On March 1, a Washington Post editorial criticized the new Cuban constitution.[1] First, the editorial expressed surprise over the “share of eligible voters who cast “no” ballots or stayed home.” Indeed, the total number of registered voters who voted “No” or stayed home or who submitted spoiled ballots was 1,853,545 or 21.4% of the electorate … Continue reading Washington Post Criticizes New Cuban Constitution
Fidel’s commentary on President Obama’s recent visit to Cuba, which was discussed in an earlier post, has received a lot of coverage in the international press, but most articles merely summarize what Fidel said with little analysis. Here are substantive reactions to Fidel’s commentary. Sebastian Arcos’ Reaction The Wall Street Journal offered an analysis by … Continue reading Other Reactions to Fidel Castro’s Commentary on President Obama’s Visit
As mentioned in prior posts, on August 14, 2015, Secretary of State John Kerry delivered the main remarks at the ceremonial opening of the U.S. Embassy in Havana and thereafter held closed-door meetings with the Cuban Foreign Minister and other diplomats. That afternoon he attended a meeting with Cuban dissidents at the official Havana residence … Continue reading U.S. Secretary of State Meets with Cuban Dissidents
A prior post discussed preliminary information about U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s August 14 meeting with Cuban dissidents and others at the official Havana residence of the U.S. charge d’affaires. The other attendees included representatives of the Engage Cuba coalition for normalization; its members (the Center for Democracy in the Americas, #CubaNow, Procter & … Continue reading Kerry’s Meeting with Cuban Dissidents Gets Rave Reviews
On Friday, January 23rd (the day after the conclusion of the two-day diplomatic meeting), U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Roberta Jacobson hosted a breakfast meeting with seven Cuban dissidents at the Havana official residence of the Chief of the U.S. Interests Section. She said it was an “opportunity to discuss their perspectives, hear their differences, … Continue reading Cuba’s Unhappiness with U.S. Meeting with Cuban Dissidents
In light of President Barack Obama’s historic December 17, 2014, announcement of rapprochement with Cuba, it is interesting to examine Obama’s earlier statements about Cuba. Prior posts examined his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2007-2008 and his campaign for the presidency as the Democratic Party’s nominee in 2008. Now we discuss his first … Continue reading President Barack Obama’s First-Term Record Regarding Cuba, 2009-2013
On December 30th Cuban authorities cancelled an open-microphone event at Havana’s Plaza de la Revolución and detained or arrested its organizers. The principal detainee was Tania Bruguera, a Cuban citizen who lives on the island and in Miami, Florida and who is a performance artist. She intended to provide an open-microphone for any attendee to … Continue reading Rejection of Criticism of Cuba’s Cancellation of Open-Microphone Event in Havana’s Plaza de la Revolución and Arrests of Its Organizers
On May 30th Yoani Sanchez, a world-famous blogger, returned home to Cuba after a three-month tour of South and North America and Europe. On her trip, Sanchez gave speeches criticizing President Raul Castro’s Communist-led government. She also met with human rights activists and foreign lawmakers and cultivated relationships with journalists at leading Western newspapers. She … Continue reading Cuban Blogger, Yoani Sanchez, Returns Home
From her home in Havana, Cuba, Yoani Sanchez has been courageously blogging her critical comments on many aspects of life in her country as noted in a prior post. In January 2013, under Cuban’s new law granting Cubans increased ability to obtain passports, she received her Cuban passport. She was overjoyed by this development after she … Continue reading Cuban Blogger Obtains Cuban Passport and Plans Trip to Latin America, North America and Europe
Chronological List of Posts and Comments (2012) # Date Title 191 01/01/12 International Law Regarding Religious Freedom 192 01/02/12 2011 Annual Report on dwkcommentaries 193 01/05/12 U.S. Government’s Opinions on Religious Freedom in Cuba 87B 01/06/12 Comment: Yoani Sanchez Pleas to Brazilian President To Help Her Get Out of Cuba [Comment to 7/21/11 post] 194 … Continue reading List of Posts to dwkcommentaries–Chronological (2012)
