Cuba, bajo 'ley seca' y sin música durante los funerales
Se ha suspendido también la Serie Nacional de Béisbol
Lunes, noviembre 28, 2016 | Agencias
LA HABANA, Cuba.- La muerte de Fidel Castro que tantas veces se anunció
en falso en los últimos años es cierta esta vez, y la marcha del líder
revolucionario empieza a calar en una Cuba de duelo en la que por nueve
días las notas del son cubano permanecerán mudas, cerradas las botellas
de ron y enlutadas las banderas.
Han transcurrido varios días desde que el presidente cubano, Raúl
Castro, anunció en la madrugada del sábado la muerte de su hermano
mayor, y la extraña calma que se vivió en las horas posteriores de la
noticia porque muchos cubanos estaban durmiendo ha dado paso a la
vertiginosa preparación de los fastos fúnebres.
Superado el estupor inicial en una isla que llegó a creer que Fidel era
inmortal, fotografías del barbado comandante fallecido a los 90 años en
La Habana -aún no queda claro si en su casa o en un hospital- empiezan a
aparecer en balcones, negocios y fachadas, al igual que banderas cubanas
con crespones negros.
La figura del exmandatario monopoliza también la programación que emite
el canal estatal de la televisión cubana y visten de riguroso luto sus
presentadores, figuras muy familiares para los habitantes de un país de
silencios en el que el noticiero estatal es de visión obligada si se
quiere saber lo que ha ocurrido.
De duelo luce asimismo la prensa oficial del país.
El emblemático diario Granma, órgano oficial del Partido Comunista de
Cuba, no se publica los domingos pero hoy sí salió a la calle y lo hizo
impreso solo con tinta negra, sin la llamativa tipografía roja que le
caracteriza.
En su portada, una sola frase: "Cuba es Fidel". El resto de la portada
la copa un cartel del ilustrador Ares que plasma un retrato multiplicado
de Fidel con uniforme y fusil, inspirado en el trabajo del fallecido
artista Raúl Martínez, el principal exponente del "pop art" revolucionario.
Con la muerte del comandante y mientras duren el luto, la bulliciosa
isla, en contraste con los bailes y júbilo desbordantes de las
celebraciones del exilio en Miami, se mantendrá silenciosa, enmudecido
el son que habitualmente invita a los turistas al contoneo.
El duelo nacional decretado por las autoridades se traduce así en
sobriedad tanto figurada como literal, pues además del cese de
"actividades y espectáculos públicos", hasta el próximo 4 de diciembre,
fecha del entierro de Fidel Castro en Santiago de Cuba, rige ley seca en
el país.
Las tiendas informan mediante carteles de que no venden bebidas
alcohólicas, y tampoco los bares y restaurantes podrán servir estos días
los célebres mojitos, daiquiris y combinados de ron típicos de Cuba.
Suspendido también quedó el campeonato cubano de pelota o béisbol, el
deporte nacional.
La cascada de reacciones y condolencias desde todas partes del mundo no
ha cesado dos días después del fallecimiento de Castro, pero aún son
pocas las presencias internacionales confirmadas en los actos fúnebres.
Desde mañana lunes y hasta última hora del martes las cenizas del
exmandatario permanecerán en el memorial a José Martí, en la Plaza de la
Revolución, para que los cubanos puedan acudir a despedirse del
carismático hombre que rigió los destinos de Cuba durante casi medio
siglo, venerado y denostado a partes iguales.
En ese escenario tendrá lugar la tarde del martes un acto popular en el
que, a falta de confirmación oficial, se prevé que estén las
personalidades llegadas a la isla caribeña.
Será el momento más institucional de la semana de exequias, pues no se
espera que participen delegaciones internacionales en el entierro en el
cementerio de Santa Ifigenia, en Santiago de Cuba, fijado para el 4 de
diciembre.
A esa ciudad oriental íntimamente ligada a la Cuba revolucionaria
llegarán los restos mortales de Fidel un día antes, el 3 de diciembre,
tras una caravana que recorrerá durante cuatro días el país de punta a
punta reproduciendo a la inversa la "Caravana de la Libertad" que Castro
encabezó en 1959 al comienzo de la Revolución.
En estos días, además, resonarán constantemente salvas de artillería en
varios puntos del país, sobre todo en La Habana y Santiago.
Las redes sociales tampoco permanecen ajenas a la muerte de Castro, que
ha dado lugar a un virtual fuego cruzado entre partidarios y detractores
de su figura, "trending topic" mundial desde que se anunció su
fallecimiento.
Desde la isla se han producido reacciones como la de la directora para
Estados Unidos de la Cancillería cubana, Josefina Vidal, una figura
vital en el deshielo que escribió en Twitter que "Fidel es Cuba porque
nos dio la verdadera independencia y nos devolvió la dignidad y el
orgullo de sentirnos cubanos".
Mariela Castro, hija de Raúl Castro, dijo en esa misma red que "ha
muerto el padre de todos los cubanos dignos".
Y Gerardo Hernández Nordelo, miembro del grupo de "Los Cinco" preso 16
años en EE.UU por espionaje, tuiteó: "Este es mi primer tweet dedicado a
nuestro comandante en jefe Fidel Castro, que dijo 'volverán' y nos trajo
de regreso".
(Lorena Cantó/EFE)
Source: Cuba, bajo 'ley seca' y sin música durante los funerales |
Cubanet -
https://www.cubanet.org/facebook/cuba-bajo-ley-seca-y-sin-musica-tras-muerte-de-fidel-castro/
Monday, November 28, 2016
Trump pledges to ‘terminate’ opening to Cuba absent ‘better deal’
Trump pledges to 'terminate' opening to Cuba absent 'better deal'
BY PATRICIA MAZZEI
pmazzei@miamiherald.com
President-elect Donald Trump took it upon himself Monday to put
political pressure on the Cuban government to deal with his incoming
administration following Fidel Castro's death.
"If Cuba is unwilling to make a better deal for the Cuban people, the
Cuban/American people and the U.S. as a whole, I will terminate deal,"
Trump posted on Twitter, his preferred medium of communication in the
weeks following his election.
His tweet came a day after top transition advisers signaled Trump
intends to keep the hardline position on Cuba he adopted late in his
presidential campaign. The message to Cuba: Do more to reciprocate the
opening offered by President Barack Obama, or pay the price when the
White House is under new management beginning Jan. 20.
"Clearly, Cuba is a very complex topic, and the president-elect is aware
of the nuances and complexities regarding the challenges that the island
and the Cuban people face," Trump spokesman Jason Miller told reporters
Monday.
He declined to say how much of a priority Cuba will be for the new
administration, given Castro's death.
"This has been an important issue, and it will continue to be one,"
Miller said. "Our priorities are the release of political prisoners,
return of fugitives from American law, and also political and religious
freedoms for all Cubans living in oppression."
Whether Trump would really maintain that stance had been in question
because, as a celebrity real-estate developer, Trump appeared keen on
doing business in Cuba. His organization sent executives to Cuba as late
as 2013 to explore building a golf course on the island, in spite of the
U.S. trade embargo that prohibits such investments.
As a candidate, Trump insisted he never followed through on any
proposals to work in Cuba. During the campaign, Newsweek revealed Trump
paid a consultant to check out potential opportunities in Cuba on his
organization's behalf in 1998.
Trump, who hasn't given a news conference in five months, has yet to
detail any Cuba specifics. He told the Miami Herald in August that he
wasn't prepared to weigh in on policies such as "wet-foot, dry-foot,"
which allows Cubans who reach U.S. land to stay. He said only that he'd
reject any effort by Cuba to seek reparations against the U.S. for
losses the island might claim from the embargo.
MCCLATCHY CORRESPONDENT VERA BERGENGRUEN CONTRIBUTED TO THIS REPORT FROM
WASHINGTON.
Source: Trump says he may 'terminate' opening to Cuba | Miami Herald -
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/election/donald-trump/article117478793.html
BY PATRICIA MAZZEI
pmazzei@miamiherald.com
President-elect Donald Trump took it upon himself Monday to put
political pressure on the Cuban government to deal with his incoming
administration following Fidel Castro's death.
"If Cuba is unwilling to make a better deal for the Cuban people, the
Cuban/American people and the U.S. as a whole, I will terminate deal,"
Trump posted on Twitter, his preferred medium of communication in the
weeks following his election.
His tweet came a day after top transition advisers signaled Trump
intends to keep the hardline position on Cuba he adopted late in his
presidential campaign. The message to Cuba: Do more to reciprocate the
opening offered by President Barack Obama, or pay the price when the
White House is under new management beginning Jan. 20.
"Clearly, Cuba is a very complex topic, and the president-elect is aware
of the nuances and complexities regarding the challenges that the island
and the Cuban people face," Trump spokesman Jason Miller told reporters
Monday.
He declined to say how much of a priority Cuba will be for the new
administration, given Castro's death.
"This has been an important issue, and it will continue to be one,"
Miller said. "Our priorities are the release of political prisoners,
return of fugitives from American law, and also political and religious
freedoms for all Cubans living in oppression."
Whether Trump would really maintain that stance had been in question
because, as a celebrity real-estate developer, Trump appeared keen on
doing business in Cuba. His organization sent executives to Cuba as late
as 2013 to explore building a golf course on the island, in spite of the
U.S. trade embargo that prohibits such investments.
As a candidate, Trump insisted he never followed through on any
proposals to work in Cuba. During the campaign, Newsweek revealed Trump
paid a consultant to check out potential opportunities in Cuba on his
organization's behalf in 1998.
Trump, who hasn't given a news conference in five months, has yet to
detail any Cuba specifics. He told the Miami Herald in August that he
wasn't prepared to weigh in on policies such as "wet-foot, dry-foot,"
which allows Cubans who reach U.S. land to stay. He said only that he'd
reject any effort by Cuba to seek reparations against the U.S. for
losses the island might claim from the embargo.
MCCLATCHY CORRESPONDENT VERA BERGENGRUEN CONTRIBUTED TO THIS REPORT FROM
WASHINGTON.
Source: Trump says he may 'terminate' opening to Cuba | Miami Herald -
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/election/donald-trump/article117478793.html
Alan Gross - Castro era un 'brutal hijo de puta' pero el acercamiento debe continuar
Alan Gross: Castro era un 'brutal hijo de puta' pero el acercamiento
debe continuar
DDC | Miami | 28 de Noviembre de 2016 - 14:43 CET.
Alan Gross, el excontratista estadounidense que pasó cinco años preso en
Cuba, dice que espera que la muerte de Fidel Castro alivie parte de la
ira y el temor sobre Cuba, de manera que se pueda avanzar hacia una
mejores relaciones entre Washington y La Habana y el levantamiento del
embargo norteamericano, informa el diario El Nuevo Herald.
Gross fue arrestado en 2009 y acusado de tratar de socavar al Gobierno
cubano. Fue sentenciado a 15 años de prisión y finalmente liberado en
2014, en un canje de prisioneros que incluyó a tres espías cubanos
presos en Estados Unidos.
Gross fue sometido a interrogatorios diarios en los que sus captores
alababan la revolución y condenaban a Estados Unidos. Pero esas habrían
sido las únicas palabras positivas que escuchó sobre Fidel Castro
durante el tiempo que estuvo en la Isla.
El excontratista calificó a Fidel Castro de "brutal hijo de puta",
"megalómano" y un "hombre increíblemente brillante".
"Mató a mucha gente. Esclavizó a toda la Isla para su enriquecimiento
personal", dijo Gross.
Pero ahora, añadió, la sombra de Castro no puede eclipsar nada. La gente
puede mirar al futuro.
"La gente tiene mucha furia, mucha", dijo Gross. "No solo en el sur de
la Florida, sino también en Cuba. La furia es como un ancla que no nos
deja movernos. Si nos soltamos un poco, podemos comenzar a avanzar".
Gross no está convencido de que la muerte de Fidel Castro signifique
mucho cambio en la Isla, porque su hermano Raúl tiene el poder desde
hace una década. Considera que habrá mayor oportunidad cuando el general
abandone la cabeza del régimen en 2018, como ha dicho que hará, y ningún
Castro sea jefe de Estado.
"Algunas personas me han dicho que me meta debajo de una piedra y me
muera por estar a favor de una mejora en las relaciones. Otros han dicho
que sufro del síndrome de Estocolmo, algo que los reto a que me digan en
la cara", afirmó Gross. "Yo no soy admirador del Gobierno de Cuba. Si me
hubieran presentado a Fidel Castro o a Raúl Castro, no habría terminado
bien", dijo el excontratista.
Pero se mostró especialmente furioso con Marco Rubio, senador
republicano por la Florida, por sus críticas el sábado a la declaración
del presidente Barack Obama sobre el fallecimiento de Castro.
Rubio dijo que la declaración fue "patética" por no mencionar a los
miles de personas que Castro mató y encarceló.
Gross defendió el mensaje de Obama, que calificó de debidamente "mesurado".
"Rubio se desacredita", opinó. "Él no tuvo la experiencia cubana que
dice. No ha sacrificado nada debido a Fidel Castro, tampoco su familia.
Yo sí. Yo tuve esa experiencia y ni siquiera soy cubano. Así que puedo
hablar con alguna credibilidad".
Desde su liberación hace casi dos años, Gross se ha dedicado a
restablecer los lazos con su familia y amigos. Está escribiendo una
novela gráfica y acaba de comprarse su primera motocicleta. "Me siento
realmente libre cuando estoy en mi motocicleta", dijo.
Hace unos meses, Gross pidió al Congreso "que se pusiera los pantalones"
y levantara el embargo. También ha pedido a La Habana que se incorpore
al siglo XXI y dicho que es hora de que el pueblo cubano "se sincere con
su Gobierno".
Gross dijo que espera regresar a Cuba un día y reveló que ha tratado de
contactar a la embajada cubana un par de veces.
"Solo para sentarnos y hablar", dijo. "No quiero enfocarme en los
últimos cinco años. Quiero enfocarme en los próximos cinco años. Pero no
he tenido respuesta de ellos".
Cuando se le preguntó si se había fumado un puro para celebrar la muerte
de Fidel Castro, dijo que no, y que probablemente tampoco lo haga.
"Quiero disfrutar de mis tabacos y no quiero pensar en él cada vez que
me fume uno", señaló.
Source: Alan Gross: Castro era un 'brutal hijo de puta' pero el
acercamiento debe continuar | Diario de Cuba -
http://www.diariodecuba.com/cuba/1480340584_27029.html
debe continuar
DDC | Miami | 28 de Noviembre de 2016 - 14:43 CET.
Alan Gross, el excontratista estadounidense que pasó cinco años preso en
Cuba, dice que espera que la muerte de Fidel Castro alivie parte de la
ira y el temor sobre Cuba, de manera que se pueda avanzar hacia una
mejores relaciones entre Washington y La Habana y el levantamiento del
embargo norteamericano, informa el diario El Nuevo Herald.
Gross fue arrestado en 2009 y acusado de tratar de socavar al Gobierno
cubano. Fue sentenciado a 15 años de prisión y finalmente liberado en
2014, en un canje de prisioneros que incluyó a tres espías cubanos
presos en Estados Unidos.
Gross fue sometido a interrogatorios diarios en los que sus captores
alababan la revolución y condenaban a Estados Unidos. Pero esas habrían
sido las únicas palabras positivas que escuchó sobre Fidel Castro
durante el tiempo que estuvo en la Isla.
El excontratista calificó a Fidel Castro de "brutal hijo de puta",
"megalómano" y un "hombre increíblemente brillante".
"Mató a mucha gente. Esclavizó a toda la Isla para su enriquecimiento
personal", dijo Gross.
Pero ahora, añadió, la sombra de Castro no puede eclipsar nada. La gente
puede mirar al futuro.
"La gente tiene mucha furia, mucha", dijo Gross. "No solo en el sur de
la Florida, sino también en Cuba. La furia es como un ancla que no nos
deja movernos. Si nos soltamos un poco, podemos comenzar a avanzar".
Gross no está convencido de que la muerte de Fidel Castro signifique
mucho cambio en la Isla, porque su hermano Raúl tiene el poder desde
hace una década. Considera que habrá mayor oportunidad cuando el general
abandone la cabeza del régimen en 2018, como ha dicho que hará, y ningún
Castro sea jefe de Estado.
"Algunas personas me han dicho que me meta debajo de una piedra y me
muera por estar a favor de una mejora en las relaciones. Otros han dicho
que sufro del síndrome de Estocolmo, algo que los reto a que me digan en
la cara", afirmó Gross. "Yo no soy admirador del Gobierno de Cuba. Si me
hubieran presentado a Fidel Castro o a Raúl Castro, no habría terminado
bien", dijo el excontratista.
Pero se mostró especialmente furioso con Marco Rubio, senador
republicano por la Florida, por sus críticas el sábado a la declaración
del presidente Barack Obama sobre el fallecimiento de Castro.
Rubio dijo que la declaración fue "patética" por no mencionar a los
miles de personas que Castro mató y encarceló.
Gross defendió el mensaje de Obama, que calificó de debidamente "mesurado".
"Rubio se desacredita", opinó. "Él no tuvo la experiencia cubana que
dice. No ha sacrificado nada debido a Fidel Castro, tampoco su familia.
Yo sí. Yo tuve esa experiencia y ni siquiera soy cubano. Así que puedo
hablar con alguna credibilidad".
Desde su liberación hace casi dos años, Gross se ha dedicado a
restablecer los lazos con su familia y amigos. Está escribiendo una
novela gráfica y acaba de comprarse su primera motocicleta. "Me siento
realmente libre cuando estoy en mi motocicleta", dijo.
Hace unos meses, Gross pidió al Congreso "que se pusiera los pantalones"
y levantara el embargo. También ha pedido a La Habana que se incorpore
al siglo XXI y dicho que es hora de que el pueblo cubano "se sincere con
su Gobierno".
Gross dijo que espera regresar a Cuba un día y reveló que ha tratado de
contactar a la embajada cubana un par de veces.
"Solo para sentarnos y hablar", dijo. "No quiero enfocarme en los
últimos cinco años. Quiero enfocarme en los próximos cinco años. Pero no
he tenido respuesta de ellos".
Cuando se le preguntó si se había fumado un puro para celebrar la muerte
de Fidel Castro, dijo que no, y que probablemente tampoco lo haga.
"Quiero disfrutar de mis tabacos y no quiero pensar en él cada vez que
me fume uno", señaló.
Source: Alan Gross: Castro era un 'brutal hijo de puta' pero el
acercamiento debe continuar | Diario de Cuba -
http://www.diariodecuba.com/cuba/1480340584_27029.html
Trump 'Pondré fin al acuerdo' si no hay avances en democracia, derechos humanos y economía en Cuba
Trump: 'Pondré fin al acuerdo' si no hay avances en democracia, derechos
humanos y economía en Cuba
AGENCIAS | La Habana | 28 de Noviembre de 2016 - 17:41 CET.
El presidente electo de los Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, reiteró este
lunes su amenaza de poner fin al acercamiento entre los gobiernos de
Estados Unidos y Cuba, a no ser que La Habana haga concesiones en temas
de derechos humanos, democracia y apertura económica, según reporta AFP.
"Si Cuba no está dispuesta a alcanzar un mejor acuerdo para el pueblo
cubano, con los cubanoamericanos y con Estados Unidos como un todo,
pondré fin al acuerdo", escribió en su cuenta de Twitter.
Esta es la primera declaración del presidente electo después de su
comunicado del sábado en el que se refería a Fidel Castro como "brutal
dictador" y en el que deseaba a los cubanos "libertad y prosperidad".
Su tuit también coincide con la llegada a la capital cubana del primer
vuelo comercial regular procedente de Miami y con el inicio de las
exequias de Castro.
El mensaje de Trump llega además un día después de que uno de sus
principales asesores prometiera buscar un "mejor acuerdo" con La Habana.
"Tenemos que tener un mejor acuerdo", dijo el jefe de Gabinete, Reince
Priebus, el domingo al canal Fox.
Tras criticar que la Administración de Barack Obama ha hecho muchas
concesiones al régimen, Priebus no explicó cómo se modificaría el
histórico acercamiento entre ambos gobiernos, iniciado el 17 de
diciembre de 2014 por el presidente saliente y Raúl Castro.
Uno de los puntos más reprochados es la flexibilización del embargo
comercial vigente desde 1962, que se ha realizado sin que La Habana
realice suficientes concesiones en temas de derechos humanos, democracia
y avance hacia un comercio liberado.
Tras la muerte de Fidel Castro, los líderes republicanos lo calificaron
de "tirano", pero ninguna persona cercana a Trump llegó a amenazar el
acercamiento hasta este lunes. El magnate sí lo había hecho durante su
campaña electoral.
La mayoría de expertos considera que, aunque el presidente electo puede
llegar a ralentizar la normalización de relaciones e incluso frenar
algunas medidas, no es muy probable que vaya a revertir todos los pasos,
pues supondría un duro golpe a los intereses económicos estadounidenses,
desde las grandes aerolíneas a los agricultores que también presionan
por hacer más negocios con La Habana, señaló el diario español El País.
Source: Trump: 'Pondré fin al acuerdo' si no hay avances en democracia,
derechos humanos y economía en Cuba | Diario de Cuba -
http://www.diariodecuba.com/cuba/1480351294_27032.html
humanos y economía en Cuba
AGENCIAS | La Habana | 28 de Noviembre de 2016 - 17:41 CET.
El presidente electo de los Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, reiteró este
lunes su amenaza de poner fin al acercamiento entre los gobiernos de
Estados Unidos y Cuba, a no ser que La Habana haga concesiones en temas
de derechos humanos, democracia y apertura económica, según reporta AFP.
"Si Cuba no está dispuesta a alcanzar un mejor acuerdo para el pueblo
cubano, con los cubanoamericanos y con Estados Unidos como un todo,
pondré fin al acuerdo", escribió en su cuenta de Twitter.
Esta es la primera declaración del presidente electo después de su
comunicado del sábado en el que se refería a Fidel Castro como "brutal
dictador" y en el que deseaba a los cubanos "libertad y prosperidad".
Su tuit también coincide con la llegada a la capital cubana del primer
vuelo comercial regular procedente de Miami y con el inicio de las
exequias de Castro.
El mensaje de Trump llega además un día después de que uno de sus
principales asesores prometiera buscar un "mejor acuerdo" con La Habana.
"Tenemos que tener un mejor acuerdo", dijo el jefe de Gabinete, Reince
Priebus, el domingo al canal Fox.
Tras criticar que la Administración de Barack Obama ha hecho muchas
concesiones al régimen, Priebus no explicó cómo se modificaría el
histórico acercamiento entre ambos gobiernos, iniciado el 17 de
diciembre de 2014 por el presidente saliente y Raúl Castro.
Uno de los puntos más reprochados es la flexibilización del embargo
comercial vigente desde 1962, que se ha realizado sin que La Habana
realice suficientes concesiones en temas de derechos humanos, democracia
y avance hacia un comercio liberado.
Tras la muerte de Fidel Castro, los líderes republicanos lo calificaron
de "tirano", pero ninguna persona cercana a Trump llegó a amenazar el
acercamiento hasta este lunes. El magnate sí lo había hecho durante su
campaña electoral.
La mayoría de expertos considera que, aunque el presidente electo puede
llegar a ralentizar la normalización de relaciones e incluso frenar
algunas medidas, no es muy probable que vaya a revertir todos los pasos,
pues supondría un duro golpe a los intereses económicos estadounidenses,
desde las grandes aerolíneas a los agricultores que también presionan
por hacer más negocios con La Habana, señaló el diario español El País.
Source: Trump: 'Pondré fin al acuerdo' si no hay avances en democracia,
derechos humanos y economía en Cuba | Diario de Cuba -
http://www.diariodecuba.com/cuba/1480351294_27032.html
Cuba espera el cambio tras la muerte de Fidel Castro
Cuba espera el cambio tras la muerte de Fidel Castro
DANIEL LOZANOLa Habana@danilozanomadri
28/11/2016 07:16
Siempre juntos, pero tan distintos. Fidel y Raúl, el líder y el
político. En primera línea, con sus discursos interminables, el héroe
indomable de Sierra Maestra, el icono revolucionario que tanto influyó
durante medio siglo en todo el continente.En segundo plano, alérgico a
cámaras y micrófonos, un militar pragmático llamado a inspirar la
Revolución más allá de sus propias vidas. Una prolongación que tiene
fecha: febrero de 2018, mes en que acabará el segundo mandato de Raúl
Castro, quien en ese momento contará con 87 años.El pequeño de los
Castro asumió el mando sin complejos en 2006, convencido de que para
lograr su propósito, a fin de cuentas el mismo que compartía con su
hermano, había que profundizar unas reformas económicas que él mismo
sugirió tras el impacto del Periodo Especial a principios de los 90.
Pero que nadie se confíe: "Detrás de mí vienen más radicales", advirtió
en su día Fidel. Admirador del modelo vietnamita y, como si de un
alquimista del poder se tratara, Raúl mezcló sus reformas con el
continuismo de su hermano a una velocidad insuficiente para una
población ávida de cambios. La alargada sombra del gran líder impedía
cualquier experimento, incluso imponía un paso de tortuga con sus
consiguientes frenazos periódicos. Una a una fue despojando al país de
las cadenas 'orwelianas' impuestas por Fidel para atornillar su poder
supremo. Los cubanos por fin pudieron acceder a unos hoteles exclusivos
para los yumas [extranjeros] tal y como había cantado Pedro Luis Ferrer
en sus estrofas de los 90. "Mañana reservaré en el mejor hotel de La
Habana", decía el cantautor, quien seguramente todavía no podrá "invitar
con dinero nacional al extranjero", tal y como prometía en esa misma
canción. Después llegaron las aperturas para los teléfonos móviles, lo
que cambió el día a día de los cubanos pese a las tarifas carísimas.
También se posibilitó la compra venta de viviendas y vehículos, lo que
empezó a mover una economía parecida a los dinosaurios. Los famosos
almendrones -vehículos estadounidenses de los 50, auténticas maravillas
del pasado que han sobrevivido al paso del tiempo gracias al ingenio
cubano- se transformaron en taxis colectivos, que de forma legal
recorren las calles del país para aliviarlo del pésimo transporte
público.Raúl también abrió pequeñas puertas al mundo, al eliminar el
permiso obligatorio para viajar y al instalar decenas de puntos para
conectarse con el planeta a través del internet inalámbrico. Por
supuesto, ambas acciones limitadas por múltiples condicionamientos a los
que el cubano está tan acostumbrado tras medio siglo de Revolución.Todas
estas reformas acompañan a la más ambiciosa: el reconocimiento de los
'cuentapropistas' (trabajadores por cuenta propia) como parte esencial
del futuro económico, pese a lo que supone de embrión del tan odiado
capitalismo. Las "actualizaciones del sistema productivo", como las
definió el propio Raúl, sólo representan hoy el 5% del Producto Interior
Bruto. Más de medio millón de emprendedores pusieron en marcha el
alquiler de casas, cafeterías, restaurantes, tiendas de
telecomunicaciones y locales para reparar cualquier tipo de
electrodomésticos. Los taxis empezaron a surcar las viejas calles del
país y sus bicicletas llevaban a los turistas de un lado al otro del
Malecón.Todo ello a cambio de impuestos muy altos y restricciones
variadas, que han provocado incluso protestas callejeras. "La economía
cubana está empezando a cambiar", les dijo a la cara Barak Obama durante
su viaje, cargado de guiños para estos microempresarios, con los que
también se reunió. Todos ellos luchan por la creación de un mercado
mayorista, y por la unificación de las dos monedas: el peso cubano y el
peso convertible."Soy un superviente de la guerra de Angola, del Mariel
y del Periodo Especial. Y de la cosa ésta que vino después", resumió el
cazazombies Juan de los Muertos en su hilarante película, un The Walking
Dead cubano que, mientras te mueres de la risa, golpea con sus críticas
sociales.La cosa que vino después "todavía no es el tractor que tira del
resto del país", describe el politólogo Armando Chaguaceda, quien no
duda un segundo cuando hace balance de la suma de reformas para asegurar
que han mejorado la vida de los cubanos. La ampliación del
cooperativismo y la concesión de más créditos bancarios también figuran
marcados en rojo en la agenda de Raúl.Un camino económico nuevo junto a
la vieja autopista de la economía socialista, marcado ahora por una
nueva paradoja. La muerte de Fidel posibilita la profundización de las
reformas pero tal vez llega demasiado tarde. Obama, el gran aliado del
deshielo histórico, ha comenzado la mudanza de la Casa Blanca para que
su nuevo inquilino, Donald Trump, devuelva a Washington a la política
más dura de los republicanos. La reacción del nuevo presidente tras la
muerte del líder máximo predice el regreso a la tensión permanente.
Source: Cuba espera el cambio tras la muerte de Fidel Castro | Cuba | EL
MUNDO -
http://www.elmundo.es/internacional/2016/11/28/583b448922601dbb658b4592.html
DANIEL LOZANOLa Habana@danilozanomadri
28/11/2016 07:16
Siempre juntos, pero tan distintos. Fidel y Raúl, el líder y el
político. En primera línea, con sus discursos interminables, el héroe
indomable de Sierra Maestra, el icono revolucionario que tanto influyó
durante medio siglo en todo el continente.En segundo plano, alérgico a
cámaras y micrófonos, un militar pragmático llamado a inspirar la
Revolución más allá de sus propias vidas. Una prolongación que tiene
fecha: febrero de 2018, mes en que acabará el segundo mandato de Raúl
Castro, quien en ese momento contará con 87 años.El pequeño de los
Castro asumió el mando sin complejos en 2006, convencido de que para
lograr su propósito, a fin de cuentas el mismo que compartía con su
hermano, había que profundizar unas reformas económicas que él mismo
sugirió tras el impacto del Periodo Especial a principios de los 90.
Pero que nadie se confíe: "Detrás de mí vienen más radicales", advirtió
en su día Fidel. Admirador del modelo vietnamita y, como si de un
alquimista del poder se tratara, Raúl mezcló sus reformas con el
continuismo de su hermano a una velocidad insuficiente para una
población ávida de cambios. La alargada sombra del gran líder impedía
cualquier experimento, incluso imponía un paso de tortuga con sus
consiguientes frenazos periódicos. Una a una fue despojando al país de
las cadenas 'orwelianas' impuestas por Fidel para atornillar su poder
supremo. Los cubanos por fin pudieron acceder a unos hoteles exclusivos
para los yumas [extranjeros] tal y como había cantado Pedro Luis Ferrer
en sus estrofas de los 90. "Mañana reservaré en el mejor hotel de La
Habana", decía el cantautor, quien seguramente todavía no podrá "invitar
con dinero nacional al extranjero", tal y como prometía en esa misma
canción. Después llegaron las aperturas para los teléfonos móviles, lo
que cambió el día a día de los cubanos pese a las tarifas carísimas.
También se posibilitó la compra venta de viviendas y vehículos, lo que
empezó a mover una economía parecida a los dinosaurios. Los famosos
almendrones -vehículos estadounidenses de los 50, auténticas maravillas
del pasado que han sobrevivido al paso del tiempo gracias al ingenio
cubano- se transformaron en taxis colectivos, que de forma legal
recorren las calles del país para aliviarlo del pésimo transporte
público.Raúl también abrió pequeñas puertas al mundo, al eliminar el
permiso obligatorio para viajar y al instalar decenas de puntos para
conectarse con el planeta a través del internet inalámbrico. Por
supuesto, ambas acciones limitadas por múltiples condicionamientos a los
que el cubano está tan acostumbrado tras medio siglo de Revolución.Todas
estas reformas acompañan a la más ambiciosa: el reconocimiento de los
'cuentapropistas' (trabajadores por cuenta propia) como parte esencial
del futuro económico, pese a lo que supone de embrión del tan odiado
capitalismo. Las "actualizaciones del sistema productivo", como las
definió el propio Raúl, sólo representan hoy el 5% del Producto Interior
Bruto. Más de medio millón de emprendedores pusieron en marcha el
alquiler de casas, cafeterías, restaurantes, tiendas de
telecomunicaciones y locales para reparar cualquier tipo de
electrodomésticos. Los taxis empezaron a surcar las viejas calles del
país y sus bicicletas llevaban a los turistas de un lado al otro del
Malecón.Todo ello a cambio de impuestos muy altos y restricciones
variadas, que han provocado incluso protestas callejeras. "La economía
cubana está empezando a cambiar", les dijo a la cara Barak Obama durante
su viaje, cargado de guiños para estos microempresarios, con los que
también se reunió. Todos ellos luchan por la creación de un mercado
mayorista, y por la unificación de las dos monedas: el peso cubano y el
peso convertible."Soy un superviente de la guerra de Angola, del Mariel
y del Periodo Especial. Y de la cosa ésta que vino después", resumió el
cazazombies Juan de los Muertos en su hilarante película, un The Walking
Dead cubano que, mientras te mueres de la risa, golpea con sus críticas
sociales.La cosa que vino después "todavía no es el tractor que tira del
resto del país", describe el politólogo Armando Chaguaceda, quien no
duda un segundo cuando hace balance de la suma de reformas para asegurar
que han mejorado la vida de los cubanos. La ampliación del
cooperativismo y la concesión de más créditos bancarios también figuran
marcados en rojo en la agenda de Raúl.Un camino económico nuevo junto a
la vieja autopista de la economía socialista, marcado ahora por una
nueva paradoja. La muerte de Fidel posibilita la profundización de las
reformas pero tal vez llega demasiado tarde. Obama, el gran aliado del
deshielo histórico, ha comenzado la mudanza de la Casa Blanca para que
su nuevo inquilino, Donald Trump, devuelva a Washington a la política
más dura de los republicanos. La reacción del nuevo presidente tras la
muerte del líder máximo predice el regreso a la tensión permanente.
Source: Cuba espera el cambio tras la muerte de Fidel Castro | Cuba | EL
MUNDO -
http://www.elmundo.es/internacional/2016/11/28/583b448922601dbb658b4592.html
Vargas Llosa - Muy difícil que el régimen cubano sobreviva a muerte de Fidel
Vargas Llosa: Muy difícil que el régimen cubano sobreviva a muerte de Fidel
"No hay nadie que pueda reemplazarlo"
Domingo, noviembre 27, 2016 | Agencias
MÉXICO.- El escritor peruano Mario Vargas Llosa consideró hoy que el
régimen cubano tiene "muy difícil" su supervivencia tras la muerte de
Fidel Castro, ocurrida el pasado viernes a los 90 años de edad.
"Como la muerte de (el líder soviético Josef) Stalin, de todos los
grandes dictadores. Es muy difícil que el régimen sobreviva a la larga a
la desaparición del dictador", dijo Vargas Llosa en una rueda de prensa
al ser interrogado sobre la figura y el impacto de Castro en la historia
y en Cuba.
En el marco de la Feria Internacional del Libro (FIL) de Guadalajara,
donde está para presentar su última novela, "Cinco esquinas", el
escritor opinó que Castro era "quien mantenía más o menos inmovilizada
la estructura (del país) y le impedía movilizarse".
"No hay nadie que pueda reemplazar a Fidel como el mito, la leyenda o el
héroe epónimo en que se convirtió", expuso. Y es precisamente por ello,
que "comenzarán a resquebrajarse poco a poco las estructuras de
dominación y control. Y esperamos que el proceso sea rápido e indoloro"
para el pueblo cubano, deseó.
Sobre el icono que representa el líder revolucionario, dijo que fue "una
persona que deslumbró a mi generación" porque "era como un héroe salido
de una novela de aventuras", capaz de derrocar la dictadura de Fulgencio
Batista.
No obstante, señaló que el personaje de Castro evolucionó desde la
promesa de una revolución "profundamente democrática" a una dictadura
comunista, un ejercicio de "gran oportunismo" que le permitió permanecer
en el poder, concluyó el ganador del Premio Nobel de Literatura en 2010.
(EFE)
Source: Vargas Llosa: Muy difícil que el régimen cubano sobreviva a
muerte de Fidel | Cubanet -
https://www.cubanet.org/facebook/vargas-llosa-muy-dificil-que-el-regimen-cubano-sobreviva-a-muerte-de-fidel/
"No hay nadie que pueda reemplazarlo"
Domingo, noviembre 27, 2016 | Agencias
MÉXICO.- El escritor peruano Mario Vargas Llosa consideró hoy que el
régimen cubano tiene "muy difícil" su supervivencia tras la muerte de
Fidel Castro, ocurrida el pasado viernes a los 90 años de edad.
"Como la muerte de (el líder soviético Josef) Stalin, de todos los
grandes dictadores. Es muy difícil que el régimen sobreviva a la larga a
la desaparición del dictador", dijo Vargas Llosa en una rueda de prensa
al ser interrogado sobre la figura y el impacto de Castro en la historia
y en Cuba.
En el marco de la Feria Internacional del Libro (FIL) de Guadalajara,
donde está para presentar su última novela, "Cinco esquinas", el
escritor opinó que Castro era "quien mantenía más o menos inmovilizada
la estructura (del país) y le impedía movilizarse".
"No hay nadie que pueda reemplazar a Fidel como el mito, la leyenda o el
héroe epónimo en que se convirtió", expuso. Y es precisamente por ello,
que "comenzarán a resquebrajarse poco a poco las estructuras de
dominación y control. Y esperamos que el proceso sea rápido e indoloro"
para el pueblo cubano, deseó.
Sobre el icono que representa el líder revolucionario, dijo que fue "una
persona que deslumbró a mi generación" porque "era como un héroe salido
de una novela de aventuras", capaz de derrocar la dictadura de Fulgencio
Batista.
No obstante, señaló que el personaje de Castro evolucionó desde la
promesa de una revolución "profundamente democrática" a una dictadura
comunista, un ejercicio de "gran oportunismo" que le permitió permanecer
en el poder, concluyó el ganador del Premio Nobel de Literatura en 2010.
(EFE)
Source: Vargas Llosa: Muy difícil que el régimen cubano sobreviva a
muerte de Fidel | Cubanet -
https://www.cubanet.org/facebook/vargas-llosa-muy-dificil-que-el-regimen-cubano-sobreviva-a-muerte-de-fidel/
Trump al régimen - les toca mover ficha
Trump al régimen: les toca mover ficha
El presidente electo de EE.UU aguardará para decidir cómo será la
relación con el gobierno cubano
Domingo, noviembre 27, 2016 | Agencias
WASHINGTON, Estados Unidos.- El presidente electo de EE.UU., Donald
Trump, aguardará "algunos movimientos" de parte de Cuba en cuanto a las
libertades para decidir cómo será la relación con el gobierno cubano,
aseguró hoy quien será su jefe de gabinete, Reince Priebus.
"No vamos a tener un acuerdo unilateral procedente de Cuba sin algunos
cambios en su Gobierno", dijo Priebus a la cadena de televisión Fox,
mencionando el tema de los prisioneros políticos, la represión y de
libertades como la religiosa.
El jefe de gabinete del próximo gobierno de Trump, quien asumirá la
Presidencia el 20 de enero, aseguró que el magnate inmobiliario cree que
esas cosas "necesitan cambiar para tener una relación abierta y libre"
con el régimen cubano.
"Creo que para alcanzar un acuerdo de cualquier tipo, el presidente
electo Trump va a esperar algunos movimientos en la dirección correcta"
por parte del Gobierno cubano, y de no haberlos, se revertirá el
acercamiento de los últimos tiempos, dijo Priebus.
Aunque la apoyó en un primer momento de su campaña electoral, Trump ha
criticado la política de deshielo de Obama hacia Cuba y ha prometido
revertirla a menos que vaya a acompañada de una mejora en el terreno de
las libertades y los derechos humanos en la isla.
En su reacción a la muerte de Fidel Castro, Trump calificó este sábado
de "brutal dictador" al líder cubano y prometió que su Gobierno hará
"todo lo posible para asegurar que el pueblo cubano pueda iniciar
finalmente su camino hacia la prosperidad y libertad".
En un comunicado, el magnate de los hoteles dijo que Fidel Castro
"oprimió a su propio pueblo" y dejó "un legado de fusilamientos, robo,
sufrimiento inimaginable, pobreza y negación de derechos humanos
fundamentales".
El próximo jefe de gabinete de Trump insistió en que el próximo
presidente de EE.UU. "definitivamente dará marcha atrás" a las políticas
de acercamiento adoptadas por Obama si las autoridades cubanas no
adoptan dan los pasos de apertura que él espera.
"El presidente electo Trump ha sido muy claro con que no hay nada malo
en hablar con la gente; está dispuesto a hablar con quienquiera, pero
tenemos que tener un acuerdo mejor", agregó Priebus respecto a la
normalización de relaciones emprendida por el actual gobierno de Barack
Obama.
Desde diciembre de 2014, cuando Obama y Raúl Castro, anunciaron el
inicio del deshielo en las relaciones, ambos gobiernos han restablecido
las relaciones diplomáticas, han abierto embajadas en las respectivas
capitales y se han reanudado los vuelos comerciales directos entre ambos
países, entre otros progresos.
Pero el gobernante demócrata, que está en las postrimerías de su
mandato, no logró el apoyo suficiente para que el Congreso
estadounidense levantara totalmente las provisiones del embargo impuesto
a la isla hace más de medio siglo.
El Congreso, que ha estado en manos de los republicanos en ambas
cámaras, y que seguirá así la próxima legislatura tras las elecciones
del pasado 8 de noviembre, es el encargado de desmontar las distintas
leyes que componen el entramado del embargo.
(EFE)
Source: Trump al régimen: les toca mover ficha | Cubanet -
https://www.cubanet.org/destacados/trump-al-regimen-les-toca-mover-ficha/
El presidente electo de EE.UU aguardará para decidir cómo será la
relación con el gobierno cubano
Domingo, noviembre 27, 2016 | Agencias
WASHINGTON, Estados Unidos.- El presidente electo de EE.UU., Donald
Trump, aguardará "algunos movimientos" de parte de Cuba en cuanto a las
libertades para decidir cómo será la relación con el gobierno cubano,
aseguró hoy quien será su jefe de gabinete, Reince Priebus.
"No vamos a tener un acuerdo unilateral procedente de Cuba sin algunos
cambios en su Gobierno", dijo Priebus a la cadena de televisión Fox,
mencionando el tema de los prisioneros políticos, la represión y de
libertades como la religiosa.
El jefe de gabinete del próximo gobierno de Trump, quien asumirá la
Presidencia el 20 de enero, aseguró que el magnate inmobiliario cree que
esas cosas "necesitan cambiar para tener una relación abierta y libre"
con el régimen cubano.
"Creo que para alcanzar un acuerdo de cualquier tipo, el presidente
electo Trump va a esperar algunos movimientos en la dirección correcta"
por parte del Gobierno cubano, y de no haberlos, se revertirá el
acercamiento de los últimos tiempos, dijo Priebus.
Aunque la apoyó en un primer momento de su campaña electoral, Trump ha
criticado la política de deshielo de Obama hacia Cuba y ha prometido
revertirla a menos que vaya a acompañada de una mejora en el terreno de
las libertades y los derechos humanos en la isla.
En su reacción a la muerte de Fidel Castro, Trump calificó este sábado
de "brutal dictador" al líder cubano y prometió que su Gobierno hará
"todo lo posible para asegurar que el pueblo cubano pueda iniciar
finalmente su camino hacia la prosperidad y libertad".
En un comunicado, el magnate de los hoteles dijo que Fidel Castro
"oprimió a su propio pueblo" y dejó "un legado de fusilamientos, robo,
sufrimiento inimaginable, pobreza y negación de derechos humanos
fundamentales".
El próximo jefe de gabinete de Trump insistió en que el próximo
presidente de EE.UU. "definitivamente dará marcha atrás" a las políticas
de acercamiento adoptadas por Obama si las autoridades cubanas no
adoptan dan los pasos de apertura que él espera.
"El presidente electo Trump ha sido muy claro con que no hay nada malo
en hablar con la gente; está dispuesto a hablar con quienquiera, pero
tenemos que tener un acuerdo mejor", agregó Priebus respecto a la
normalización de relaciones emprendida por el actual gobierno de Barack
Obama.
Desde diciembre de 2014, cuando Obama y Raúl Castro, anunciaron el
inicio del deshielo en las relaciones, ambos gobiernos han restablecido
las relaciones diplomáticas, han abierto embajadas en las respectivas
capitales y se han reanudado los vuelos comerciales directos entre ambos
países, entre otros progresos.
Pero el gobernante demócrata, que está en las postrimerías de su
mandato, no logró el apoyo suficiente para que el Congreso
estadounidense levantara totalmente las provisiones del embargo impuesto
a la isla hace más de medio siglo.
El Congreso, que ha estado en manos de los republicanos en ambas
cámaras, y que seguirá así la próxima legislatura tras las elecciones
del pasado 8 de noviembre, es el encargado de desmontar las distintas
leyes que componen el entramado del embargo.
(EFE)
Source: Trump al régimen: les toca mover ficha | Cubanet -
https://www.cubanet.org/destacados/trump-al-regimen-les-toca-mover-ficha/
El inicio de los cambios verdaderos?
¿El inicio de los cambios verdaderos?
"La desaparición de la generación histórica es necesaria para los
cambios que Cuba necesita"
Lunes, noviembre 28, 2016 | Orlando Freire Santana
LA HABANA, Cuba.- Tal como se esperaba, la noticia de la muerte de Fidel
Castro ha impactado a la sociedad cubana. En la mañana de este sábado 26
de noviembre no había otro tema de conversación que le disputara la
supremacía.
Los medios de difusión oficialistas no cesan de ofrecer informaciones,
reportajes y entrevistas relacionados con la figura del exgobernante.
También destacan los mensajes de condolencia transmitidos por
mandatarios y personalidades de otras naciones.
La escasez de personas en las calles obedeció a que era un día no
laborable. Ya a media mañana los barrios habaneros recobraban su
dinamismo habitual.
Las opiniones de los cubanos de a pie parecen divididas. Pero, por
supuesto, los que opinan de un modo favorable acerca de la personalidad
de Fidel Castro son los únicos que se atreven a emitir su punto de vista
a los cuatro vientos. Se trata de un asunto muy sensible para las
autoridades, y nadie duda de que chivatos de los Comités de Defensa de
la Revolución, y miembros de las brigadas de respuesta rápida hayan sido
lanzados a las calles para responder violentamente ante cualquier
planteamiento antigubernamental.
No obstante, tuvimos acceso a algunos criterios diferentes a los que
aparecían en la televisión, la radio y los periódicos nacionales. Por
ejemplo, una ama de casa se refirió a la programación que, en cadena,
ofrecen los canales de la televisión: "Lo que nos espera no hay quien lo
resista. Van a ser nueve días de cantaleta política, sin un musical, ni
una película, ni una telenovela. A lo sumo alguna que otra canción
protesta de Sara González o Silvio Rodríguez. Los que no puedan ver el
Paquete Semanal o un serial en sus computadoras se van a volver locos".
Un señor de mediana edad evaluó el significado histórico de Fidel
Castro. "Mira, con independencia de cualquier mérito que pudiera haber
tenido su labor, si tú la pones en una balanza el resultado es negativo.
Porque su nombre siempre estará vinculado con acontecimientos que
costaron muchas vidas al pueblo cubano, como las luchas en África, las
víctimas de los fusilamientos, o los desaparecidos en el estrecho de la
Florida que huían de la isla en busca de libertades. Ah, y no hay que
olvidar que su intransigencia por poco nos borra del mapa cuando la
Crisis de Octubre".
Y fue un hombre relativamente joven quien relacionó esta defunción con
el futuro de la isla. "Siempre he pensado que la desaparición de la
generación histórica es necesaria para los cambios que Cuba necesita.
Mira lo que ha pasado en Rusia o Vietnam. En la primera los cambios los
hizo Gorbachov, que nada tuvo que ver con la Revolución de Octubre ni la
Gran Guerra Patria. Y en Vietnam aquellos que no combatieron junto a Ho
chi Min. Y aunque Fidel parecía ya liquidado políticamente en los
últimos tiempos, su presencia física aún tenía cierto peso en la toma de
decisiones. En ese sentido pienso que este pudiera ser el inicio de los
cambios verdaderos en nuestro país".
Source: ¿El inicio de los cambios verdaderos? | Cubanet -
https://www.cubanet.org/opiniones/el-inicio-de-los-cambios-verdaderos/
"La desaparición de la generación histórica es necesaria para los
cambios que Cuba necesita"
Lunes, noviembre 28, 2016 | Orlando Freire Santana
LA HABANA, Cuba.- Tal como se esperaba, la noticia de la muerte de Fidel
Castro ha impactado a la sociedad cubana. En la mañana de este sábado 26
de noviembre no había otro tema de conversación que le disputara la
supremacía.
Los medios de difusión oficialistas no cesan de ofrecer informaciones,
reportajes y entrevistas relacionados con la figura del exgobernante.
También destacan los mensajes de condolencia transmitidos por
mandatarios y personalidades de otras naciones.
La escasez de personas en las calles obedeció a que era un día no
laborable. Ya a media mañana los barrios habaneros recobraban su
dinamismo habitual.
Las opiniones de los cubanos de a pie parecen divididas. Pero, por
supuesto, los que opinan de un modo favorable acerca de la personalidad
de Fidel Castro son los únicos que se atreven a emitir su punto de vista
a los cuatro vientos. Se trata de un asunto muy sensible para las
autoridades, y nadie duda de que chivatos de los Comités de Defensa de
la Revolución, y miembros de las brigadas de respuesta rápida hayan sido
lanzados a las calles para responder violentamente ante cualquier
planteamiento antigubernamental.
No obstante, tuvimos acceso a algunos criterios diferentes a los que
aparecían en la televisión, la radio y los periódicos nacionales. Por
ejemplo, una ama de casa se refirió a la programación que, en cadena,
ofrecen los canales de la televisión: "Lo que nos espera no hay quien lo
resista. Van a ser nueve días de cantaleta política, sin un musical, ni
una película, ni una telenovela. A lo sumo alguna que otra canción
protesta de Sara González o Silvio Rodríguez. Los que no puedan ver el
Paquete Semanal o un serial en sus computadoras se van a volver locos".
Un señor de mediana edad evaluó el significado histórico de Fidel
Castro. "Mira, con independencia de cualquier mérito que pudiera haber
tenido su labor, si tú la pones en una balanza el resultado es negativo.
Porque su nombre siempre estará vinculado con acontecimientos que
costaron muchas vidas al pueblo cubano, como las luchas en África, las
víctimas de los fusilamientos, o los desaparecidos en el estrecho de la
Florida que huían de la isla en busca de libertades. Ah, y no hay que
olvidar que su intransigencia por poco nos borra del mapa cuando la
Crisis de Octubre".
Y fue un hombre relativamente joven quien relacionó esta defunción con
el futuro de la isla. "Siempre he pensado que la desaparición de la
generación histórica es necesaria para los cambios que Cuba necesita.
Mira lo que ha pasado en Rusia o Vietnam. En la primera los cambios los
hizo Gorbachov, que nada tuvo que ver con la Revolución de Octubre ni la
Gran Guerra Patria. Y en Vietnam aquellos que no combatieron junto a Ho
chi Min. Y aunque Fidel parecía ya liquidado políticamente en los
últimos tiempos, su presencia física aún tenía cierto peso en la toma de
decisiones. En ese sentido pienso que este pudiera ser el inicio de los
cambios verdaderos en nuestro país".
Source: ¿El inicio de los cambios verdaderos? | Cubanet -
https://www.cubanet.org/opiniones/el-inicio-de-los-cambios-verdaderos/
CUBA-ticker fund soars after Fidel Castro's passing
CUBA-ticker fund soars after Fidel Castro's passing
By Tomi Kilgore
Published: Nov 28, 2016 8:34 a.m. ET
Shares of the Herzfeld Caribbean Basin Fund Inc. CUBA, +12.07% soared
18% toward an eight-month high in active premarket trade Monday, in the
aftermath of Fidel Castro's death over the weekend. Volume of about
167,000 shares ahead of the open was already six times the full-day
average. The fund (CUBA) invests in issuers likely to benefit from
economic and political progress in the Caribbean Basin, including Cuba.
"At such time as it becomes legally permissible for U.S. entities to
invest directly in Cuba, the fund will consider such investments,"
according to the fund's prospectus. The fund's holding as of June 30
included shares of Mastec Inc. MTZ, +0.00% Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.
RCL, +0.52% Carnival Corp. CCL, -0.80% Nextera Energy Inc. NEE, +1.18%
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. NCLH, +1.50% and Copa Holdings S.A.
CPA, +0.07% CUBA has lost 3.6% year to date through Friday, while the
S&P 500 SPX, +0.39% has gained 8.3%.
Source: CUBA-ticker fund soars after Fidel Castro's passing -
MarketWatch -
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/cuba-ticker-fund-soars-after-fidel-castros-passing-2016-11-28?siteid=yhoof2&yptr=yahoo
By Tomi Kilgore
Published: Nov 28, 2016 8:34 a.m. ET
Shares of the Herzfeld Caribbean Basin Fund Inc. CUBA, +12.07% soared
18% toward an eight-month high in active premarket trade Monday, in the
aftermath of Fidel Castro's death over the weekend. Volume of about
167,000 shares ahead of the open was already six times the full-day
average. The fund (CUBA) invests in issuers likely to benefit from
economic and political progress in the Caribbean Basin, including Cuba.
"At such time as it becomes legally permissible for U.S. entities to
invest directly in Cuba, the fund will consider such investments,"
according to the fund's prospectus. The fund's holding as of June 30
included shares of Mastec Inc. MTZ, +0.00% Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.
RCL, +0.52% Carnival Corp. CCL, -0.80% Nextera Energy Inc. NEE, +1.18%
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. NCLH, +1.50% and Copa Holdings S.A.
CPA, +0.07% CUBA has lost 3.6% year to date through Friday, while the
S&P 500 SPX, +0.39% has gained 8.3%.
Source: CUBA-ticker fund soars after Fidel Castro's passing -
MarketWatch -
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/cuba-ticker-fund-soars-after-fidel-castros-passing-2016-11-28?siteid=yhoof2&yptr=yahoo
Despite Fidel Castro's death, few expect rapid political changes in Cuba
Despite Fidel Castro's death, few expect rapid political changes in Cuba
Tracy Wilkinson, Patrick J. McDonnell and Cecilia Sanche
For Amalia Cortes, a loyal member of Cuba's "revolutionary" generation,
there is no question that Fidel Castro helped transform the country for
the better.
"Of course I will be in the Plaza de la Revolución to say goodbye to
our comandante," said Cortes, 69, referring to the homage planned this
week in a signature Havana square for the late Cuban leader. "We have to
thank him for so much — thanks to him we have food, there is education,
our comandante fought for his people and we have much to be grateful for."
But for others, especially younger Cubans, it was long past time to look
beyond Papa Fidel and the revolution's accomplishments in arenas such as
education and healthcare.
"We have to be objective," said Maria, a medical student, seated in
Revolution Square. "Fidel did a lot of good things.... But at the same
time what good does it do if there are no jobs, no opportunities for
progress?
"I believe that Fidel did good and bad things and we have to be fair
about it," added Maria, who, like others even mildly critical of the
government, asked that her last name not be used.
The normally buoyant capital has been a notably subdued place since
Castro's death was announced Friday. Tourists grumble about the lack of
music and life in the bars and cafes as the country begins an official,
nine-day mourning period. There were no posters mourning Castro evident
on Sunday, but Cuban flags and banners reading "Viva la Revolución"
adorned public buildings.
For decades, Cuban Americans have longed to return to a post-Castro
Cuba. But now that Fidel is dead, many aren't so eager to go
Cubans of all ages and economic backgrounds took time to reflect on the
Castro era, which spanned several generations and lasted through
momentous world events, including the Cuban missile crisis, the Bay of
Pigs invasion and the fall of the Soviet Union, Cuba's longtime benefactor.
Among young people, there seemed to be a sense of hope that Castro's
passing would signal a more open era, with enhanced individual freedom
and opportunities for employment. Many voiced a sense of isolation,
though some conceded that things had improved under President Raul
Castro, Fidel's younger brother, to whom an ailing Fidel had ceded power.
"I wish there were more liberties, that we could leave Cuba easier,
visit other countries," said Everardo, 18, who did not want his last
name used. "Fidel was always against that."
Carlos Montero, 18, acknowledged that society had opened up in recent
years, but complained that access to the Internet was limited and costly.
"The Internet should be free in the schools, like it is in the rest of
the world," Montero said, adding that his parents didn't even know what
the Internet was. "But here, that's a dream.… Still, things have gotten
a little better with Raul."
In his final years, Fidel Castro probably had little concrete influence
over his brother, who formally took over in 2008. Fidel's death may now
give a symbolic and psychological freedom to Raul to act as he sees fit.
But it is unlikely that Fidel's death augers a fundamental change,
despite the heralding of a "new era" in some quarters.
Already, Raul Castro had ordered significant reforms to the Cuban
economy and loosened restrictions on citizens seeking to travel abroad —
changes long resisted by Fidel.
Raul, 85, who has said he will step down in 2018, has allowed a measure
of private enterprise, enabling individual citizens to open small-scale
businesses, such as restaurants, beauty salons, spas and car washes.
And Cuba's relationship with the Castro brothers' historic adversary,
the United States, has been transformed.
In December 2014, Raul Castro and President Obama announced that their
countries were renewing diplomatic ties after a half-century of Cold War
animosity. Though Washington's trade embargo against Cuba remained in
place, the new joint initiative spurred fresh economic exchanges
involving various sectors, including airlines, banks, hotels and
agribusiness.
But Obama — and, now, President-elect Donald Trump — continued to call
on the Castro government to follow economic liberalization with
significant political transformation.
The death of Fidel Castro will not fundamentally change this route.
— Arturo Lopez-Levy, professor at the University of Colorado
U.S. officials say they want to see truly competitive elections with
candidates who do not belong to the ruling Communist Party; the release
of political prisoners (although only a handful remain); and a broader
ability for dissidents, human rights activists and opponents of the
government to express themselves openly, in the press and in the streets.
Raul Castro has resisted, and, even without Fidel looking over his
shoulder, he is not likely to budge. After decades of animosity, the
Cuban leadership warily views U.S. demands for democracy as a pretext to
install a more Washington-friendly government in Havana.
Senior Cuban officials seek examples of governance that stand as
alternatives to the superpower to the north. They frequently cite China
and Vietnam as their models, with their ostensibly communist
governments, flourishing Western-style economies and lack of political
freedoms.
Under current circumstances, many analysts say, Raul Castro would have
little incentive to alter Cuba's political system in a way that would
threaten ruling-party hegemony. Repeatedly, Cuba's leader has insisted
that there would be no acceptance of multiparty politics or basic
freedoms such as the right to assembly.
"Raul is likely to circle the wagons and make sure his rear guard is
protected" before embarking on new initiatives, said Ted Henken, a
sociology professor at Baruch College and a Cuba expert frequently
consulted by the Obama administration.
The government in Cuba is controlled by a Communist Party council that
serves as a legislative body and is consulted a few times a year for new
laws. Fidel, and Raul after him, have had all-but-complete control of
the body.
Last year, a pair of candidates tried to become the first non-Communist
politicians to win municipal posts, mounting a modest campaign. Both
failed miserably. The lesson to would-be reformers was clear.
"The death of Fidel Castro will not fundamentally change this route,
because in terms of the political system, it's all been symbolic, part
of the Latin American revolutionary patriarchy," former Cuban
intelligence analyst Arturo Lopez-Levy, now a professor at the
University of Colorado, wrote this weekend.
Miguel Diaz-Canel, named by Raul Castro as first vice president on the
same day he announced his impending retirement, is widely seen as his
heir apparent.
Diaz-Canel, from a younger generation, is more modern than the Castros
and much more Internet-savvy. But it remains difficult to anticipate his
moves. He is beholden to the old Communist Party apparatus but also
eager to move Cuba into the modern world, Cubans who know him say.
For Trump, opposing forces are keen. He has pronounced his opposition to
any opening with a Castro government, but he is also under enormous
pressure from fellow entrepreneurs who see a buck to be made on the
tropical island.
After Raul Castro's retirement, Trump and a Republican-controlled
Congress will be able to argue they are operating in a truly
"post-Castro" environment, allowing them to make even more business
deals. But opposition to any rapprochement with communist Cuba remains
deep, especially among Cuban American Republicans in south Florida.
Few expect a swift end to the U.S. trade embargo blocking U.S. financial
dealings with Cuba.
It was President Eisenhower who initially slapped the embargo on Cuban
exports of sugar and other trade, eventually costing Cuba $1 trillion,
according to Havana.
The Cuban government has routinely blamed the measure — the "blockade,"
as Cubans call it dismissively — for the island's dire economic
circumstances.
By tweaking regulations, Obama has done almost everything within his
power to lift embargo restrictions. But only Congress can end the
embargo, and it has refused to do so. Now, with Republicans holding sway
in Washington, lifting the embargo seems a long shot, though Trump has
not publicly signaled his intentions with respect to the trade ban.
With the passing of Fidel Castro, it also seems possible that the island
leadership will want to reaffirm its commitment to the core principles
of the man who personified the revolution. The nine-day mourning period
declared in Cuba appears, at least publicly, as a means of cementing
Fidel's legacy, not rejecting it.
Havana "will retrench to demonstrate that the 'Revolution' survives its
founder — and continues to defy the grasp of the United States," John
Kavulich, president of the New York-based U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic
Council, predicted.
There is "nothing expected to alter the commercial, economic and
political timetable," Kavulich said, "meaning, retrenching for a bit to
demonstrate" a post-Fidel Castro revolutionary "stability."
patrick.mcdonnell@latimes.com
tracy.wilkinson@latimes.com
Sanchez of the Times' Mexico City bureau reported from Havana, Times
staff writer Wilkinson reported from Washington and staff writer
McDonnell from Boston.
Source: Despite Fidel Castro's death, few expect rapid political changes
in Cuba - Hartford Courant -
http://www.courant.com/nation-world/la-fg-cuba-reform-20161127-story.html
Tracy Wilkinson, Patrick J. McDonnell and Cecilia Sanche
For Amalia Cortes, a loyal member of Cuba's "revolutionary" generation,
there is no question that Fidel Castro helped transform the country for
the better.
"Of course I will be in the Plaza de la Revolución to say goodbye to
our comandante," said Cortes, 69, referring to the homage planned this
week in a signature Havana square for the late Cuban leader. "We have to
thank him for so much — thanks to him we have food, there is education,
our comandante fought for his people and we have much to be grateful for."
But for others, especially younger Cubans, it was long past time to look
beyond Papa Fidel and the revolution's accomplishments in arenas such as
education and healthcare.
"We have to be objective," said Maria, a medical student, seated in
Revolution Square. "Fidel did a lot of good things.... But at the same
time what good does it do if there are no jobs, no opportunities for
progress?
"I believe that Fidel did good and bad things and we have to be fair
about it," added Maria, who, like others even mildly critical of the
government, asked that her last name not be used.
The normally buoyant capital has been a notably subdued place since
Castro's death was announced Friday. Tourists grumble about the lack of
music and life in the bars and cafes as the country begins an official,
nine-day mourning period. There were no posters mourning Castro evident
on Sunday, but Cuban flags and banners reading "Viva la Revolución"
adorned public buildings.
For decades, Cuban Americans have longed to return to a post-Castro
Cuba. But now that Fidel is dead, many aren't so eager to go
Cubans of all ages and economic backgrounds took time to reflect on the
Castro era, which spanned several generations and lasted through
momentous world events, including the Cuban missile crisis, the Bay of
Pigs invasion and the fall of the Soviet Union, Cuba's longtime benefactor.
Among young people, there seemed to be a sense of hope that Castro's
passing would signal a more open era, with enhanced individual freedom
and opportunities for employment. Many voiced a sense of isolation,
though some conceded that things had improved under President Raul
Castro, Fidel's younger brother, to whom an ailing Fidel had ceded power.
"I wish there were more liberties, that we could leave Cuba easier,
visit other countries," said Everardo, 18, who did not want his last
name used. "Fidel was always against that."
Carlos Montero, 18, acknowledged that society had opened up in recent
years, but complained that access to the Internet was limited and costly.
"The Internet should be free in the schools, like it is in the rest of
the world," Montero said, adding that his parents didn't even know what
the Internet was. "But here, that's a dream.… Still, things have gotten
a little better with Raul."
In his final years, Fidel Castro probably had little concrete influence
over his brother, who formally took over in 2008. Fidel's death may now
give a symbolic and psychological freedom to Raul to act as he sees fit.
But it is unlikely that Fidel's death augers a fundamental change,
despite the heralding of a "new era" in some quarters.
Already, Raul Castro had ordered significant reforms to the Cuban
economy and loosened restrictions on citizens seeking to travel abroad —
changes long resisted by Fidel.
Raul, 85, who has said he will step down in 2018, has allowed a measure
of private enterprise, enabling individual citizens to open small-scale
businesses, such as restaurants, beauty salons, spas and car washes.
And Cuba's relationship with the Castro brothers' historic adversary,
the United States, has been transformed.
In December 2014, Raul Castro and President Obama announced that their
countries were renewing diplomatic ties after a half-century of Cold War
animosity. Though Washington's trade embargo against Cuba remained in
place, the new joint initiative spurred fresh economic exchanges
involving various sectors, including airlines, banks, hotels and
agribusiness.
But Obama — and, now, President-elect Donald Trump — continued to call
on the Castro government to follow economic liberalization with
significant political transformation.
The death of Fidel Castro will not fundamentally change this route.
— Arturo Lopez-Levy, professor at the University of Colorado
U.S. officials say they want to see truly competitive elections with
candidates who do not belong to the ruling Communist Party; the release
of political prisoners (although only a handful remain); and a broader
ability for dissidents, human rights activists and opponents of the
government to express themselves openly, in the press and in the streets.
Raul Castro has resisted, and, even without Fidel looking over his
shoulder, he is not likely to budge. After decades of animosity, the
Cuban leadership warily views U.S. demands for democracy as a pretext to
install a more Washington-friendly government in Havana.
Senior Cuban officials seek examples of governance that stand as
alternatives to the superpower to the north. They frequently cite China
and Vietnam as their models, with their ostensibly communist
governments, flourishing Western-style economies and lack of political
freedoms.
Under current circumstances, many analysts say, Raul Castro would have
little incentive to alter Cuba's political system in a way that would
threaten ruling-party hegemony. Repeatedly, Cuba's leader has insisted
that there would be no acceptance of multiparty politics or basic
freedoms such as the right to assembly.
"Raul is likely to circle the wagons and make sure his rear guard is
protected" before embarking on new initiatives, said Ted Henken, a
sociology professor at Baruch College and a Cuba expert frequently
consulted by the Obama administration.
The government in Cuba is controlled by a Communist Party council that
serves as a legislative body and is consulted a few times a year for new
laws. Fidel, and Raul after him, have had all-but-complete control of
the body.
Last year, a pair of candidates tried to become the first non-Communist
politicians to win municipal posts, mounting a modest campaign. Both
failed miserably. The lesson to would-be reformers was clear.
"The death of Fidel Castro will not fundamentally change this route,
because in terms of the political system, it's all been symbolic, part
of the Latin American revolutionary patriarchy," former Cuban
intelligence analyst Arturo Lopez-Levy, now a professor at the
University of Colorado, wrote this weekend.
Miguel Diaz-Canel, named by Raul Castro as first vice president on the
same day he announced his impending retirement, is widely seen as his
heir apparent.
Diaz-Canel, from a younger generation, is more modern than the Castros
and much more Internet-savvy. But it remains difficult to anticipate his
moves. He is beholden to the old Communist Party apparatus but also
eager to move Cuba into the modern world, Cubans who know him say.
For Trump, opposing forces are keen. He has pronounced his opposition to
any opening with a Castro government, but he is also under enormous
pressure from fellow entrepreneurs who see a buck to be made on the
tropical island.
After Raul Castro's retirement, Trump and a Republican-controlled
Congress will be able to argue they are operating in a truly
"post-Castro" environment, allowing them to make even more business
deals. But opposition to any rapprochement with communist Cuba remains
deep, especially among Cuban American Republicans in south Florida.
Few expect a swift end to the U.S. trade embargo blocking U.S. financial
dealings with Cuba.
It was President Eisenhower who initially slapped the embargo on Cuban
exports of sugar and other trade, eventually costing Cuba $1 trillion,
according to Havana.
The Cuban government has routinely blamed the measure — the "blockade,"
as Cubans call it dismissively — for the island's dire economic
circumstances.
By tweaking regulations, Obama has done almost everything within his
power to lift embargo restrictions. But only Congress can end the
embargo, and it has refused to do so. Now, with Republicans holding sway
in Washington, lifting the embargo seems a long shot, though Trump has
not publicly signaled his intentions with respect to the trade ban.
With the passing of Fidel Castro, it also seems possible that the island
leadership will want to reaffirm its commitment to the core principles
of the man who personified the revolution. The nine-day mourning period
declared in Cuba appears, at least publicly, as a means of cementing
Fidel's legacy, not rejecting it.
Havana "will retrench to demonstrate that the 'Revolution' survives its
founder — and continues to defy the grasp of the United States," John
Kavulich, president of the New York-based U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic
Council, predicted.
There is "nothing expected to alter the commercial, economic and
political timetable," Kavulich said, "meaning, retrenching for a bit to
demonstrate" a post-Fidel Castro revolutionary "stability."
patrick.mcdonnell@latimes.com
tracy.wilkinson@latimes.com
Sanchez of the Times' Mexico City bureau reported from Havana, Times
staff writer Wilkinson reported from Washington and staff writer
McDonnell from Boston.
Source: Despite Fidel Castro's death, few expect rapid political changes
in Cuba - Hartford Courant -
http://www.courant.com/nation-world/la-fg-cuba-reform-20161127-story.html
Cuban-American Millennials Anticipate Role in Evolving Cuba
Cuban-American Millennials Anticipate Role in Evolving Cuba
By TAMARA LUSH, ASSOCIATED PRESS
MIAMI — Nov 28, 2016, 7:40 AM ET
Isabella Prio was born in Miami, is 20 now and a junior at Boston
College who fully expects to return to Cuba someday and help shape the
island's future. But she's never been to the country where her
grandfather was once president and refuses to visit until it's a democracy.
Cherie Cancio, 29, also was born in Miami and runs tours to the island
for young Cuban-Americans eager to explore their heritage.
Two daughters of exile. Both passionate in wanting to effect change in a
country that has been in the grasp of the Castro brothers' authoritarian
rule for decades, but very different in their approaches.
For the hundreds of thousands of children like Prio and Cancio born of
Cuban exiles — some two and three generations removed from the island —
Fidel Castro's death potentially opens a door to a world long
off-limits. Or at the least, it seems to bring it within closer reach.
Millennial Cuban-Americans say Castro's death at the age of 90
symbolically offers hope for improved dialogue between the countries.
Some thought the dialogue had begun under President Barack Obama, who
visited Cuba in March. But with President-elect Donald Trump, the future
of diplomacy between the two countries is uncertain.
"It's definitely in the hands of the young people to take it over," Prio
said. "We just have to be careful about how we go about it."
How that dialogue will unfold is anyone's guess, and while attitudes are
shifting, the community is still divided on the best way to chart a new
course for the island — or whether Miami's exiles even should play a role.
Prio, a finance and marketing student, still won't visit until the
Castro regime steps down, and democracy is restored. For now, she's
disappointed when she sees friends' photos of Cuba on Instagram and
Facebook. Her views are more in line with people her parents' and
grandparents' age.
"Young Cuban-Americans really want engagement on the island," said
Guillermo Grenier, a professor of sociology at Florida International
University in Miami and a lead investigator of the FIU Cuba Poll, an
annual poll of Cuban-Americans co-sponsored by the Cuban Research Institute.
Still, said Grenier, "how younger Cuban-Americans feel about Fidel
Castro dying is kind of independent" of their interest in engaging with
the island.
The most recent Cuba Poll was taken in August. It showed that
Cuban-Americans ages 18 to 39 are disenchanted with the embargo, desire
expanded business opportunities and favor the establishment of
diplomatic relations between the two countries.
"There's been a shift of millennial Cuban-Americans, who are more open
to President Obama's policies," says Cancio, whose father reached
Florida on the Mariel Boatlift in the 1980s.
She admits that the children of exiles grapple with wanting to learn
about their heritage while being respectful of their parents' struggles.
Many millennials want to go to Cuba but are hesitant to do so out of
respect for their parents' position that the Castro regime must
relinquish power and democracy installed before any substantial engagement.
"We all respect the sacrifices and the history of our parents,
especially those of us from Miami," she said.
That's why she believes in educating Cuban-Americans, while building
bridges with folks in Cuba.
"We want Cuban Americans to visit Cuba, experience it, talk about it,
and think about what an emerging Cuba means for them and their
communities in the U.S.," reads the website of CubaOne, Cancio's nonprofit.
Still, Cancio doesn't believe that she, or the Miami-born children of
exiles, has a role to play in reshaping Cuba. That's up to the people on
the island, she says.
"I have the freedom here to support whatever policies I want. I don't
know I should have that freedom in another country, even if my father
was born there."
Javier Gonzalez, a 21-year-old University of Miami junior, feels that
Cuba is his birthright. His father came from Cuba and hasn't returned.
Gonzalez also hasn't visited.
"A free Cuba or nothing," said Gonzalez, who is majoring in political
science, economics and aquaculture.
Gonzalez attended Belen Jesuit Preparatory School in Miami — a private
school that was once in Havana, only to be seized after Castro took
power and expelled from the island.
Castro himself was a 1944 graduate of the school. Gonzalez says many of
his teachers knew Castro or studied with him, and the exile experience
permeated daily high school life, as it did for him at home.
Each day while walking to his Latin American studies class, Gonzalez
would pass the wall of martyrs, a photographic journey of all the alumni
who died fighting "for a higher cause," including attempting to oust
Castro. Many were political prisoners under the Castro regime.
Gonzalez thinks of Cuba as his home, and someday, of returning to what
he calls "paradise lost."
Castro's death "isn't equivalent to liberty, but it's a step toward
liberty," says Gonzalez.
When news of Castro's death broke, he texted Prio, his friend. They and
their high school friends who were home for the Thanksgiving break knew
where to meet up: Cafe Versailles in Little Havana, with its signs that
say "La Casa del Exilio," or, "house of the exiles."
Prio, who has friends at her school in Boston who questioned her
jubilation over Castro's death, tried to explain her feelings.
"He's not a human being, he's a monster," she said. "It's perfectly
acceptable to celebrate his death."
Said Gonzales: "it's not celebrating death, it's celebrating the life
that could be."
Prio's grandfather, Carlos Prio Socarras, was president of Cuba from
1948 until 1952, when Fulgencio Batista organized a coup and overthrew
the government. Socarras fled the country and backed Castro financially;
it was the worst decision of his life, he later said.
Like Gonzalez, Prio believes she will someday go to Cuba and hopes to
play a part in its rebuilding.
———
Follow Tamara Lush on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tamaralush .
———
An earlier version of this story had an incorrect spelling for the name
of former Cuban president Carlos Prio Socarras.
Source: Cuban-American Millennials Anticipate Role in Evolving Cuba -
ABC News -
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/cuban-american-millennials-anticipate-role-evolving-cuba-43816704
By TAMARA LUSH, ASSOCIATED PRESS
MIAMI — Nov 28, 2016, 7:40 AM ET
Isabella Prio was born in Miami, is 20 now and a junior at Boston
College who fully expects to return to Cuba someday and help shape the
island's future. But she's never been to the country where her
grandfather was once president and refuses to visit until it's a democracy.
Cherie Cancio, 29, also was born in Miami and runs tours to the island
for young Cuban-Americans eager to explore their heritage.
Two daughters of exile. Both passionate in wanting to effect change in a
country that has been in the grasp of the Castro brothers' authoritarian
rule for decades, but very different in their approaches.
For the hundreds of thousands of children like Prio and Cancio born of
Cuban exiles — some two and three generations removed from the island —
Fidel Castro's death potentially opens a door to a world long
off-limits. Or at the least, it seems to bring it within closer reach.
Millennial Cuban-Americans say Castro's death at the age of 90
symbolically offers hope for improved dialogue between the countries.
Some thought the dialogue had begun under President Barack Obama, who
visited Cuba in March. But with President-elect Donald Trump, the future
of diplomacy between the two countries is uncertain.
"It's definitely in the hands of the young people to take it over," Prio
said. "We just have to be careful about how we go about it."
How that dialogue will unfold is anyone's guess, and while attitudes are
shifting, the community is still divided on the best way to chart a new
course for the island — or whether Miami's exiles even should play a role.
Prio, a finance and marketing student, still won't visit until the
Castro regime steps down, and democracy is restored. For now, she's
disappointed when she sees friends' photos of Cuba on Instagram and
Facebook. Her views are more in line with people her parents' and
grandparents' age.
"Young Cuban-Americans really want engagement on the island," said
Guillermo Grenier, a professor of sociology at Florida International
University in Miami and a lead investigator of the FIU Cuba Poll, an
annual poll of Cuban-Americans co-sponsored by the Cuban Research Institute.
Still, said Grenier, "how younger Cuban-Americans feel about Fidel
Castro dying is kind of independent" of their interest in engaging with
the island.
The most recent Cuba Poll was taken in August. It showed that
Cuban-Americans ages 18 to 39 are disenchanted with the embargo, desire
expanded business opportunities and favor the establishment of
diplomatic relations between the two countries.
"There's been a shift of millennial Cuban-Americans, who are more open
to President Obama's policies," says Cancio, whose father reached
Florida on the Mariel Boatlift in the 1980s.
She admits that the children of exiles grapple with wanting to learn
about their heritage while being respectful of their parents' struggles.
Many millennials want to go to Cuba but are hesitant to do so out of
respect for their parents' position that the Castro regime must
relinquish power and democracy installed before any substantial engagement.
"We all respect the sacrifices and the history of our parents,
especially those of us from Miami," she said.
That's why she believes in educating Cuban-Americans, while building
bridges with folks in Cuba.
"We want Cuban Americans to visit Cuba, experience it, talk about it,
and think about what an emerging Cuba means for them and their
communities in the U.S.," reads the website of CubaOne, Cancio's nonprofit.
Still, Cancio doesn't believe that she, or the Miami-born children of
exiles, has a role to play in reshaping Cuba. That's up to the people on
the island, she says.
"I have the freedom here to support whatever policies I want. I don't
know I should have that freedom in another country, even if my father
was born there."
Javier Gonzalez, a 21-year-old University of Miami junior, feels that
Cuba is his birthright. His father came from Cuba and hasn't returned.
Gonzalez also hasn't visited.
"A free Cuba or nothing," said Gonzalez, who is majoring in political
science, economics and aquaculture.
Gonzalez attended Belen Jesuit Preparatory School in Miami — a private
school that was once in Havana, only to be seized after Castro took
power and expelled from the island.
Castro himself was a 1944 graduate of the school. Gonzalez says many of
his teachers knew Castro or studied with him, and the exile experience
permeated daily high school life, as it did for him at home.
Each day while walking to his Latin American studies class, Gonzalez
would pass the wall of martyrs, a photographic journey of all the alumni
who died fighting "for a higher cause," including attempting to oust
Castro. Many were political prisoners under the Castro regime.
Gonzalez thinks of Cuba as his home, and someday, of returning to what
he calls "paradise lost."
Castro's death "isn't equivalent to liberty, but it's a step toward
liberty," says Gonzalez.
When news of Castro's death broke, he texted Prio, his friend. They and
their high school friends who were home for the Thanksgiving break knew
where to meet up: Cafe Versailles in Little Havana, with its signs that
say "La Casa del Exilio," or, "house of the exiles."
Prio, who has friends at her school in Boston who questioned her
jubilation over Castro's death, tried to explain her feelings.
"He's not a human being, he's a monster," she said. "It's perfectly
acceptable to celebrate his death."
Said Gonzales: "it's not celebrating death, it's celebrating the life
that could be."
Prio's grandfather, Carlos Prio Socarras, was president of Cuba from
1948 until 1952, when Fulgencio Batista organized a coup and overthrew
the government. Socarras fled the country and backed Castro financially;
it was the worst decision of his life, he later said.
Like Gonzalez, Prio believes she will someday go to Cuba and hopes to
play a part in its rebuilding.
———
Follow Tamara Lush on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tamaralush .
———
An earlier version of this story had an incorrect spelling for the name
of former Cuban president Carlos Prio Socarras.
Source: Cuban-American Millennials Anticipate Role in Evolving Cuba -
ABC News -
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/cuban-american-millennials-anticipate-role-evolving-cuba-43816704
Death of Fidel Castro May Pressure Donald Trump on Cuba Promises
Death of Fidel Castro May Pressure Donald Trump on Cuba Promises
President-elect could face pushback from some companies regarding his
Cuba policies
By FELICIA SCHWARTZ and CAROL E. LEE
Updated Nov. 27, 2016 11:14 p.m. ET
WASHINGTON — The death of Fidel Castro is putting unexpected pressure on
President-elect Donald Trump to follow through on earlier promises to
reverse the recent openings to Cuba made by President Barack Obama.
While Mr. Trump could undo Mr. Obama's efforts, which were implemented
using executive authority, he could face pushback from U.S. companies
now deeply invested in Cuba under the current administration's policy.
Those companies include major airlines, hotel operators and technology
providers, while big U.S. phone carriers have signed roaming agreements
on the island.
Mr. Trump's top aides said Sunday that he would demand the release of
political prisoners held in Cuba and push the government to allow more
religious and economic freedoms. Reince Priebus, Mr. Trump's incoming
White House chief of staff, said the president-elect "absolutely" would
reverse Mr. Obama's policies if he didn't get what he wanted from Cuba.
"We're not going to have a unilateral deal coming from Cuba back to the
United States without some changes in their government," Mr. Priebus
said Sunday on Fox News. "Repression, open markets, freedom of religion,
political prisoners—these things need to change in order to have open
and free relationships, and that's what president-elect Trump believes,
and that's where he's going to head."
Sen. Marco Rubio (R., Fla.), a critic of Mr. Obama's opening, said
Sunday on CBS that he hopes Mr. Trump will examine Mr. Obama's changes
to U.S.-Cuba policy and consider whether they foster democracy.
Ana Rosa Quintana, an expert on Latin America at the conservative
Heritage Foundation, said she hopes Mr. Trump will roll back regulations
that allow U.S. companies to interact with state-run entities in Cuba.
Mr. Obama announced in December 2014 that his administration had reached
a deal with Cuba to begin to normalize relations. Since then, embassies
have reopened in both countries, and the U.S. has loosened trade and
travel restrictions to Cuba.
Despite bipartisan support, Congress has refused to lift the economic
embargo on Cuba, which administration officials have said is necessary
to fully normalize relations.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D., Minn.), a co-sponsor of a bipartisan bill to
lift the embargo, said until Republican leaders allow a vote on the
legislation its supporters are "stymied."
That gives Mr. Trump broad authority to scale back U.S. relations with
Cuba, said lawyers and former officials who specialize in sanctions policy.
Regulations that allow U.S. companies to deal with Cuban state-owned
entities seem the most vulnerable, such as one that allows U.S.
businesses to use state-owned distributors as middlemen for deliveries
to the private sector, the former officials and lawyers said.
Peter Harrell, a former senior official at the State Department who
worked on sanctions in the Obama administration, said he expected Mr.
Trump would "pull back some of that dealing with the Cuban state while
allowing travel and private enterprise to go forward."
Another measure Mr. Trump could reverse is Mr. Obama's decision earlier
this year to allow so-called people-to-people travel to Cuba without a
tour group, a move that essentially lifted the travel ban and that
critics believe went too far. According to the State Department, 700,000
Americans visited Cuba in 2015, which officials said was an increase
from previous years.
"I wouldn't be surprised to see that rescinded," said Robert Muse, a
Washington-based lawyer who advises companies on doing business in Cuba.
Republican opponents of Mr. Obama's Cuba policy—including Mauricio
Claver-Carone, who is on Mr. Trump's transition team at the Treasury
Department—have been critical of a deal Starwood Hotels signed with the
Cuban government earlier this year, under which the company is running a
hotel once owned by the tourism arm of the Cuban military. Mr. Harrell
said Mr. Trump might rethink that authorization or allowing similar
licenses in the future.
Jeff Flaherty, a spokesman for Marriott International Inc., which now
owns Starwood, said it was premature to assess what effect a Trump
administration would have on its business in Cuba.
"It is too early to know precisely what it could mean for businesses
that have invested in Cuba and are providing opportunities for the Cuban
people, but we remain interested in being part of those conversations,"
he said.
Mr. Claver-Carone didn't respond to requests for comment.
In addition to corporations seeking to invest in Cuba, Mr. Obama's
policy has strong support in another Republican stronghold: the farming
industry.
Kevin Paap, president of the Minnesota Farm Bureau, said he voted for
Mr. Trump but didn't want to see the next administration take any steps
that would put U.S. farmers at a further disadvantage in the Cuban market.
"Every other country in the world has diplomatic and trade relations
with Cuba, and what we don't want to do is lose that market share to the
European Union, Brazil, Argentina," Mr. Paap said, adding that U.S.
market share in Cuba has decreased in recent years as other countries
are able to provide better financing.
The White House has been working to facilitate new investments in Cuba
by U.S. companies to try to further entrench business and trade ties
between the two countries before Mr. Obama leaves office, with new
announcements expected in coming weeks. It is unclear how Mr. Castro's
death might affect those efforts.
The potential blowback from U.S. business has been the White House's de
facto insurance policy on Mr. Obama's approach to Cuba.
In March Mr. Obama became the first sitting U.S. president in 88 years
to visit Cuba, and many administration officials have gone to the island
to advance economic and cultural ties.
Matt Miller, an American Airlines spokesman, said the company is
proceeding "full steam ahead" with plans to expand its service from the
U.S. to Cuba this week to include flights to Havana from Miami and
Charlotte, N.C. U.S. commercial flights to Cuba resumed in September.
To further entrench Mr. Obama's policy, administration officials also
are relying on lawmakers in agriculture states poised to benefit from
trade with Cuba and a growing number of Cuban Americans who support
policy changes that loosen travel restrictions and allow them to send
more money to family members living there.
Rep. Tom Emmer (R., Minn.), a strong proponent of lifting the
embargowho supported Mr. Trump in the election, said he hopes the
Trump administration will seize on the opportunity of Mr. Castro's death
to further normalize ties.
"Hopefully the Trump administration will build off what has already
been created, understanding that it is a new day in the Western
Hemisphere," he said in an interview.
Paul Johnson, co-chair of the U.S. agriculture coalition for Cuba, said
he isn't yet worried that Mr. Trump would reverse the momentum from Mr.
Obama's policy because "rural America clearly supports normalization of
trade with Cuba" and wants to end the U.S. embargo.
Dan Restrepo, a former Latin America adviser to Mr. Obama who is now a
fellow at the Center for American Progress, said U.S. companies that
invested in Cuba under Mr. Obama's policy could explore legal action
against the government if Mr. Trump reversed measures that allowed them
to operate there.
U.S. companies "now have a vested interest and they are going to be part
of any debate" and that "broadens the political conversation," he said.
Write to Felicia Schwartz at Felicia.Schwartz@wsj.com and Carol E. Lee
at carol.lee@wsj.com
Source: Death of Fidel Castro May Pressure Donald Trump on Cuba Promises
- WSJ -
http://www.wsj.com/articles/death-of-fidel-castro-may-pressure-donald-trump-to-keep-cuba-promises-1480290496
President-elect could face pushback from some companies regarding his
Cuba policies
By FELICIA SCHWARTZ and CAROL E. LEE
Updated Nov. 27, 2016 11:14 p.m. ET
WASHINGTON — The death of Fidel Castro is putting unexpected pressure on
President-elect Donald Trump to follow through on earlier promises to
reverse the recent openings to Cuba made by President Barack Obama.
While Mr. Trump could undo Mr. Obama's efforts, which were implemented
using executive authority, he could face pushback from U.S. companies
now deeply invested in Cuba under the current administration's policy.
Those companies include major airlines, hotel operators and technology
providers, while big U.S. phone carriers have signed roaming agreements
on the island.
Mr. Trump's top aides said Sunday that he would demand the release of
political prisoners held in Cuba and push the government to allow more
religious and economic freedoms. Reince Priebus, Mr. Trump's incoming
White House chief of staff, said the president-elect "absolutely" would
reverse Mr. Obama's policies if he didn't get what he wanted from Cuba.
"We're not going to have a unilateral deal coming from Cuba back to the
United States without some changes in their government," Mr. Priebus
said Sunday on Fox News. "Repression, open markets, freedom of religion,
political prisoners—these things need to change in order to have open
and free relationships, and that's what president-elect Trump believes,
and that's where he's going to head."
Sen. Marco Rubio (R., Fla.), a critic of Mr. Obama's opening, said
Sunday on CBS that he hopes Mr. Trump will examine Mr. Obama's changes
to U.S.-Cuba policy and consider whether they foster democracy.
Ana Rosa Quintana, an expert on Latin America at the conservative
Heritage Foundation, said she hopes Mr. Trump will roll back regulations
that allow U.S. companies to interact with state-run entities in Cuba.
Mr. Obama announced in December 2014 that his administration had reached
a deal with Cuba to begin to normalize relations. Since then, embassies
have reopened in both countries, and the U.S. has loosened trade and
travel restrictions to Cuba.
Despite bipartisan support, Congress has refused to lift the economic
embargo on Cuba, which administration officials have said is necessary
to fully normalize relations.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D., Minn.), a co-sponsor of a bipartisan bill to
lift the embargo, said until Republican leaders allow a vote on the
legislation its supporters are "stymied."
That gives Mr. Trump broad authority to scale back U.S. relations with
Cuba, said lawyers and former officials who specialize in sanctions policy.
Regulations that allow U.S. companies to deal with Cuban state-owned
entities seem the most vulnerable, such as one that allows U.S.
businesses to use state-owned distributors as middlemen for deliveries
to the private sector, the former officials and lawyers said.
Peter Harrell, a former senior official at the State Department who
worked on sanctions in the Obama administration, said he expected Mr.
Trump would "pull back some of that dealing with the Cuban state while
allowing travel and private enterprise to go forward."
Another measure Mr. Trump could reverse is Mr. Obama's decision earlier
this year to allow so-called people-to-people travel to Cuba without a
tour group, a move that essentially lifted the travel ban and that
critics believe went too far. According to the State Department, 700,000
Americans visited Cuba in 2015, which officials said was an increase
from previous years.
"I wouldn't be surprised to see that rescinded," said Robert Muse, a
Washington-based lawyer who advises companies on doing business in Cuba.
Republican opponents of Mr. Obama's Cuba policy—including Mauricio
Claver-Carone, who is on Mr. Trump's transition team at the Treasury
Department—have been critical of a deal Starwood Hotels signed with the
Cuban government earlier this year, under which the company is running a
hotel once owned by the tourism arm of the Cuban military. Mr. Harrell
said Mr. Trump might rethink that authorization or allowing similar
licenses in the future.
Jeff Flaherty, a spokesman for Marriott International Inc., which now
owns Starwood, said it was premature to assess what effect a Trump
administration would have on its business in Cuba.
"It is too early to know precisely what it could mean for businesses
that have invested in Cuba and are providing opportunities for the Cuban
people, but we remain interested in being part of those conversations,"
he said.
Mr. Claver-Carone didn't respond to requests for comment.
In addition to corporations seeking to invest in Cuba, Mr. Obama's
policy has strong support in another Republican stronghold: the farming
industry.
Kevin Paap, president of the Minnesota Farm Bureau, said he voted for
Mr. Trump but didn't want to see the next administration take any steps
that would put U.S. farmers at a further disadvantage in the Cuban market.
"Every other country in the world has diplomatic and trade relations
with Cuba, and what we don't want to do is lose that market share to the
European Union, Brazil, Argentina," Mr. Paap said, adding that U.S.
market share in Cuba has decreased in recent years as other countries
are able to provide better financing.
The White House has been working to facilitate new investments in Cuba
by U.S. companies to try to further entrench business and trade ties
between the two countries before Mr. Obama leaves office, with new
announcements expected in coming weeks. It is unclear how Mr. Castro's
death might affect those efforts.
The potential blowback from U.S. business has been the White House's de
facto insurance policy on Mr. Obama's approach to Cuba.
In March Mr. Obama became the first sitting U.S. president in 88 years
to visit Cuba, and many administration officials have gone to the island
to advance economic and cultural ties.
Matt Miller, an American Airlines spokesman, said the company is
proceeding "full steam ahead" with plans to expand its service from the
U.S. to Cuba this week to include flights to Havana from Miami and
Charlotte, N.C. U.S. commercial flights to Cuba resumed in September.
To further entrench Mr. Obama's policy, administration officials also
are relying on lawmakers in agriculture states poised to benefit from
trade with Cuba and a growing number of Cuban Americans who support
policy changes that loosen travel restrictions and allow them to send
more money to family members living there.
Rep. Tom Emmer (R., Minn.), a strong proponent of lifting the
embargowho supported Mr. Trump in the election, said he hopes the
Trump administration will seize on the opportunity of Mr. Castro's death
to further normalize ties.
"Hopefully the Trump administration will build off what has already
been created, understanding that it is a new day in the Western
Hemisphere," he said in an interview.
Paul Johnson, co-chair of the U.S. agriculture coalition for Cuba, said
he isn't yet worried that Mr. Trump would reverse the momentum from Mr.
Obama's policy because "rural America clearly supports normalization of
trade with Cuba" and wants to end the U.S. embargo.
Dan Restrepo, a former Latin America adviser to Mr. Obama who is now a
fellow at the Center for American Progress, said U.S. companies that
invested in Cuba under Mr. Obama's policy could explore legal action
against the government if Mr. Trump reversed measures that allowed them
to operate there.
U.S. companies "now have a vested interest and they are going to be part
of any debate" and that "broadens the political conversation," he said.
Write to Felicia Schwartz at Felicia.Schwartz@wsj.com and Carol E. Lee
at carol.lee@wsj.com
Source: Death of Fidel Castro May Pressure Donald Trump on Cuba Promises
- WSJ -
http://www.wsj.com/articles/death-of-fidel-castro-may-pressure-donald-trump-to-keep-cuba-promises-1480290496
Marco Rubio Says 'Our Goal Is Not to Punish' Cubans With U.S. Policy
Marco Rubio Says 'Our Goal Is Not to Punish' Cubans With U.S. Policy
by SALLY BRONSTON
Sen. Marco Rubio called the death of Cuba's former leader Fidel Castro a
"historical milestone" and recommended President-elect Donald Trump not
retroactively remove protections for undocumented immigrants established
by the Obama administration in an appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press"
on Sunday.
Rubio, R-Fla., also weighed in on Trump's transition to the White House
and declined to publicly support Trump's nominee for Attorney General.
Additionally, he commented on the need for a congressional look into the
WikiLeaks hacks.
CUBA
A Cuban-American himself, Rubio reacted to the death of Fidel Castro
over the weekend, saying it was a "historical milestone" and a
"psychological" milestone "for a lot of people."
Rubio, who has been critical of Pres. Obama's actions on Cuba, said he
wants to "look at all the changes that were made," while adding that
"our goal is not to punish" Cubans.
"I have never said that I'm against all changes to Cuba policy," he
added. "I'm just against unilateral changes from which we get nothing in
return for our country or for the freedom or liberty of the Cuban people."
DACA
President-elect Donald Trump has promised to roll back many of President
Obama's executive orders, drawing concerns from undocumented immigrants
who have been protected by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals
(DACA) program.
Rubio said he would recommend that Trump not "retroactively remove their
status" but he also said people should not be allowed to apply for renewal.
"People already have it, so someone has that DACA permit but it is not
indefinite, it expires," he said. "And what I would say is if you have
it, then you have it for the remainder of that period of time but you
will not be able to renew it."
That time is needed, Rubio said, for "border security, modernization"
and to then move to a more "reasonable" system "for people like those
who came here as children, or those who have been here for a long time
who are not criminals, to allow them to attain some legal status through
a legal way — not an unconstitutional way, which is what DACA is."
TRANSITION APPOINTMENTS
On appointments to President-elect Trump's incoming administration,
Rubio has offered public praise of Rep. Mike Pompeo as CIA director and
Gov. Nikki Haley as UN Ambassador, but not for fellow Senator Jeff
Sessions for Attorney General.
Rubio explained Pompeo's and Haley's nominations will both come through
committees he sits on, before they reach the full Senate, while
Sessions' nomination will not.
Rubio was not ready to say publicly if he'll support Sessions'
confirmation: "No, I never do, until that person works their way through
the process."
WIKILEAKS
During the campaign, Rubio was outspoken on the issue of the WikiLeaks
hacks, warning fellow Republicans, saying, "Today it is the Democrats.
Tomorrow it could be us."
On Sunday, Rubio said the hacks were "absolutely" worthy of
Congressional scrutiny.
Asked if the Foreign Relations subcommittee he chairs would investigate,
Rubio said, "We'd need the permission of the full committee, and I
imagine that Senator Corker may have an opinion on that. He may himself
want to do that. You'll have to ask him."
Rubio continued, "If a foreign government has been involved in injecting
chaos into our democratic process, the American people deserve to know
that."
While declining to blame the Russian government directly, Rubio said
what happened during the U.S. election was "very similar to the sort of
active measures that you've seen the Russians use in the past in places
like Eastern Europe, to interfere with the elections of other
countries…they try to undermine the credibility of the election. They
try to undermine individual leaders."
Source: Marco Rubio Says 'Our Goal Is Not to Punish' Cubans With U.S.
Policy - NBC News -
http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/fidel-castros-death/marco-rubio-says-our-goal-not-punish-cubans-u-s-n688806
by SALLY BRONSTON
Sen. Marco Rubio called the death of Cuba's former leader Fidel Castro a
"historical milestone" and recommended President-elect Donald Trump not
retroactively remove protections for undocumented immigrants established
by the Obama administration in an appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press"
on Sunday.
Rubio, R-Fla., also weighed in on Trump's transition to the White House
and declined to publicly support Trump's nominee for Attorney General.
Additionally, he commented on the need for a congressional look into the
WikiLeaks hacks.
CUBA
A Cuban-American himself, Rubio reacted to the death of Fidel Castro
over the weekend, saying it was a "historical milestone" and a
"psychological" milestone "for a lot of people."
Rubio, who has been critical of Pres. Obama's actions on Cuba, said he
wants to "look at all the changes that were made," while adding that
"our goal is not to punish" Cubans.
"I have never said that I'm against all changes to Cuba policy," he
added. "I'm just against unilateral changes from which we get nothing in
return for our country or for the freedom or liberty of the Cuban people."
DACA
President-elect Donald Trump has promised to roll back many of President
Obama's executive orders, drawing concerns from undocumented immigrants
who have been protected by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals
(DACA) program.
Rubio said he would recommend that Trump not "retroactively remove their
status" but he also said people should not be allowed to apply for renewal.
"People already have it, so someone has that DACA permit but it is not
indefinite, it expires," he said. "And what I would say is if you have
it, then you have it for the remainder of that period of time but you
will not be able to renew it."
That time is needed, Rubio said, for "border security, modernization"
and to then move to a more "reasonable" system "for people like those
who came here as children, or those who have been here for a long time
who are not criminals, to allow them to attain some legal status through
a legal way — not an unconstitutional way, which is what DACA is."
TRANSITION APPOINTMENTS
On appointments to President-elect Trump's incoming administration,
Rubio has offered public praise of Rep. Mike Pompeo as CIA director and
Gov. Nikki Haley as UN Ambassador, but not for fellow Senator Jeff
Sessions for Attorney General.
Rubio explained Pompeo's and Haley's nominations will both come through
committees he sits on, before they reach the full Senate, while
Sessions' nomination will not.
Rubio was not ready to say publicly if he'll support Sessions'
confirmation: "No, I never do, until that person works their way through
the process."
WIKILEAKS
During the campaign, Rubio was outspoken on the issue of the WikiLeaks
hacks, warning fellow Republicans, saying, "Today it is the Democrats.
Tomorrow it could be us."
On Sunday, Rubio said the hacks were "absolutely" worthy of
Congressional scrutiny.
Asked if the Foreign Relations subcommittee he chairs would investigate,
Rubio said, "We'd need the permission of the full committee, and I
imagine that Senator Corker may have an opinion on that. He may himself
want to do that. You'll have to ask him."
Rubio continued, "If a foreign government has been involved in injecting
chaos into our democratic process, the American people deserve to know
that."
While declining to blame the Russian government directly, Rubio said
what happened during the U.S. election was "very similar to the sort of
active measures that you've seen the Russians use in the past in places
like Eastern Europe, to interfere with the elections of other
countries…they try to undermine the credibility of the election. They
try to undermine individual leaders."
Source: Marco Rubio Says 'Our Goal Is Not to Punish' Cubans With U.S.
Policy - NBC News -
http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/fidel-castros-death/marco-rubio-says-our-goal-not-punish-cubans-u-s-n688806
Trump’s harsh rhetoric may put Cuba in tough diplomatic spot
Trump's harsh rhetoric may put Cuba in tough diplomatic spot
BY PATRICIA MAZZEI
pmazzei@miamiherald.com
Nearly two years after President Barack Obama undertook the biggest
change in U.S.-Cuba policy in half a century, the island's communist
regime suddenly finds itself at a new diplomatic crossroads, awaiting a
President-elect Donald Trump who has increasingly embraced the harsh
rhetoric of Obama's most forceful Cuba critics.
Whether Trump will immediately undo the executive actions that restored
relations between the two countries remains unclear. But the language
adopted by Trump and his closest advisers in the hours following Fidel
Castro's death and over the weekend, and one of the incoming president's
recent transition hires, suggest Trump might be serious about punishing
Cuba for not doing more in return after the U.S. lifted many of its
travel, banking and commercial sanctions.
Though Obama's overtures weren't conditioned on any specific concessions
by Cuba, the Cuban government has not shown much willingness to
reciprocate by loosening its grip on civil society. In the face of a
Trump presidency, that could prove to have been a missed opportunity to
build good will.
"President-elect Trump is going to be looking for some movement in the
right direction in order to have any sort of deal with Cuba," Reince
Priebus, Trump's White House chief of staff, said on "Fox News Sunday."
"I mean, it can't just be nothing and then you get total and complete
cooperation from the United States. There has to be something, and what
that something is... is yet to be determined."
Ever the negotiator, Trump has threatened to end all ties with the
island so that, as president, he can extract some sort of concession
from Cuba. The Obama actions Trump opposes have given him leverage to
use against the island.
Though Obama's policy is not particularly controversial outside of South
Florida, Trump could feel beholden to the region's Cuban-American
voters, whom he assiduously courted and ultimately won. He learned the
language of the exile community and promised to fight for a free Cuba —
while offering few specifics.
Castro's death didn't nudge Trump's team into reveal any more details.
Kellyanne Conway, his campaign manager, said on NBC News' "Meet the
Press" that Trump won't make any announcements until he's president.
"Nothing is definite," she said.
Pressed by host Chuck Todd on whether Trump would shut down any
relations unless Cuba releases its political prisoners, Conway did not
reject the idea.
"That's for discussion. That's certainly on the table," she said. "This
is what leaders do. Leaders listen. They learn. They take the counsel of
many people. They see what the circumstances are. And he's even been
talking to President Obama.... They talked just yesterday."
That conversation, she added, lasted 40-45 minutes. She wouldn't say if
Cuba came up.
Cubans on the island closely followed the U.S. campaign, almost entirely
through the warped lens of the regime's state-owned media. Reports from
Havana over the weekend suggested Cubans were more eager to discuss
Trump than Castro, a man many of them were raised to revere.
Even before Castro's death, Trump won plaudits from hardline Cuban
Americans last week, when he named Mauricio Claver-Carone to his
transition team.
As head of the Washington-based U.S.-Cuba Democracy PAC, Claver-Carone
is perhaps the most strident hardline voice outside of Congress when it
comes to Cuba policy. He will advise Trump on matters related to the
U.S. Treasury Department, where he worked as an attorney until 2003.
Claver-Carone did not respond to an interview request Sunday, but he's
written extensively — including in a recent Miami Herald op-ed — about
rescinding Obama's Cuba actions.
In a statement Saturday, the PAC said the U.S. "should make it
unequivocally clear that — regardless of the Cuban dictator's first and
last name — codified sanctions will only be lifted upon the release of
all political prisoners; the recognition and respect of fundamental
human, civil and political rights as prescribed by international
covenants; and the legalization of opposition parties and an independent
media."
Groups that favor Cuba engagement, such as Cuba Now, maintained after
Castro's death that forging closer ties with the island would "help the
Cuban people fully integrate themselves" into the global community.
"We call on our elected officials to build on the historic steps taken
by President Obama and continue revising U.S. policy to empower the
people of both our nations to serve as catalysts for meaningful change
in Cuba," Executive Director Ric Herrero said in a statement Saturday.
Trump has yet to designate a secretary of state, the Cabinet member who
would be the key player on Cuba policy. His transition has engaged in a
highly unusual public spat over the qualifications and political loyalty
of two finalists, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former
Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney.
"People feel betrayed to think that Governor Romney, who went out of his
way to question the character and the intellect and the integrity of
Donald Trump, now our president-elect, would be given the most
significant Cabinet post of all," Conway said on "Meet the Press,"
stepping up her pressure against a Romney pick. "We don't even know if
he voted for Donald Trump."
Romney blasted candidate Trump as a "fraud." Giuliani is dogged by work
he did outside office for foreign governments.
In Miami, Cuban-American Republicans steered clear of choosing sides
between the two contenders. Only Congress can lift the U.S. trade
embargo against Cuba.
"Both are excellent choices who understand the differences between
adversaries and allies," U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the dean of the
local delegation on foreign-policy matters, said Sunday in a statement
to the Herald.
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio told CNN's "State of the Union" that it's Trump's
"prerogative to choose the person that he can work with" — and the
Senate's job to vet the eventual nominee.
Asked about Giuliani, Rubio said he likes him "a lot." "I know him well.
I consider him to be a friend and a supporter of mine," he said. "It's
important for me to know where he stands on a couple of key issues, if
he is, in fact, the person who is nominated."
Rubio continued to dismiss the notion that Trump, a celebrity
real-estate mogul who as recently as 2012 or 2013 sent emissaries to
Cuba to explore building a golf course there, might revert in office to
the position he espoused early on as a candidate, when Trump made no
mention of reversing Obama's Cuba policy.
"Do you feel confident that a President-elect Trump, when in office,
will roll back the openings that President Obama put in place?" CNN host
Dana Bash asked.
"Well, I'll take him at his word for it," Rubio said. "That's what he
said he was going to do."
Source: Trump sticks to harsh Cuba rhetoric after Fidel Castro's death |
Miami Herald -
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/article117399093.html
BY PATRICIA MAZZEI
pmazzei@miamiherald.com
Nearly two years after President Barack Obama undertook the biggest
change in U.S.-Cuba policy in half a century, the island's communist
regime suddenly finds itself at a new diplomatic crossroads, awaiting a
President-elect Donald Trump who has increasingly embraced the harsh
rhetoric of Obama's most forceful Cuba critics.
Whether Trump will immediately undo the executive actions that restored
relations between the two countries remains unclear. But the language
adopted by Trump and his closest advisers in the hours following Fidel
Castro's death and over the weekend, and one of the incoming president's
recent transition hires, suggest Trump might be serious about punishing
Cuba for not doing more in return after the U.S. lifted many of its
travel, banking and commercial sanctions.
Though Obama's overtures weren't conditioned on any specific concessions
by Cuba, the Cuban government has not shown much willingness to
reciprocate by loosening its grip on civil society. In the face of a
Trump presidency, that could prove to have been a missed opportunity to
build good will.
"President-elect Trump is going to be looking for some movement in the
right direction in order to have any sort of deal with Cuba," Reince
Priebus, Trump's White House chief of staff, said on "Fox News Sunday."
"I mean, it can't just be nothing and then you get total and complete
cooperation from the United States. There has to be something, and what
that something is... is yet to be determined."
Ever the negotiator, Trump has threatened to end all ties with the
island so that, as president, he can extract some sort of concession
from Cuba. The Obama actions Trump opposes have given him leverage to
use against the island.
Though Obama's policy is not particularly controversial outside of South
Florida, Trump could feel beholden to the region's Cuban-American
voters, whom he assiduously courted and ultimately won. He learned the
language of the exile community and promised to fight for a free Cuba —
while offering few specifics.
Castro's death didn't nudge Trump's team into reveal any more details.
Kellyanne Conway, his campaign manager, said on NBC News' "Meet the
Press" that Trump won't make any announcements until he's president.
"Nothing is definite," she said.
Pressed by host Chuck Todd on whether Trump would shut down any
relations unless Cuba releases its political prisoners, Conway did not
reject the idea.
"That's for discussion. That's certainly on the table," she said. "This
is what leaders do. Leaders listen. They learn. They take the counsel of
many people. They see what the circumstances are. And he's even been
talking to President Obama.... They talked just yesterday."
That conversation, she added, lasted 40-45 minutes. She wouldn't say if
Cuba came up.
Cubans on the island closely followed the U.S. campaign, almost entirely
through the warped lens of the regime's state-owned media. Reports from
Havana over the weekend suggested Cubans were more eager to discuss
Trump than Castro, a man many of them were raised to revere.
Even before Castro's death, Trump won plaudits from hardline Cuban
Americans last week, when he named Mauricio Claver-Carone to his
transition team.
As head of the Washington-based U.S.-Cuba Democracy PAC, Claver-Carone
is perhaps the most strident hardline voice outside of Congress when it
comes to Cuba policy. He will advise Trump on matters related to the
U.S. Treasury Department, where he worked as an attorney until 2003.
Claver-Carone did not respond to an interview request Sunday, but he's
written extensively — including in a recent Miami Herald op-ed — about
rescinding Obama's Cuba actions.
In a statement Saturday, the PAC said the U.S. "should make it
unequivocally clear that — regardless of the Cuban dictator's first and
last name — codified sanctions will only be lifted upon the release of
all political prisoners; the recognition and respect of fundamental
human, civil and political rights as prescribed by international
covenants; and the legalization of opposition parties and an independent
media."
Groups that favor Cuba engagement, such as Cuba Now, maintained after
Castro's death that forging closer ties with the island would "help the
Cuban people fully integrate themselves" into the global community.
"We call on our elected officials to build on the historic steps taken
by President Obama and continue revising U.S. policy to empower the
people of both our nations to serve as catalysts for meaningful change
in Cuba," Executive Director Ric Herrero said in a statement Saturday.
Trump has yet to designate a secretary of state, the Cabinet member who
would be the key player on Cuba policy. His transition has engaged in a
highly unusual public spat over the qualifications and political loyalty
of two finalists, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former
Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney.
"People feel betrayed to think that Governor Romney, who went out of his
way to question the character and the intellect and the integrity of
Donald Trump, now our president-elect, would be given the most
significant Cabinet post of all," Conway said on "Meet the Press,"
stepping up her pressure against a Romney pick. "We don't even know if
he voted for Donald Trump."
Romney blasted candidate Trump as a "fraud." Giuliani is dogged by work
he did outside office for foreign governments.
In Miami, Cuban-American Republicans steered clear of choosing sides
between the two contenders. Only Congress can lift the U.S. trade
embargo against Cuba.
"Both are excellent choices who understand the differences between
adversaries and allies," U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the dean of the
local delegation on foreign-policy matters, said Sunday in a statement
to the Herald.
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio told CNN's "State of the Union" that it's Trump's
"prerogative to choose the person that he can work with" — and the
Senate's job to vet the eventual nominee.
Asked about Giuliani, Rubio said he likes him "a lot." "I know him well.
I consider him to be a friend and a supporter of mine," he said. "It's
important for me to know where he stands on a couple of key issues, if
he is, in fact, the person who is nominated."
Rubio continued to dismiss the notion that Trump, a celebrity
real-estate mogul who as recently as 2012 or 2013 sent emissaries to
Cuba to explore building a golf course there, might revert in office to
the position he espoused early on as a candidate, when Trump made no
mention of reversing Obama's Cuba policy.
"Do you feel confident that a President-elect Trump, when in office,
will roll back the openings that President Obama put in place?" CNN host
Dana Bash asked.
"Well, I'll take him at his word for it," Rubio said. "That's what he
said he was going to do."
Source: Trump sticks to harsh Cuba rhetoric after Fidel Castro's death |
Miami Herald -
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/article117399093.html
Slow change after Fidel
Slow change after Fidel
BY MIMI WHITEFIELD
mwhitefield@miamiherald.com
For many, Fidel Castro's death is like the lifting of a heavy fog, a
defining moment that will carve out a new path and allow Cuba to move
forward. But some analysts say the revolutionary government remains
firmly in place and they see no immediate changes coming to the island.
Although Castro still loomed large as a symbol at the time of his death,
announced late Friday, the reality is that he has been out of power
since 2006 when he became critically ill and ceded power to his brother
Raúl Castro — first temporarily and then officially two years later.
And beyond that, Raúl Castro, 85, is already taking steps toward his own
succession.
The younger Castro has said that he will step down as the president of
Cuba's Council of State on Feb. 24, 2018, and Miguel Díaz-Canel, the
first vice president, is the heir apparent. With most historic
revolutionary leaders now in their eighties, the 56-year-old Díaz-Canel
represents a generational shift. He wasn't even born at the time of the
1959 revolution.
But even as he has pledged to cede his presidential seat, Raúl Castro
has said nothing of resigning as head of the Cuban armed forces or as
the powerful head of Cuba's Communist Party.
"I don't think Fidel Castro's death will make a tremendous amount of
difference in the short-term on the island. Fidel Castro has been
retired for a decade now," said William LeoGrande, a government
professor at American University who has long followed negotiations
between Havana and Washington. "In some ways, the greater shift is here
in the United States."
There does seem to be more acknowledgment that Cubans should be the
protagonists of their own future, but Cuban-American politicians are
still calling for stepped-up action against the current regime by the
U.S. and other governments.
South Florida Republican Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, who favors keeping
the embargo against Cuba in place "until the gulags are closed,
elections are held, political prisoners are freed, and liberty is
restored," still sees this as a pivotal time for Cuba.
"Now a new beginning can dawn," Ros-Lehtinen said of Castro's death. "We
must seize the moment and write a new chapter in the history of Cuba."
In her view, Cuba's current leaders have now been put on notice that
they cannot "continue to misrule Cuba through oppression and fear.
Not all Cuba watchers agree.
"The government of Cuba will retrench to demonstrate that the revolution
survives its founder — and continues to defy the United States," said
John Kavulich, president of the U.S.-Cuba and Economic Council. "The
passing of former President Fidel Castro will neither have immediate or
consequential impact upon the lives of the 11.3 million citizens of Cuba."
Other analysts point out that the rule of Raúl Castro is far from
synonymous with the decades that his brother spent in power.
The younger Castro has undertaken reforms ranging from freer travel for
Cubans to more market-oriented economic changes, including expanding
self-employment and allowing private cooperatives. Under his watch,
diplomatic relations with the United States were renewed after a gap of
more than half a century and Cuba is actively courting foreign investment.
"I do see important differences between Fidel and Raúl," said Ted
Piccone, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Brookings Institution.
"Raúl seems more interested in institution-building and passing the
torch to the next generation. Now there is an opportunity for Raúl to
consolidate his approach."
Nevertheless, he thinks change will still come slowly in Cuba with
one-party rule continuing, technocratic rule by committee and continuing
marginal economic changes. "The big question is what will happen in 2018
with Díaz-Canel or someone else," he said.
Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio sees little difference between the
Castro brothers: "The dictator has died, but the dictatorship has not."
Without being specific about what course U.S.-Cuba relations should
take, he said: "The future of Cuba ultimately remains in the hands of
the Cuban people, and now more than ever Congress and the new
administration must stand with them against their brutal rulers and
support their struggle for freedom and basic human rights."
During an appearance on "Face the Nation" Sunday, Rubio said he is not
opposed to U.S. policy changes toward Cuba, but said they must be
"reciprocal" and "that was not part of what President Obama did" in his
rapprochement with Cuba.
President-elect Donald Trump has said variously that engagement with
Cuba is OK as long as the U.S. gets a better deal but more recently that
he would roll back President Barack Obama's executive orders allowing an
opening toward Cuba.
"It is unclear whether the Trump administration will take a pragmatic
approach to U.S-Cuba relations, but the death of Fidel Castro will make
it more difficult to justify policies that are rooted in past ideologies
rather than future opportunities," said Geoff Thale, director of
programs at the Washington Office on Latin America.
What tack Trump will take on Cuba policy isn't the only unknown in the
whither-Cuba equation. There's also the impact on the island of the
rapidly declining economy of Venezuela — Cuba's ally and benefactor, and
the pace of economic reform in Cuba.
In Miami, many Cuban Americans do view Fidel Castro's death as a prelude
to a free Cuba and it has served as a catharsis of sorts, triggering
memories of loss, separation and suffering but also discussions about
the future of Cuba.
"Among Cuban Americans, a lot of passion was focused on hatred of Fidel
Castro as a symbol of a revolution that took away their country and
everything they had," said LeoGrande. "I wonder now that he is gone
whether some of this will be dissipated. If this really is a catharsis,
it could eliminate an important barrier to improving U.S.-Cuba relations."
The Cuban American National Foundation, long one of the most strident
voices against the Castro government, sounded a more conciliatory note
on his passing and called for Cubans on both sides of the Florida
Straits to work together for a better future for the Cuban people.
"As Cubans, this historical moment forces us to consider our own future;
and encourages us to put aside our anguish, our differences, and our
fear in order to pave the way for a brighter future," the Foundation
said in a statement. "Today must be a day of hope, willingness, and
solidarity in favor of peace, freedom, and the well-being of our
brothers and sisters on the island."
Richard Blanco, a Cuban-American poet who not only recited his work at
President Obama's second inauguration but also at the ceremony marking
the reopening of the U.S. embassy in Havana last year, said that "Fidel
Castro's death is certainly a symbolic 'victory' that will bring
much-needed closure to many who've been in his psychological grip. But I
worry it will essentially change nothing unless efforts toward change
continue."
Source: While some see Fidel Castro's death as a prelude to a free Cuba,
others don't expect quick change | Miami Herald -
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/fidel-castro-en/article117411998.html
BY MIMI WHITEFIELD
mwhitefield@miamiherald.com
For many, Fidel Castro's death is like the lifting of a heavy fog, a
defining moment that will carve out a new path and allow Cuba to move
forward. But some analysts say the revolutionary government remains
firmly in place and they see no immediate changes coming to the island.
Although Castro still loomed large as a symbol at the time of his death,
announced late Friday, the reality is that he has been out of power
since 2006 when he became critically ill and ceded power to his brother
Raúl Castro — first temporarily and then officially two years later.
And beyond that, Raúl Castro, 85, is already taking steps toward his own
succession.
The younger Castro has said that he will step down as the president of
Cuba's Council of State on Feb. 24, 2018, and Miguel Díaz-Canel, the
first vice president, is the heir apparent. With most historic
revolutionary leaders now in their eighties, the 56-year-old Díaz-Canel
represents a generational shift. He wasn't even born at the time of the
1959 revolution.
But even as he has pledged to cede his presidential seat, Raúl Castro
has said nothing of resigning as head of the Cuban armed forces or as
the powerful head of Cuba's Communist Party.
"I don't think Fidel Castro's death will make a tremendous amount of
difference in the short-term on the island. Fidel Castro has been
retired for a decade now," said William LeoGrande, a government
professor at American University who has long followed negotiations
between Havana and Washington. "In some ways, the greater shift is here
in the United States."
There does seem to be more acknowledgment that Cubans should be the
protagonists of their own future, but Cuban-American politicians are
still calling for stepped-up action against the current regime by the
U.S. and other governments.
South Florida Republican Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, who favors keeping
the embargo against Cuba in place "until the gulags are closed,
elections are held, political prisoners are freed, and liberty is
restored," still sees this as a pivotal time for Cuba.
"Now a new beginning can dawn," Ros-Lehtinen said of Castro's death. "We
must seize the moment and write a new chapter in the history of Cuba."
In her view, Cuba's current leaders have now been put on notice that
they cannot "continue to misrule Cuba through oppression and fear.
Not all Cuba watchers agree.
"The government of Cuba will retrench to demonstrate that the revolution
survives its founder — and continues to defy the United States," said
John Kavulich, president of the U.S.-Cuba and Economic Council. "The
passing of former President Fidel Castro will neither have immediate or
consequential impact upon the lives of the 11.3 million citizens of Cuba."
Other analysts point out that the rule of Raúl Castro is far from
synonymous with the decades that his brother spent in power.
The younger Castro has undertaken reforms ranging from freer travel for
Cubans to more market-oriented economic changes, including expanding
self-employment and allowing private cooperatives. Under his watch,
diplomatic relations with the United States were renewed after a gap of
more than half a century and Cuba is actively courting foreign investment.
"I do see important differences between Fidel and Raúl," said Ted
Piccone, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Brookings Institution.
"Raúl seems more interested in institution-building and passing the
torch to the next generation. Now there is an opportunity for Raúl to
consolidate his approach."
Nevertheless, he thinks change will still come slowly in Cuba with
one-party rule continuing, technocratic rule by committee and continuing
marginal economic changes. "The big question is what will happen in 2018
with Díaz-Canel or someone else," he said.
Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio sees little difference between the
Castro brothers: "The dictator has died, but the dictatorship has not."
Without being specific about what course U.S.-Cuba relations should
take, he said: "The future of Cuba ultimately remains in the hands of
the Cuban people, and now more than ever Congress and the new
administration must stand with them against their brutal rulers and
support their struggle for freedom and basic human rights."
During an appearance on "Face the Nation" Sunday, Rubio said he is not
opposed to U.S. policy changes toward Cuba, but said they must be
"reciprocal" and "that was not part of what President Obama did" in his
rapprochement with Cuba.
President-elect Donald Trump has said variously that engagement with
Cuba is OK as long as the U.S. gets a better deal but more recently that
he would roll back President Barack Obama's executive orders allowing an
opening toward Cuba.
"It is unclear whether the Trump administration will take a pragmatic
approach to U.S-Cuba relations, but the death of Fidel Castro will make
it more difficult to justify policies that are rooted in past ideologies
rather than future opportunities," said Geoff Thale, director of
programs at the Washington Office on Latin America.
What tack Trump will take on Cuba policy isn't the only unknown in the
whither-Cuba equation. There's also the impact on the island of the
rapidly declining economy of Venezuela — Cuba's ally and benefactor, and
the pace of economic reform in Cuba.
In Miami, many Cuban Americans do view Fidel Castro's death as a prelude
to a free Cuba and it has served as a catharsis of sorts, triggering
memories of loss, separation and suffering but also discussions about
the future of Cuba.
"Among Cuban Americans, a lot of passion was focused on hatred of Fidel
Castro as a symbol of a revolution that took away their country and
everything they had," said LeoGrande. "I wonder now that he is gone
whether some of this will be dissipated. If this really is a catharsis,
it could eliminate an important barrier to improving U.S.-Cuba relations."
The Cuban American National Foundation, long one of the most strident
voices against the Castro government, sounded a more conciliatory note
on his passing and called for Cubans on both sides of the Florida
Straits to work together for a better future for the Cuban people.
"As Cubans, this historical moment forces us to consider our own future;
and encourages us to put aside our anguish, our differences, and our
fear in order to pave the way for a brighter future," the Foundation
said in a statement. "Today must be a day of hope, willingness, and
solidarity in favor of peace, freedom, and the well-being of our
brothers and sisters on the island."
Richard Blanco, a Cuban-American poet who not only recited his work at
President Obama's second inauguration but also at the ceremony marking
the reopening of the U.S. embassy in Havana last year, said that "Fidel
Castro's death is certainly a symbolic 'victory' that will bring
much-needed closure to many who've been in his psychological grip. But I
worry it will essentially change nothing unless efforts toward change
continue."
Source: While some see Fidel Castro's death as a prelude to a free Cuba,
others don't expect quick change | Miami Herald -
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/fidel-castro-en/article117411998.html
It’s another milestone with flight from Miami to Havana
It's another milestone with flight from Miami to Havana
BY MIMI WHITEFIELD
mwhitefield@miamiherald.com
In another milestone in improving air service between the United States
and Cuba, an American Airlines jet took off Monday morning on the first
regularly scheduled flight between Miami and the Cuban capital in more
than half a century.
The Havana-bound 737 plane, which took to the air at 7:30 a.m., is
carrying 145 passengers. As passengers waited at the gate, AA treated
them to pastelitos, cupcakes emblazoned with the airline logo, and coffee.
American and several other airlines began flying regular routes to
several Cuban cities outside the capital in late summer, but Monday's
flight was the first of the new Havana-bound service and the first of
four daily flights American plans from Miami International Airport to
Havana.
The new flights are part of the Obama's administration's opening toward
Cuba, but their future could be in jeopardy depending on President-elect
Donald Trump's Cuba policies. He has said he will unravel changes made
by President Barack Obama unless Cuba makes political changes.
The American Airlines launch kicks off a week when there will be a
flurry of first flights from U.S. airports to Havana.
JetBlue plans to start its twice-daily service from Fort
Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport to Havana on Wednesday and
from Orlando on Tuesday.
Spirit Airlines and Frontier Airlines will begin service from Fort
Lauderdale on Thursday, and Delta Air Lines will also launch service
from Miami, New York's JFK and Atlanta to Havana on Thursday.
Southwest will begin offering twice-daily service from Fort Lauderdale
to Havana on Dec. 12.
Source: First regularly scheduled flight between Miami and Havana is
another milestone | Miami Herald -
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/cuba/article117455063.html
BY MIMI WHITEFIELD
mwhitefield@miamiherald.com
In another milestone in improving air service between the United States
and Cuba, an American Airlines jet took off Monday morning on the first
regularly scheduled flight between Miami and the Cuban capital in more
than half a century.
The Havana-bound 737 plane, which took to the air at 7:30 a.m., is
carrying 145 passengers. As passengers waited at the gate, AA treated
them to pastelitos, cupcakes emblazoned with the airline logo, and coffee.
American and several other airlines began flying regular routes to
several Cuban cities outside the capital in late summer, but Monday's
flight was the first of the new Havana-bound service and the first of
four daily flights American plans from Miami International Airport to
Havana.
The new flights are part of the Obama's administration's opening toward
Cuba, but their future could be in jeopardy depending on President-elect
Donald Trump's Cuba policies. He has said he will unravel changes made
by President Barack Obama unless Cuba makes political changes.
The American Airlines launch kicks off a week when there will be a
flurry of first flights from U.S. airports to Havana.
JetBlue plans to start its twice-daily service from Fort
Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport to Havana on Wednesday and
from Orlando on Tuesday.
Spirit Airlines and Frontier Airlines will begin service from Fort
Lauderdale on Thursday, and Delta Air Lines will also launch service
from Miami, New York's JFK and Atlanta to Havana on Thursday.
Southwest will begin offering twice-daily service from Fort Lauderdale
to Havana on Dec. 12.
Source: First regularly scheduled flight between Miami and Havana is
another milestone | Miami Herald -
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/cuba/article117455063.html
Solamente indisciplina social? ¿Y los crímenes?
¿Solamente indisciplina social? ¿Y los crímenes?
JORGE ENRIQUE RODRÍGUEZ | La Habana | 28 de Noviembre de 2016 - 05:00 CET.
En el actual ciclo de asambleas de rendición de cuentas, los delegados
del Poder Popular llaman la atención de sus electores sobre "el
incremento de la indisciplina social". Argumentan en sus informes que
"estos comportamientos impiden, en muchas ocasiones, llevar a
cumplimiento determinadas tareas de choque propuestas por el Estado".
Pero, desafortunadamente, ninguno de los planteamientos ciudadanos en
estas asambleas se interesa por llevar a debate la violencia que impera,
y que supera por mucho a la llamada "indisciplina social", una categoría
donde se agrupan el uso indebido de vertederos de basura y de las áreas
comunes, los altos decibelios después de medianoche, los juegos de
pelota y futbol en la vía, el maltrato a la propiedad pública o los
incumplimientos de los deberes cederistas.
No pocos analistas consideran que la violencia constituye una enfermedad
letal para la sociedad, y afirman que su erradicación exige de una alta
dosis de voluntad política para definir y enfrentar sus causas. En el
caso de Cuba, la voluntad política está definida para ocultar cifras o
índices sobre la violencia, e incluso sobre cualquier hecho delictivo en sí.
Los medios de prensa e información estatales en la Isla no hacen eco
—tampoco existen datos en la Oficina Nacional de Estadísticas— de la
violencia que se incrementa en cada barriada, imponiéndose casi como ley
de sobrevivencia y convivencia.
Como apunta el periodista independiente Weiner Martínez, "salvo en
seriales televisivos —Día y noche, por ejemplo– para el régimen cubano
no existe ni violencia ni delincuentes ni vandalismo". Las únicas
referencias, en relación con hechos violentos, que el régimen permite
divulgar es la violencia de género o intrafamiliar.
En los testimonios de familias, donde algún miembro ha sido víctima de
actos violentos, se ponen a relieve una realidad que, de indagarse a
fondo, puede explicar por qué ni siquiera la sociedad civil quiere
visualizar o hablar abiertamente del fenómeno.
"Mi hijo fue baleado hace dos meses aquí en el barrio [El Canal]", narra
una madre que asegura que no solo vive el dolor "de haberlo perdido,
sino también el de saber que su matador estará en libertad dentro de
cuatro o cinco años a lo sumo".
En la barriada de San Francisco de Paula otra madre sufrió, en octubre
del año pasado, "la pérdida de mi niña de 17 años apuñalada por su
propio novio". El sujeto fue condenado a ocho años de privación de
libertad. El caso fue expedientado por las autoridades policiales como
"crimen pasional".
Mata, que dios perdona
A mediados de este año, una reyerta en la barriada de Párraga tuvo como
saldo, para una sola familia, un lesionado de gravedad y un fallecido.
El padre de ambos dice no responsabilizar a los victimarios: "Estos
hechos son resultado de la cultura carcelaria que imponen los
delincuentes en los barrios y que ante esta cultura las leyes y el
Gobierno hacen la vista gorda".
Con apenas 25 años Yaser afirma que su lista sobrepasa los 20
"lesionados" por arma blanca. Nunca ha sido acusado o condenado por la
comisión de estos hechos. Comenta que "esto es lo que hay, ekobio, esto
es lo que se vive aquí en las calles. A la autoridad no le importa mucho
que se dé una puñalada por aquí, un machetazo por allá o un fogonazo
acullá. Mientras no exista mucho robo al Estado o mucha murumba de
droga, dejan el barrio tranqui".
Madre de dos adolescentes, una ciudadana del barrio San Isidro expresa
que vive "adaptada a la realidad". No está contenta con el novio de su
hija mayor, "pero él es muy respetado entre los delincuentes, y eso
significa que mis hijas estarán protegidas ante la verdad que vivimos:
herir o matar a alguien en estos barrios es tan natural como una cola
para comprar comida".
"En Cuba es mejor matar a una persona que a una vaca": la expresión
resulta grotesca, pero cada cubano sabe que entraña la verdad absoluta.
El artículo 240 del Código Penal figura que "el que […] sacrifique
ganado mayor, es sancionado con privación de libertad de cuatro a diez
años". Mientras, el artículo 261 figura que "el que mate a otro, incurre
en sanción de privación de libertad de siete a 15 años".
Sin embargo, datos obtenidos de tribunales populares, y declaraciones de
autores de este delito, indican que la condena promedio por homicidio es
de diez años. La "buena conducta del sancionado" puede librarle hasta
tres o cuatro años de su pena original.
Esta es una de las razones que otorga impunidad y que propicia el
imperio de violencia bajo el cual, ni siquiera víctimas o dolientes
somos capaces de advertir que no se trata de hechos excepcionales,
casuales o aislados, sino parte cotidiana de nuestras existencias.
Source: ¿Solamente indisciplina social? ¿Y los crímenes? | Diario de
Cuba - http://www.diariodecuba.com/cuba/1480009466_26946.html
JORGE ENRIQUE RODRÍGUEZ | La Habana | 28 de Noviembre de 2016 - 05:00 CET.
En el actual ciclo de asambleas de rendición de cuentas, los delegados
del Poder Popular llaman la atención de sus electores sobre "el
incremento de la indisciplina social". Argumentan en sus informes que
"estos comportamientos impiden, en muchas ocasiones, llevar a
cumplimiento determinadas tareas de choque propuestas por el Estado".
Pero, desafortunadamente, ninguno de los planteamientos ciudadanos en
estas asambleas se interesa por llevar a debate la violencia que impera,
y que supera por mucho a la llamada "indisciplina social", una categoría
donde se agrupan el uso indebido de vertederos de basura y de las áreas
comunes, los altos decibelios después de medianoche, los juegos de
pelota y futbol en la vía, el maltrato a la propiedad pública o los
incumplimientos de los deberes cederistas.
No pocos analistas consideran que la violencia constituye una enfermedad
letal para la sociedad, y afirman que su erradicación exige de una alta
dosis de voluntad política para definir y enfrentar sus causas. En el
caso de Cuba, la voluntad política está definida para ocultar cifras o
índices sobre la violencia, e incluso sobre cualquier hecho delictivo en sí.
Los medios de prensa e información estatales en la Isla no hacen eco
—tampoco existen datos en la Oficina Nacional de Estadísticas— de la
violencia que se incrementa en cada barriada, imponiéndose casi como ley
de sobrevivencia y convivencia.
Como apunta el periodista independiente Weiner Martínez, "salvo en
seriales televisivos —Día y noche, por ejemplo– para el régimen cubano
no existe ni violencia ni delincuentes ni vandalismo". Las únicas
referencias, en relación con hechos violentos, que el régimen permite
divulgar es la violencia de género o intrafamiliar.
En los testimonios de familias, donde algún miembro ha sido víctima de
actos violentos, se ponen a relieve una realidad que, de indagarse a
fondo, puede explicar por qué ni siquiera la sociedad civil quiere
visualizar o hablar abiertamente del fenómeno.
"Mi hijo fue baleado hace dos meses aquí en el barrio [El Canal]", narra
una madre que asegura que no solo vive el dolor "de haberlo perdido,
sino también el de saber que su matador estará en libertad dentro de
cuatro o cinco años a lo sumo".
En la barriada de San Francisco de Paula otra madre sufrió, en octubre
del año pasado, "la pérdida de mi niña de 17 años apuñalada por su
propio novio". El sujeto fue condenado a ocho años de privación de
libertad. El caso fue expedientado por las autoridades policiales como
"crimen pasional".
Mata, que dios perdona
A mediados de este año, una reyerta en la barriada de Párraga tuvo como
saldo, para una sola familia, un lesionado de gravedad y un fallecido.
El padre de ambos dice no responsabilizar a los victimarios: "Estos
hechos son resultado de la cultura carcelaria que imponen los
delincuentes en los barrios y que ante esta cultura las leyes y el
Gobierno hacen la vista gorda".
Con apenas 25 años Yaser afirma que su lista sobrepasa los 20
"lesionados" por arma blanca. Nunca ha sido acusado o condenado por la
comisión de estos hechos. Comenta que "esto es lo que hay, ekobio, esto
es lo que se vive aquí en las calles. A la autoridad no le importa mucho
que se dé una puñalada por aquí, un machetazo por allá o un fogonazo
acullá. Mientras no exista mucho robo al Estado o mucha murumba de
droga, dejan el barrio tranqui".
Madre de dos adolescentes, una ciudadana del barrio San Isidro expresa
que vive "adaptada a la realidad". No está contenta con el novio de su
hija mayor, "pero él es muy respetado entre los delincuentes, y eso
significa que mis hijas estarán protegidas ante la verdad que vivimos:
herir o matar a alguien en estos barrios es tan natural como una cola
para comprar comida".
"En Cuba es mejor matar a una persona que a una vaca": la expresión
resulta grotesca, pero cada cubano sabe que entraña la verdad absoluta.
El artículo 240 del Código Penal figura que "el que […] sacrifique
ganado mayor, es sancionado con privación de libertad de cuatro a diez
años". Mientras, el artículo 261 figura que "el que mate a otro, incurre
en sanción de privación de libertad de siete a 15 años".
Sin embargo, datos obtenidos de tribunales populares, y declaraciones de
autores de este delito, indican que la condena promedio por homicidio es
de diez años. La "buena conducta del sancionado" puede librarle hasta
tres o cuatro años de su pena original.
Esta es una de las razones que otorga impunidad y que propicia el
imperio de violencia bajo el cual, ni siquiera víctimas o dolientes
somos capaces de advertir que no se trata de hechos excepcionales,
casuales o aislados, sino parte cotidiana de nuestras existencias.
Source: ¿Solamente indisciplina social? ¿Y los crímenes? | Diario de
Cuba - http://www.diariodecuba.com/cuba/1480009466_26946.html
Se inician los vuelos regulares EEUU-La Habana
Se inician los vuelos regulares EEUU-La Habana
AGENCIAS | La Habana | 28 de Noviembre de 2016 - 13:22 CET.
Los primeros vuelos regulares desde Estados Unidos a La Habana
despegarán este lunes, justo tres días después del fallecimiento de
Fidel Castro, reporta la AFP.
El 31 de agosto, JetBlue inauguró el primer vuelo comercial entre ambos
países, servicio suspendido desde 1961. Partió desde Fort Lauderdale, en
Florida, y llegó a Santa Clara.
Desde entonces, varias aerolíneas han estado viajando a ciudades del
interior de la Isla, pero la capital aún estaba vedada.
American Airlines (AA) inaugurará este tramo, cuando parta del
Aeropuerto Internacional de Miami rumbo a La Habana a las 7:30 horas
locales de este lunes.
Así, "nos convertimos en la primera aerolínea estadounidense que ofrece
un servicio regular a la capital cubana en más de 50 años", dijo a AFP
la portavoz de AA, Martha Pantín.
A partir del miércoles, la aerolínea tendrá cuatro viajes diarios desde
Miami y otro desde Charlotte, en Carolina del Norte.
Hasta ahora, AA servía a Camagüey, Cienfuegos, Holguín, Santa Clara y
Varadero. Sumando la capital, operará 13 vuelos diarios a la Isla.
Una hora y media después, a las 8:58, JetBlue unirá Nueva York con La
Habana con una ruta que será diaria y el martes comenzará a conectar a
Orlando con la capital, mientras que desde Fort Lauderdale la frecuencia
será de dos vuelos al día a partir del miércoles 30 de noviembre.
"Nuestro histórico primer vuelo (del 31 de agosto) dio inicio a una
nueva era en el transporte en Cuba, y una vez más JetBlue hará
historia", dijo Robin Hayes, presidente de la empresa, en un comunicado.
Para fin de año se habrá incrementado la regularidad de los vuelos hasta
llegar a 110 diarios, 20 de ellos a la capital, según reporta AFP.
La inauguración de este servicio ocurre en momentos muy sensibles tanto
en la Isla como entre la comunidad cubanoamericana en el exilio, luego
de la muerte de Fidel Castro.
Mientras el régimen decretó nueve días de duelo, los cubanos en Miami no
han parado de festejar desde el viernes por la noche.
Los gobiernos de Estados Unidos y Cuba reanudaron sus nexos diplomáticos
en 2015 y acordaron en febrero de este año reiniciar los vuelos diarios.
Desde 1979, los dos países estaban enlazados por un servicio chárter,
que suplía la demanda y hasta esta semana había apenas una treintena de
vuelos diarios.
Source: Se inician los vuelos regulares EEUU-La Habana | Diario de Cuba
- http://www.diariodecuba.com/cuba/1480335753_27026.html
AGENCIAS | La Habana | 28 de Noviembre de 2016 - 13:22 CET.
Los primeros vuelos regulares desde Estados Unidos a La Habana
despegarán este lunes, justo tres días después del fallecimiento de
Fidel Castro, reporta la AFP.
El 31 de agosto, JetBlue inauguró el primer vuelo comercial entre ambos
países, servicio suspendido desde 1961. Partió desde Fort Lauderdale, en
Florida, y llegó a Santa Clara.
Desde entonces, varias aerolíneas han estado viajando a ciudades del
interior de la Isla, pero la capital aún estaba vedada.
American Airlines (AA) inaugurará este tramo, cuando parta del
Aeropuerto Internacional de Miami rumbo a La Habana a las 7:30 horas
locales de este lunes.
Así, "nos convertimos en la primera aerolínea estadounidense que ofrece
un servicio regular a la capital cubana en más de 50 años", dijo a AFP
la portavoz de AA, Martha Pantín.
A partir del miércoles, la aerolínea tendrá cuatro viajes diarios desde
Miami y otro desde Charlotte, en Carolina del Norte.
Hasta ahora, AA servía a Camagüey, Cienfuegos, Holguín, Santa Clara y
Varadero. Sumando la capital, operará 13 vuelos diarios a la Isla.
Una hora y media después, a las 8:58, JetBlue unirá Nueva York con La
Habana con una ruta que será diaria y el martes comenzará a conectar a
Orlando con la capital, mientras que desde Fort Lauderdale la frecuencia
será de dos vuelos al día a partir del miércoles 30 de noviembre.
"Nuestro histórico primer vuelo (del 31 de agosto) dio inicio a una
nueva era en el transporte en Cuba, y una vez más JetBlue hará
historia", dijo Robin Hayes, presidente de la empresa, en un comunicado.
Para fin de año se habrá incrementado la regularidad de los vuelos hasta
llegar a 110 diarios, 20 de ellos a la capital, según reporta AFP.
La inauguración de este servicio ocurre en momentos muy sensibles tanto
en la Isla como entre la comunidad cubanoamericana en el exilio, luego
de la muerte de Fidel Castro.
Mientras el régimen decretó nueve días de duelo, los cubanos en Miami no
han parado de festejar desde el viernes por la noche.
Los gobiernos de Estados Unidos y Cuba reanudaron sus nexos diplomáticos
en 2015 y acordaron en febrero de este año reiniciar los vuelos diarios.
Desde 1979, los dos países estaban enlazados por un servicio chárter,
que suplía la demanda y hasta esta semana había apenas una treintena de
vuelos diarios.
Source: Se inician los vuelos regulares EEUU-La Habana | Diario de Cuba
- http://www.diariodecuba.com/cuba/1480335753_27026.html
A la espera de un giro
A la espera de un giro
"Respetamos el dolor ajeno y no nos alegramos de la muerte de ningún ser
humano", dijo Berta Soler. "No vamos a salir hoy para que el Gobierno no
lo tome como una provocación y puedan rendir honores a su fallecido"
Agencias, Madrid | 28/11/2016 12:34 pm
Por primera vez en 13 años, el principal grupo disidente de Cuba decidió
no convocar a su habitual marcha en La Habana tras la muerte de Fidel
Castro, dijeron sus dirigentes, convencidos de que la desaparición del
histórico líder revolucionario marcará un punto y aparte para la Isla,
informa Reuters.
Castro, quien dominó la vida política cubana durante casi medio siglo,
murió el viernes a los 90 años dejando al país conmocionado, incluso a
los que dedicaron sus vidas a oponerse a su revolución.
Durante más de una década, el grupo opositor las Damas de Blanco ha
llamado cada semana a protestar por los derechos humanos frente a una
iglesia católica de la capital cubana en una rara muestra de disidencia
tolerada. Pero el domingo, dirigentes dijeron que no lo harían.
"Respetamos el dolor ajeno y no nos alegramos de la muerte de ningún ser
humano", dijo la líder del grupo, Berta Soler, agregando que desde hacía
meses la policía había evitado sus marchas. "No vamos a salir hoy para
que el Gobierno no lo tome como una provocación y puedan rendir honores
a su fallecido".
Fidel Castro había desaparecido del ojo público en 2006, cuando una
enfermedad intestinal lo tuvo al borde de la muerte y que llevó a su
hermano Raúl, hoy un general de 85 años, a asumir oficialmente la
presidencia dos años después con el objetivo de mantener a Cuba en la
senda socialista.
Sin embargo, entre bastidores continuó siendo una figura política clave,
y los rumores sobre su muerte fueron constantes por el peso simbólico
del icono de la Guerra Fría, que desafió a Washington erigiendo un
bastión comunista a 150 kilómetros de sus costas y resistiendo sus
embates durante décadas.
"Todos van a dar un giro, incluyendo nosotros (los disidentes)", dijo el
activista opositor Antonio Rodiles. "Desaparece esta sombra, ese gurú, y
ahora todo lo que hace Raúl Castro tiene que asumirlo él mismo", agregó.
Las Damas de Blanco, que originalmente buscaban apoyar a sus maridos
encarcelados por actividades políticas, acabaron siendo la cara más
visible de la oposición dentro de la Isla, protagonizando a veces
enfrentamientos con policías y simpatizantes de la revolución que las
acusan de ser un puñado de "mercenarias" al servicio de Estados Unidos.
Analistas creen poco probable que la salida de escena de Fidel vaya a
tener un impacto inmediato en las políticas de Raúl Castro, quien
impulsa un lento proceso de reformas para revitalizar la oxidada
economía, pero sin renunciar al sistema centralizado comunista de
partido único.
Sin embargo, la dura reacción del presidente electo de Estados Unidos,
el magnate republicano Donald Trump, al definir a Castro como "un brutal
dictador" arroja dudas sobre el futuro del proceso de acercamiento entre
los viejos enemigos ideológicos emprendido por la administración de
Barack Obama.
Mientras, las calles de La Habana han estado tranquilas desde el anuncio
de la muerte de Fidel, que fue recibida con una mezcla de homenajes y
expresiones de condena en el mundo.
"Esto está tranquilo pero un poco oscuro porque Cuba es música y ahora
por el luto de nueve días de duelo no hay música", dijo Lysset Pérez,
una vendedora de maní de 44 años, ataviada con el rojo, blanco y azul de
la bandera nacional. "Hay tranquilidad y tristeza. Si no fuera por Fidel
y la revolución la gente no sería lo que es, preparada y culta", agregó.
Una multitud de banderas se podía ver en las casas como muestra de
orgullo nacional, mientras el Gobierno suspendió la venta de alcohol,
los conciertos y los juegos de béisbol hasta que los restos de Fidel
descansen en Santiago de Cuba tras un cortejo fúnebre que recorrerá el
país de punta a punta.
"Me pregunto realmente qué va a suceder a partir de ahora. A veces tengo
miedo de que las cosas cambian para el mal, de que el país se
desestabilice", dijo Eileen Cutino, una mujer de 27 años que estaba
haciendo algunas compras.
Raúl Castro, quien ayudó a su hermano mayor a derrocar a la dictadura de
Fulgencio Batista en 1959, no ha vuelto a aparecer en público ni en los
medios desde que anunció con un sobrio y breve comunicado la muerte de
Fidel, sin detallar sus causas.
La portada del domingo del Granma, el diario del Partido Comunista
cubano, rezaba "Cuba es Fidel" bajo una ilustración en blanco y negro a
página completa de una multitud marchando con uniformes militares y
fusiles, todos con la cara del fallecido líder. La televisión estatal
transmitía programas especiales sobre el legado de Castro.
"Hay muchas cosas buenas que reconocerle a la revolución como la salud y
la educación, pero hay que reconocer que se cometieron errores", dijo un
jubilado cubano de 60 años, que prefirió no revelar su nombre, en un
mercado de la capital.
"Sin la presencia de Fidel esto no va a ser igual. No va ser lo mismo y
creo que habrá más apertura", señaló.
Source: A la espera de un giro - Noticias - Cuba - Cuba Encuentro -
http://www.cubaencuentro.com/cuba/noticias/a-la-espera-de-un-giro-327822
"Respetamos el dolor ajeno y no nos alegramos de la muerte de ningún ser
humano", dijo Berta Soler. "No vamos a salir hoy para que el Gobierno no
lo tome como una provocación y puedan rendir honores a su fallecido"
Agencias, Madrid | 28/11/2016 12:34 pm
Por primera vez en 13 años, el principal grupo disidente de Cuba decidió
no convocar a su habitual marcha en La Habana tras la muerte de Fidel
Castro, dijeron sus dirigentes, convencidos de que la desaparición del
histórico líder revolucionario marcará un punto y aparte para la Isla,
informa Reuters.
Castro, quien dominó la vida política cubana durante casi medio siglo,
murió el viernes a los 90 años dejando al país conmocionado, incluso a
los que dedicaron sus vidas a oponerse a su revolución.
Durante más de una década, el grupo opositor las Damas de Blanco ha
llamado cada semana a protestar por los derechos humanos frente a una
iglesia católica de la capital cubana en una rara muestra de disidencia
tolerada. Pero el domingo, dirigentes dijeron que no lo harían.
"Respetamos el dolor ajeno y no nos alegramos de la muerte de ningún ser
humano", dijo la líder del grupo, Berta Soler, agregando que desde hacía
meses la policía había evitado sus marchas. "No vamos a salir hoy para
que el Gobierno no lo tome como una provocación y puedan rendir honores
a su fallecido".
Fidel Castro había desaparecido del ojo público en 2006, cuando una
enfermedad intestinal lo tuvo al borde de la muerte y que llevó a su
hermano Raúl, hoy un general de 85 años, a asumir oficialmente la
presidencia dos años después con el objetivo de mantener a Cuba en la
senda socialista.
Sin embargo, entre bastidores continuó siendo una figura política clave,
y los rumores sobre su muerte fueron constantes por el peso simbólico
del icono de la Guerra Fría, que desafió a Washington erigiendo un
bastión comunista a 150 kilómetros de sus costas y resistiendo sus
embates durante décadas.
"Todos van a dar un giro, incluyendo nosotros (los disidentes)", dijo el
activista opositor Antonio Rodiles. "Desaparece esta sombra, ese gurú, y
ahora todo lo que hace Raúl Castro tiene que asumirlo él mismo", agregó.
Las Damas de Blanco, que originalmente buscaban apoyar a sus maridos
encarcelados por actividades políticas, acabaron siendo la cara más
visible de la oposición dentro de la Isla, protagonizando a veces
enfrentamientos con policías y simpatizantes de la revolución que las
acusan de ser un puñado de "mercenarias" al servicio de Estados Unidos.
Analistas creen poco probable que la salida de escena de Fidel vaya a
tener un impacto inmediato en las políticas de Raúl Castro, quien
impulsa un lento proceso de reformas para revitalizar la oxidada
economía, pero sin renunciar al sistema centralizado comunista de
partido único.
Sin embargo, la dura reacción del presidente electo de Estados Unidos,
el magnate republicano Donald Trump, al definir a Castro como "un brutal
dictador" arroja dudas sobre el futuro del proceso de acercamiento entre
los viejos enemigos ideológicos emprendido por la administración de
Barack Obama.
Mientras, las calles de La Habana han estado tranquilas desde el anuncio
de la muerte de Fidel, que fue recibida con una mezcla de homenajes y
expresiones de condena en el mundo.
"Esto está tranquilo pero un poco oscuro porque Cuba es música y ahora
por el luto de nueve días de duelo no hay música", dijo Lysset Pérez,
una vendedora de maní de 44 años, ataviada con el rojo, blanco y azul de
la bandera nacional. "Hay tranquilidad y tristeza. Si no fuera por Fidel
y la revolución la gente no sería lo que es, preparada y culta", agregó.
Una multitud de banderas se podía ver en las casas como muestra de
orgullo nacional, mientras el Gobierno suspendió la venta de alcohol,
los conciertos y los juegos de béisbol hasta que los restos de Fidel
descansen en Santiago de Cuba tras un cortejo fúnebre que recorrerá el
país de punta a punta.
"Me pregunto realmente qué va a suceder a partir de ahora. A veces tengo
miedo de que las cosas cambian para el mal, de que el país se
desestabilice", dijo Eileen Cutino, una mujer de 27 años que estaba
haciendo algunas compras.
Raúl Castro, quien ayudó a su hermano mayor a derrocar a la dictadura de
Fulgencio Batista en 1959, no ha vuelto a aparecer en público ni en los
medios desde que anunció con un sobrio y breve comunicado la muerte de
Fidel, sin detallar sus causas.
La portada del domingo del Granma, el diario del Partido Comunista
cubano, rezaba "Cuba es Fidel" bajo una ilustración en blanco y negro a
página completa de una multitud marchando con uniformes militares y
fusiles, todos con la cara del fallecido líder. La televisión estatal
transmitía programas especiales sobre el legado de Castro.
"Hay muchas cosas buenas que reconocerle a la revolución como la salud y
la educación, pero hay que reconocer que se cometieron errores", dijo un
jubilado cubano de 60 años, que prefirió no revelar su nombre, en un
mercado de la capital.
"Sin la presencia de Fidel esto no va a ser igual. No va ser lo mismo y
creo que habrá más apertura", señaló.
Source: A la espera de un giro - Noticias - Cuba - Cuba Encuentro -
http://www.cubaencuentro.com/cuba/noticias/a-la-espera-de-un-giro-327822
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