All Things Cuba (Castro, politics, etc.)

[CougarKing]

Cuba is now trying to copy China's economic success by opening up its first special economic zone (SEZ) like what China did in the 1980s under Deng Xiaoping.

Somehow, I am skeptical this will gain much traction, considering Cuba has already has a lot of competition for cheap labour from other nations around the Caribbean. Furthermore, nothing has been heard about that 20 billion barrel oil discovery off the Cuban coast from a couple of years ago. So perhaps Cuba may remain dependent on tourism (from Canada and EU tourists, while Americans normally can't visit Cuba, IIRC) as one of its major revenue sources.

Cuba builds communism-free zone to woo capitalist businesses

HAVANA, Cuba — One country, two systems. The formula has worked for China’s business-minded communists. Can it succeed in Cuba?

President Raul Castro’s government is building its own version of a Chinese-style economic zone on the banks of the Mariel Bay, 30 miles west of Havana, where the laws of scientific Marxism will not apply.

Inside a 180-square-mile special economic zone, Cuban planners have envisioned a global capitalist enclave where foreign companies can install manufacturing plants, research centers and operational hubs.

This island within an island will operate on the business principles of globalization -- not tropical socialism -- and like China’s 1980s reforms, it would offer communist authorities an expedient way to compartmentalize economics and ideology.

More at...

NBC news

 

[marinemech]

may be enough, to start slowly rebuild Cuba, only time will tell

 

[CougarKing]

Apparently Canada reportedly has a role in a facilitating this...

Reuters

U.S. moves to normalize relations with Cuba in dramatic shift

By Steve Holland

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and Cuba are moving to normalize diplomatic relations more than 50 years after they were severed in a historic shift in policy, President Barack Obama was set to announce on Wednesday.

Senior U.S officials, previewing Obama's 12 p.m. ET announcement, said the United States and Cuba will move to open embassies in each other's capitals. Obama spoke on Tuesday to Cuban President Raul Castro to discuss the changes in a call that lasted nearly an hour.

The shift will mean a relaxation in the flow of commerce and transportation by the United States to Cuba, the officials said.

As part of a prisoner swap under the new policy, Cuba freed American Alan Gross in exchange for three Cubans held by the United States, the officials said. Cuba is also releasing a U.S. intelligence agent held for nearly 20 years.

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[The Bread Guy]

Apparently Canada reportedly has a role in a facilitating this...

Reuters

Yup ....

U.S. President Barack Obama today thanked Canada for its role in helping the U.S. and Cuba thaw their relations.

Canada helped the U.S. and Cuba begin their reconciliation, American officials said earlier, by hosting gatherings of officials from the two countries.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper congratulated the two countries for their "successful dialogue" in a statement Wednesday, saying “Canada supports a future for Cuba that fully embraces the fundamental values of freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law."

“Canada was pleased to host the senior officials from the United States and Cuba, which permitted them the discretion required to carry out these important talks,” the statement read.

High-level U.S. officials, on a conference call to brief reporters about the détente, said there were multiple meetings with Cuban officials in third-party countries.

Officials said Canada hosted the first face-to-face encounter in June 2013 followed by a series of meetings until as recently as last month.

No meetings were held on American or Cuban territory.

Canada did not participate in the substance of the discussions, but was indispensable in facilitating and hosting the discussions, an official said.

In his statement, Cuban President Raul Castro recognized the support of the Canadian government "for helping realize the high-level dialogue between the two countries." ....

A bit more from the PMO:

“I wish to congratulate the Government of the United States and the Government of Cuba on their successful dialogue and negotiations which will lead to normalized relations between their two countries.

“Canada supports a future for Cuba that fully embraces the fundamental values of freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law.

“Canada was pleased to host the senior officials from the United States and Cuba, which permitted them the discretion required to carry out these important talks.”

 

[Stoker]

Port visits soon to Havana, where the sun is warm and so is the comradeship.

 

[Eye In The Sky]

 

[The Bread Guy]

Port visits soon to Havana, where the sun is warm and so is the comradeship.

And, at least for the Americans, the cigars may soon be legal  ;D

 

[CougarKing]

Then there's the whole question of what will happen to GITMO naval base...

Military.com

Cuba Initiative Could Mean Changes for Guantanamo Base

Dec 17, 2014 | by Bryant Jordan
President Obama on Wednesday announced the beginning of the end of the decades-old U.S. embargo of Cuba, opening the door to normal relations by re-establishing an American embassy in Havana and sending a U.S. delegation there next month for talks on U.S.-Cuba migration.
But left out of Obama's announcement is what normalization of relations may mean for the future of the American naval base and post-9/11 detention facility at Guantanamo Bay.
The U.S. has had a military presence in Guantanamo Bay since it helped the Cubans oust the Spanish during the Spanish-American War. But in the years after that war, the U.S. entered into a lease that granted the U.S. the right to build and operate a naval base there with sole jurisdiction over the area.

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[tomahawk6]

Nothing will happen to the base.

 

[CougarKing]

Raul Castro in the spotlight...

Reuters

Cuba's Raul Castro steps out of brother's shadow with U.S. deal, support surges
Reuters

By Daniel Trotta and Rosa Tania Valdés | Reuters – 3 hours ago

(...SNIPPED)

aul Castro, 83, took over as president from an ailing Fidel in 2008 and while he has pushed through a raft of market-style economic reforms, he has until now been a low-key leader, clearly lacking his brother's charisma.
But now, more Cubans appreciate his new brand of leadership.
"Raul Castro is doing things that Cuba needs. A lot of people didn't believe in him, but his work is on display. He is changing the country quietly, without speeches, and without bragging about it," said Jose Fernandez, a 55-year-old math teacher as he waited for a bus to work on Friday.
With Fidel Castro in retirement and rarely seen, any increase in Raul's popularity helps legitimize communist rule as Cubans adjust to his economic reforms and now a new relationship with the United States.

(...SNIPPED)

 

[CougarKing]

The major catch in this recent thaw...

Reuters

Cuba not returning to capitalism despite U.S. deal: Castro's daughter
Fri Dec 19, 2014 4:46pm EST

By Rosa Tania Valdés

HAVANA (Reuters) - Cuba will defend its socialist principles and will not return to capitalism just because it has agreed a detente with the United States, the daughter of President Raul Castro said, dispelling any notion that U.S. companies would be free to roll into Cuba.

"The people of Cuba don't want to return to capitalism," Mariela Castro, a member of parliament, told Reuters on Friday.

Cuba and the United States on Wednesday agreed to end more than five decades of animosity and re-establish full diplomatic relations. U.S. President Barack Obama also said he intends to remove some sanctions against Cuba and work with the U.S. Congress to end the economic embargo.

(...SNIPPED)

 

[SeaKingTacco]

The people of Cuba don't want capitalism? Tell that to the tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of Cubans operating black or grey market businesses...

 

[a_majoor]

While I agree in principle that this sort of thing is good (The Cuban communists will most likely be swept aside by the proximity of American "soft" power and the pent up desires of the Cuban people), the nature of this is pretty shady; the Obama Administration is only doing it as a stick in the eye to the newly elected Republican House and Senate, and to hell with the consequences of a hastily drafted and poorly thought out deal.

And T6, while I hope you are right, the behaviour of the Obama Administration in the past suggests that nothing is off limits to them when it comes to securing electoral advantage or attacking their political (as opposed to real and external) enemies.

 

[cupper]

One thing that needs to be considered is the impact that lifting the embargo will have on the Canadian economy.

I was talking with a friend last night who works for a company that provides shipping and logistical services to Canadian companies with a presence in the mining sector in Cuba. This is a large chunk of their business currently.

They called the employees in for a meeting to discuss the impact of the latest developments. Long and short of it is that they do not see anything changing over the near to medium term (3 to 5 year time frame), but if the embargo is eventually relaxed or lifted, they will no longer be competitive, as shipping and logistics firms based in Florida will have a considerable advantage.

Extending this further across various sectors where Canada currently holds an advantage because of the embargo, we stand to lose a significant amount of revenues for Canadian companies as US businesses move into new territory.

 

[tomahawk6]

Its a risk for the regime to normalize relations with the US.US vacationers will flock to the island.US dollars will flow into the economy and will undermine the regime's control to a certain extent.It will be fun to watch.

 

[CougarKing]

Its a risk for the regime to normalize relations with the US.US vacationers will flock to the island.US dollars will flow into the economy and will undermine the regime's control to a certain extent.It will be fun to watch.

US tourists and dollars are also flowing, and have been flowing, for years into China, Laos and Vietnam, but yet their communist systems have not been compromised. In fact they've flourished in the case of China and Vietnam; how do we know that Cuba won't be doing the same thing?

They could allow market reform but insulate the government from political reforms (remember China's town-village enterprises and special economic zones?)

Could Raul Castro be Cuba's Deng Xiaoping?

 

[CougarKing]

As expected, immigration would be a divisive issue at the current US-Cuba talks:

Reuters

U.S., Cuba clash over immigration at start of historic talks

By Daniel Trotta

HAVANA (Reuters) - The United States and Cuba clashed over immigration policy on Wednesday at the first session of high-level talks seeking to restore diplomatic ties between the Cold War adversaries.

Despite Havana's objections, the Americans vowed to continue granting Cuban immigrants special status that allows nearly every Cuban reaching U.S. soil to remain in the country, while nationals of other countries are deported if they arrive under similar circumstances.

The talks will continue on Thursday with the two sides set to discuss restoring diplomatic relations and eventually opening up full trade and travel ties.

(...SNIPPED)

 

[CougarKing]

Still very little progress, if at all...

Reuters

Cuba leaves talks on US ties insisting it won't make major changes to its system

By Michael Weissenstein And Anne-Marie Garcia, The Associated Press | The Canadian Press – 2 hours 6 minutes ago

HAVANA - The start of talks on repairing 50 years of broken relations appears to have left President Raul Castro's government focused on winning additional concessions without giving in to U.S. demands for greater freedoms, despite the seeming benefits that warmer ties could have for the country's struggling economy.

Following the highest-level open talks in three decades between the two nations, Cuban officials remained firm in rejecting significant reforms pushed by the United States as part of President Barack Obama's surprise move to re-establish ties and rebuild economic relations with the Communist-led country.

"One can't think that in order to improve and normalize relations with the U.S., Cuba has to give up the principles it believes in," Cuba's top diplomat for U.S. affairs, Josefina Vidal, told The Associated Press after the end of the talks. "Changes in Cuba aren't negotiable."

(...SNIPPED)

 

[CougarKing]

And the talks resume:

Reuters

Cuba, U.S. renew talks on restoring diplomatic ties

By Daniel Trotta

HAVANA (Reuters) - Cuba and the United States meet for talks on restoring diplomatic relations on Monday, seeking more progress toward an agreement while not allowing differences over Venezuela to impede their historic rapprochement.

Assistant U.S. Secretary of State Roberta Jacobson is due to meet in Havana with Josefina Vidal, the Cuban foreign ministry's chief of U.S. affairs, with talks possibly continuing into Wednesday.

Jacobson and Vidal led their respective delegations with great fanfare in Havana in January and in Washington in February, but this session will take place with smaller teams and, so far at least, a media blackout.

(...SNIPPED)

 

[CougarKing]

Obama trying to pull a "Nixon goes to China" move with Cuba?

ABC News

US-Cuba Relations: Stage Set for Historic Meeting Between Obama and Castro

The United States and Cuba are set to mark an historic milestone next week with President Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro poised to share the stage at the upcoming Summit of the Americas in Panama.

It will be the first scheduled meeting between leaders of the two countries in nearly 60 years.

In advance of the historic meeting, “Power Players” sat down with Josefina Vidal, the head diplomat representing Cuba in negotiations with the United States in the months following President Obama’s announcement in December that the U.S. would normalize relations with the Communist island.

In what she described as a “new era” of relations between the two neighboring countries, Vidal said one of the biggest challenges is to move beyond the distrust that was built over 54 years of severed ties.

"We still have to overcome it, so it's a process,” Vidal said, “because we haven't had that confidence for many years … But the idea is to get there.”

(...SNIPPED)

Reuters

U.S., Cuba hold first formal talks on human rights

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and Cuba met on Tuesday to discuss how they intend to treat future dialogue on the thorny issue of human rights as the countries move toward restoring diplomatic ties.

No major announcements emerged from the meeting, the first formal dialogue between the countries on human rights since U.S. President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro announced on Dec. 17 they were seeking to restore diplomatic ties.

"The atmosphere of the meeting was professional, and there was broad agreement on the way forward for a future substantive dialogue," the State Department said in a statement at the end of the day.

(...SNIPPED)