passed for us to make an honest assessment of each side’s relative […]
The Ukrainian Army has made dramatic strides in the last few weeks. Ukraine’s tactical commanders have outfoxed their Russian counterparts, and by issuing a feint towards the south the UA has been able to earn substantial gains in the north of their country. The impact of these efforts have been compounded by the steady stream […]
In mid-May the Irish political party, Sinn Féin, won the plurality of seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly. Many American readers might not fully understand the significance of Sinn Féin’s political victory- but rest assured that subjects of the United Kingdom and a wide range of political movements the world over have heard the message […]
The first wave of the Russian offensive in Ukraine has fallen short of Russian autocrat Vladmir Putin’s ambitions. Most analysts deduced that Putin had hoped to achieve a decapitation strike of the Ukrainian government- taking Kiev and replacing Ukrainian President Vladimir Zolinski with a pro-Kremlin voice. Kiev has been threatened repeatedly through the course of […]
On the weekend of March 26th, the notorious MS-13 gang went on a massive killing spree in El Salvador which left more than 70 people dead by Sunday. Even for a country where powerful gangs hold massive sway, this recent tragedy stands out considering that it was the bloodiest day on record since the civil […]
