podesta-emails
Christmas Twist: Cuba's On Obama's Fourth Quarter \"Bucket List\"
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December 24, 2015
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Dear Friends:
Last Spring, when President Obama addressed [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019ecs41KwUhsguQrSt8bmjZgbUbjVrX0TqXqjleVTE6zrZSXX-zzD7r944osuSes5-RBUEJbxX3lV1yNI220bor9qqQa72BxgOZ7u1im4r25awqB4jINeVDEjfyfaPdYQ3IfcJpaqvXmC0rgvbBOUVLmS9kBOGSo8iyb2TaAwSVqt6A3K5nSXdu9JaWbcg-nlHEbbSZJmo7YYcu_DopCbIZ4jCLDOouvXQPTAxccvP-9jVZ3u4pJUScg0_udxaf_XO1mX3_eAk3Y1gr09AHXQLIsribJbWai3YgbiFNMbmepGZinnwHFOpF94qCg781aWMccZEYtT_xSPqfFAu-SEhorOJ4YSosUJ3f7REd5ubPJonU8a4ooNV8V-R4lqVFcy8xFE_LBy2qkmibowVekL-v8kIjF4bQKkwYJosb2hThklBIHQ627GI0TT8kxXjHfh&c=CF5rfZ5KDlfmhVOGWTHtZ-ZLu5bI65LDlPXTzBDOIEZSercraPoOtQ==&ch=_s5A8tiPF6vDvozFL3tQVfxvkdvHrjkPuR0Go-IglypgKkDMz0v6oA==]
the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner, he said to the reporters on
hand at the annual 'Washington Celebrates Itself' Gala, "Welcome to the fourth quarter
of my presidency."
"I am determined to make the most of every moment I have left." He said, "After
the mid-term elections, my advisors asked me, 'Mr. President, do you have a bucket
list?'...Well, I have something that rhymes [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019ecs41KwUhsguQrSt8bmjZgbUbjVrX0TqXqjleVTE6zrZSXX-zzD7r944osuSes5jPQ5Ckd-vOcaCSVZ6qJ0lM3bOJp4kllelLZR8_bvzBQDxi1eLXdPj449nBQbmiyO2lPC2qsBQZvq1GueKXGneD32T_BnhNQI9DLRoO_dG_NR3LOG2n6Rfwk0asG7yHvpdV9b1LZzPbg=&c=CF5rfZ5KDlfmhVOGWTHtZ-ZLu5bI65LDlPXTzBDOIEZSercraPoOtQ==&ch=_s5A8tiPF6vDvozFL3tQVfxvkdvHrjkPuR0Go-IglypgKkDMz0v6oA==]
with bucket list."
In a series of punchlines that the White House transcript dutifully reports as eliciting
laughter and applause, the president mentioned taking executive action on immigration,
climate change, and Cuba policy.
Funny thing was, he meant it. Roll the tape forward to this month - roll past diplomatic
relations, Cuba getting off the terror list, new embassies, new travel and trade
rules, State, Commerce, Agriculture Secretary visits and other changes - and the
President is now telling the Wall Street Journal [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019ecs41KwUhsguQrSt8bmjZgbUbjVrX0TqXqjleVTE6zrZSXX-zzD7r944osuSes54serf6lt5XbybLdIAE2667QhbXwzta42VInCTpsc0srasW_3A8RGfcZCB6hOXlQJEz-cr5qVkugAI_A0UBBti6721UuVBNHIrA_9LOYTD4AYPX_KZlJS5KkgVHTiUSHfb9VUkBLKGj0WDuTE6bIGKOBffpbTrTTqJVbrUORv5XVDJwZ1umhC7QihTb87P1A91N8wHvgwLZuDyYpd8FCKqU2M5OlooNyAE2TsotwASUn04wpue8i3VT7XTq8mHH4y9OGsIeELL_SAaqqgtOeAFPOTWlagAtJd-q4xi9Tb6cXLltcKjghREGOKxxGFP21aIeu3Y8k0iqsapWrn9fgX8dqfY9l5-l_ZnsdGqAR5NoNfciKMi_pARsmnjASte9hoSUuX3sujNsOChlrofxrZLw==&c=CF5rfZ5KDlfmhVOGWTHtZ-ZLu5bI65LDlPXTzBDOIEZSercraPoOtQ==&ch=_s5A8tiPF6vDvozFL3tQVfxvkdvHrjkPuR0Go-IglypgKkDMz0v6oA==]
that he is prepared to do more.
Before considering what specific items that might add to the President's "bucket
list," let's take a step back and look at the big picture.
Last year, when President Obama announced [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019ecs41KwUhsguQrSt8bmjZgbUbjVrX0TqXqjleVTE6zrZSXX-zzD7tXkKX1-8IY6U55cc9FRvMKyHfUpM8G1nR1VCsjGfZrtpFJe1TzYD-Z0vF0C3uT2KaC1xZyl7tJ3HjtEc5pCghbbg9EuXZzpf6TXv69A5fOT-FVKRbeY56LevkuFMqTV6sDUimVcEuA-ysRBk_q-HyJYFrCbV0fllW5_2slGZlVgwTaW5Pdjpmdq_-Je4zMX3eegHwzvSt5mHKpyU1aLmGydlrfPREzFEygxpF9ILAE8SyVP79jbb5kfua522xPRq_jm3UnPLXFo9SSohC_P645VxBc1reipgegPehYU-xhxksJ2y9SBI8sVCkegMwhr7AeuCqFbKtxWJG4ON5Rn7pJgpntxk8YrL1muP_g-kl_R&c=CF5rfZ5KDlfmhVOGWTHtZ-ZLu5bI65LDlPXTzBDOIEZSercraPoOtQ==&ch=_s5A8tiPF6vDvozFL3tQVfxvkdvHrjkPuR0Go-IglypgKkDMz0v6oA==]
he was determined to normalize relations with Cuba, he stood up against the policy
he'd inherited from his predecessors, saying it "does not serve America's interests,
or the Cuban people, to try to push Cuba toward collapse."
The old policy - immiserating Cubans to force their government to succumb to our
demands - was both cruel and futile. No American president had ever conceded that
truth.
Secretary of State John Kerry was captured by the same thought on a walk he took
following the flag-raising at the U.S. Embassy in Cuba. "Walking the streets of
Old Havana, and seeing the faces of young Cubans, I felt the futility of trying
to make them fit their dreams into a Cold War straight-jacket.
"They deserve more than that," Kerry wrote [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019ecs41KwUhsguQrSt8bmjZgbUbjVrX0TqXqjleVTE6zrZSXX-zzD7r944osuSes5t3AS4iz2GKqrT1GopCQb8GRC-HEAk_Y5LpZLj2xJklqgWxX8CSBfTKCsvJMXOS8fSbyAdyOi_MAoCTAV326NuulnFUGOM181jbmi2eHu-WCnpKQLgrBUY9_Pp3HnUdJe_5g-EUhKlKMA0I9piPBBKiNbR8uxJoT0AFXiITS5Ote7O9IvDX3xKZGuJrJHuD7J5Bq6IwR6GcWgIc8ar5Ia6Rfz2uu58fnUpNxy4WflCDh-KHz58rpFgnZrrEahiX37gXtGtD_TFlMsJSpvcvCSy574h5-7K03MQ3IE-_q-UneoFq4fMb6XUw==&c=CF5rfZ5KDlfmhVOGWTHtZ-ZLu5bI65LDlPXTzBDOIEZSercraPoOtQ==&ch=_s5A8tiPF6vDvozFL3tQVfxvkdvHrjkPuR0Go-IglypgKkDMz0v6oA==],
and "through our diplomacy we hope to help them achieve more than that."
Yes, in 2016, we can expect to see intensified diplomacy between Cuba and the U.S.
on a host of issues - law enforcement, property claims, human trafficking and human
rights - that our two countries never discussed when the thrust of U.S. policy was
trying to make Cuba's system fail.
But, the president apparently will use what remains of his fourth quarter to do
more than that.
"On Cuba," the Journal says, "that means taking additional executive actions so
Americans become accustomed to traveling to the island-nation 90 miles off the coast
of Florida and U.S. businesses are deeply invested there."
Reforms already implemented by the President this year have boosted travel by Americans
to Cuba by over 70 percent over travel in 2014, as the Nation [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019ecs41KwUhsguQrSt8bmjZgbUbjVrX0TqXqjleVTE6zrZSXX-zzD7qiApxtX7EkY40k4xrwwsIOF26MY3kmyIUeth8Y5g4i35dlA8xNN_DJwauemJKPSBNr7yA4m3na4NOQ5ocSjDc07rIjSGizwEH1K8abl7JCiwIZ-tk685Kpm2fScwSNE1PKdufBRdmjwYmuA-ZSpHqVLAPlun7WVZj4-58Nxv5dlQTaYhJ63PG3y-BgNu7PhESLoCq_bkgE9odJRhGHjC8gmXzmJzPOrlJnZGkS02eL_0237-xRwp-WeKzh1gA4I8fUlWcU090NV6WpCuxxT_Wg4P3nDS9_MutXkAmIwdRA5uLUXA5-xXCjFWCnA99x3PmQV0Z-XkVT-Znmw9YtsQ4s=&c=CF5rfZ5KDlfmhVOGWTHtZ-ZLu5bI65LDlPXTzBDOIEZSercraPoOtQ==&ch=_s5A8tiPF6vDvozFL3tQVfxvkdvHrjkPuR0Go-IglypgKkDMz0v6oA==]
reported last week. The surge in travelers will help fill the seats of planes poised
to take advantage of the new agreement between Cuba and the U.S. to resume regularly
scheduled commercial service.
But short of repealing the ban on tourist travel, which requires an Act of Congress,
the President can substantially increase those visits by applying to individuals
the same rules that currently apply to trips by groups under the people-to-people.
He has the authority [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019ecs41KwUhsguQrSt8bmjZgbUbjVrX0TqXqjleVTE6zrZSXX-zzD7l8gPGt-RxIGDrROszLAQT2dtnOEZ1e4fZC2iFzW9VLS0pGjStymRBE9D1ySN5iVlShciH9BjVFpQN0l2A4TDyJkQFp2KNiS1nuctm38eoHFwrmesuxTXVFPLMciA-8TI3NC-ZnK3oRVhJj0jJfK5l1-fsdHWkAOlY0rSjGSGpSwHuk8NYp-ifmz7qT-I2X5qCtd9EBOF29wT7-N-1xG3o8oTpodUDWRDkGoowYftQZwjklHd3Gpn0fXHGTNQ8Ls1n-g8nxC3-7ApDbbMlnwnB-OV3WCe8B1RBv6HBWeO9uNnLoEGWnMGWneqZLy5b00jg==&c=CF5rfZ5KDlfmhVOGWTHtZ-ZLu5bI65LDlPXTzBDOIEZSercraPoOtQ==&ch=_s5A8tiPF6vDvozFL3tQVfxvkdvHrjkPuR0Go-IglypgKkDMz0v6oA==]
to do that today.
As Senators Flake and Leahy said in their letter [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019ecs41KwUhsguQrSt8bmjZgbUbjVrX0TqXqjleVTE6zrZSXX-zzD7r944osuSes57h40l_S3mfF_UjZ3oUNOyDiutCcYrh0xcfZK40nQFkeI89YS4RKzTBfqEYjQiFCU1HfwFfplnvyrh1w8W_7lrwbnlYW5ryRRiW7mBlhvyomF3mB-GYGbSYCvmCJjLvmtoIJFiIZ2_6EPwyG1C6mGb0BRfZ4C4ZVMFk_aKdJSW3BmktZW1TElHWzjSNzKdITZUllY62EsvUJVzXXu1L_eSGlCOfZTT1OZUj8cqfB8QYac1dtV4-S40_lNDvPeSJ3m9yUe16m2MekFSm_zhVTkJFlyvUHE_7DAOq4r2tipv_1Wt0uW_-q7TeNtYM_EVqWNXlyRsw_uTYYs00mX3yCJg0VuveTDOmqPGEv61FViYjA3Sa1zVipJ1or6ek2T3dLv9V5LJxfqHGxRnxxX9Qwx9Ucg77x_RQp81RIghVn9dHQ=&c=CF5rfZ5KDlfmhVOGWTHtZ-ZLu5bI65LDlPXTzBDOIEZSercraPoOtQ==&ch=_s5A8tiPF6vDvozFL3tQVfxvkdvHrjkPuR0Go-IglypgKkDMz0v6oA==]
to the President last week, he has the authority to increase substantially the flow
of commerce between our countries. They advocate changes in regulations to increase
access for Cubans to U.S. tools, equipment, and consumer products, and expanding
the ability of Cubans in private enterprise to benefit from U.S. services in the
areas of finance and planning.
Despite helpful and well-meaning policy changes the President already ordered to
lighten the regulatory burden on companies who want to do business in Cuba, Bill
LeoGrande [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019ecs41KwUhsguQrSt8bmjZgbUbjVrX0TqXqjleVTE6zrZSXX-zzD7r944osuSes5yPt3SwemS6NJSn7IBt_J5kWS6bv_u541n70SQViaqakZvI2G5KmgEC38Cg9TmqFk014nTyVx8uZes5tRfi1rGcnhp5wQvVaVj9tStp9QQN2f5VeYsOjuE4jeDadtFZVSd6pLib8GrkUJtfG588wmCnYQkLtorz7MCZGRjmM7cGVUePQWSz2TS4LKeGyQLarhvSEEZ-hYntxl_Kh-nFiC-t_pEevVtO-Ev5nCGaNHl7omtoW5sTQncPpUhLAJ6hciw0OepZMOnprKcY0lbqOBNZvaVtUsIv3tHZrO23n5t84k8NrqnpvEQWErs_Yx9zR6fgOXKEKomn8avkmTS-EZdQ==&c=CF5rfZ5KDlfmhVOGWTHtZ-ZLu5bI65LDlPXTzBDOIEZSercraPoOtQ==&ch=_s5A8tiPF6vDvozFL3tQVfxvkdvHrjkPuR0Go-IglypgKkDMz0v6oA==]
makes a strong case - as others have - that U.S. firms are still "terrified" of
running afoul of sanctions and incurring ruinous financial penalties.
To alleviate regulatory risks, LeoGrande says:
"Obama could license U.S. businesses to provide credit [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019ecs41KwUhsguQrSt8bmjZgbUbjVrX0TqXqjleVTE6zrZSXX-zzD7r944osuSes55uuYo7rdJYV7CIv-3l5l4E8nUcfXxq9BOx0zFAZFVgkyM6F2ph9owA_62kK_EwctS15mFraOv4iPzHiOdh-h4_i-fKTbxImKG9iIY2JK71dnuxWBkjOxHh3Us_K9uwoSMJl05u7yC5_7a_LgZ8UkItehfAfWFu4bnDaxgC775PFIk7O6JaJuKXCd__0U6-K2CFs8QuYwh-WXksByGtn4qdVVp2uRCrN8LvnqHN-qYOmrhjechaiikxrgoraUKRwowe833E0kdnnWSpTIy1urEIld1d1lBhDXwBLrPxlFw-SPc-ViaH1L11N5TbIDLqaLKvuIM2dQhZFRIsQBH7c7jpEBP0SVE_y--SC-kXEBWTQUvsbqYrV5UKHydbU79AM0Hz5-vUmjEoFDLhftAjew2KeduLoStSklsyKbSHf8hh1Hb3vlTLqbDUBsH6wse0DR0QyN7fPHV6CzgUmwJxj8MWXG2s3G72gBgBl-XwoqZtElwRpXDuafSQ==&c=CF5rfZ5KDlfmhVOGWTHtZ-ZLu5bI65LDlPXTzBDOIEZSercraPoOtQ==&ch=_s5A8tiPF6vDvozFL3tQVfxvkdvHrjkPuR0Go-IglypgKkDMz0v6oA==]
to Cuban customers to stimulate nonagricultural trade (agricultural credits are
prohibited by law). He could authorize Cuban banks to establish correspondence accounts
[http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019ecs41KwUhsguQrSt8bmjZgbUbjVrX0TqXqjleVTE6zrZSXX-zzD7r944osuSes55uuYo7rdJYV7CIv-3l5l4E8nUcfXxq9BOx0zFAZFVgkyM6F2ph9owA_62kK_EwctS15mFraOv4iPzHiOdh-h4_i-fKTbxImKG9iIY2JK71dnuxWBkjOxHh3Us_K9uwoSMJl05u7yC5_7a_LgZ8UkItehfAfWFu4bnDaxgC775PFIk7O6JaJuKXCd__0U6-K2CFs8QuYwh-WXksByGtn4qdVVp2uRCrN8LvnqHN-qYOmrhjechaiikxrgoraUKRwowe833E0kdnnWSpTIy1urEIld1d1lBhDXwBLrPxlFw-SPc-ViaH1L11N5TbIDLqaLKvuIM2dQhZFRIsQBH7c7jpEBP0SVE_y--SC-kXEBWTQUvsbqYrV5UKHydbU79AM0Hz5-vUmjEoFDLhftAjew2KeduLoStSklsyKbSHf8hh1Hb3vlTLqbDUBsH6wse0DR0QyN7fPHV6CzgUmwJxj8MWXG2s3G72gBgBl-XwoqZtElwRpXDuafSQ==&c=CF5rfZ5KDlfmhVOGWTHtZ-ZLu5bI65LDlPXTzBDOIEZSercraPoOtQ==&ch=_s5A8tiPF6vDvozFL3tQVfxvkdvHrjkPuR0Go-IglypgKkDMz0v6oA==]
with U.S. banks to facilitate payments to Cuban customers. Finally, he could issue
a general license to U.S. banks to process dollar-denominated transactions conducted
by foreign banks (so-called "U-turn" transactions) that must be processed through
a U.S. financial institution."
Let's be clear. Cuba has a lot of work that it can do to increase economic activity,
as the government has already pledged to do, so it can address the island's economic
crisis and create a future for the Cuban people that is more compelling than migrating
to the United States.
Cubans want this relationship to work for a host of reasons, not the least of which
is to increase prosperity by increasing trade and travel income from the United
States. Not all Cubans, as Tracey Eaton documents here [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019ecs41KwUhsguQrSt8bmjZgbUbjVrX0TqXqjleVTE6zrZSXX-zzD7r944osuSes5wWpdTPPZ0GYLPuoqE24Owh3hD2TWhv-uZDbPHFKs-E6tfJ6Cy5AAWRZDzMdWESuctUfFp_rNPOBzw8Vi4nMWBx4ZXlD2-7L9anox6nFKlDAlaBWdf2Orci5HSvL3VAiksVhnORqr0cfqQpdpQ7rjEllCbTcYhYv9cYlYd5lPHoNeKJl7zWV7ORhVEuCfVcgtjDnHBHjOyXesh0KQtVUj4_wzsGtTaodcTPczc92Yy1I2W9N_IEQsfWD7ZfOmg1rfBo2KmBzRFzfxbsPmLIaoFqZNRh6MVm-ptAWIHN3e_KF7jg0eNa7XoVlIzUwmR11lDM68AaNQn4-vksajCI7tZQ==&c=CF5rfZ5KDlfmhVOGWTHtZ-ZLu5bI65LDlPXTzBDOIEZSercraPoOtQ==&ch=_s5A8tiPF6vDvozFL3tQVfxvkdvHrjkPuR0Go-IglypgKkDMz0v6oA==],
are sharing in the increased prosperity driven in part by President Obama's reforms.
Our friend Portia Siegelbaum tweeted [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019ecs41KwUhsguQrSt8bmjZgbUbjVrX0TqXqjleVTE6zrZSXX-zzD7r944osuSes5h-1rWWtdH4ig3shLsD0AXDdm0NlYNvUWigVzB_S07Azt6gZjWvtnR3LyQYff_Vx2y8q6U6-fEeOSk_EMvTCroxAScKIT0r7y8LBaqJtSx5GrQHvFSt-8tFgr6PiaOuMvGLLveIXYTS_faWGPNKirSkzpBdFG5_UK&c=CF5rfZ5KDlfmhVOGWTHtZ-ZLu5bI65LDlPXTzBDOIEZSercraPoOtQ==&ch=_s5A8tiPF6vDvozFL3tQVfxvkdvHrjkPuR0Go-IglypgKkDMz0v6oA==]
a forlorn picture of dimmer Christmas lights in Havana than she saw, as we did,
one year ago.
The President has the capacity - and now we're told the willingness - to drive this
new policy much farther in the time remaining in the fourth quarter of his presidency.
He can act knowing that his new policy has put him on the right side of history,
and that taking additional steps will improve the lives of those his policy is
designed to benefit - the Cuban people.
Sure, there will be dissent among the dwindling numbers of naysayers who want America
to go back to the Cold War ways of doing things. To them, he can just say, "Bucket.
Let's make these changes irreversible," and plough forward with more ambitious reforms.
It is, after all, the fourth quarter. Who could possibly argue with that?
This week in Cuba News...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
U.S.-CUBA RELATIONS
Prominent editorial boards call for further changes in U.S.- Cuba relations
A year in reflection, opponents and supporters of normalization speak out
Cuba re-opens market to Arkansas poultry
IN CUBA
Cuba's economy grows 4 percent, boost over previous years
Cuba reports a new record in aquaculture production
CUBA'S FOREIGN RELATIONS
Update: Costa Rica suspends its SICA membership over Cuban migration, region fails
to agree on solution
Recommended Reading
A New Cuban Exodus [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019ecs41KwUhsguQrSt8bmjZgbUbjVrX0TqXqjleVTE6zrZSXX-zzD7r944osuSes5mbfiPu5FaJB37t-1ry8W8aiWa1M-Fz8PT85z79Hl4Mhl0AE2R9PTZ6mXlcNPus9PnL6xpR10nnrtn7gOd5BoRPMIp3HxeHG0F8H-10Zswld5z7mWaOkbHjw47oFrVO50MVuxs2KhUBpesIzk5G5QSMlhDS8Z2Tg2uujhl0e-ZDlP5_iK4n2VHlaPmOh3euaZvzZnXhmOGUjZrgDs5hdGmCo0WnLuC5YOIMyxUbP5mXrZEwaO7ytOSpzz_4vwanrhXFxBCbTZqgeObyul3ZiJJQAFPWWTbiaL4d7gBmtMd7AtmW7vkv2Y3JgSOSmVTvksoJPZ0iDeHoAy8y--7bBQmjmN7IEa7QMC&c=CF5rfZ5KDlfmhVOGWTHtZ-ZLu5bI65LDlPXTzBDOIEZSercraPoOtQ==&ch=_s5A8tiPF6vDvozFL3tQVfxvkdvHrjkPuR0Go-IglypgKkDMz0v6oA==],
The Editorial Board, The New York Times
Cuba reparations talks should look to future, not past [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019ecs41KwUhsguQrSt8bmjZgbUbjVrX0TqXqjleVTE6zrZSXX-zzD7r944osuSes5acXLB9KhIyr_Ovk86pHyLzkKGpPhIotNJauJNxU13dx3rn8EqWRvzOWd8SHtAQPGumVGfj418dIGJeI-C_1Tl6kOO_I-eBP4FlabUMG62yAVQcYh3vFwLmF2AajMNzGryuYsY1BrDRRiUOYzyfeWtgvjW2x1Z4zzaI9xNaSkuMZJVKcF2_awZGuDsMIweqWHmTPLzFFxNbnz9aGOm7p4Gqesiu1MvEm1ne1eQrWtLTHUdDGhjCjQ35boM-SQqWv9rmiKczkfGSyN2_eVwCFKHBe4m40hssRZKbv25LkXPLgDe0ScfrDmM8-nWA4uQwp2SL0C7sLDgfFXQJndh86jlA==&c=CF5rfZ5KDlfmhVOGWTHtZ-ZLu5bI65LDlPXTzBDOIEZSercraPoOtQ==&ch=_s5A8tiPF6vDvozFL3tQVfxvkdvHrjkPuR0Go-IglypgKkDMz0v6oA==],
The Editorial Board, Los Angeles Times
End Embargo Against Cuba, [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019ecs41KwUhsguQrSt8bmjZgbUbjVrX0TqXqjleVTE6zrZSXX-zzD7r944osuSes510VZYjWP5b8QzvM60tvgtJWkvCRBCtkcCNTN1bNweRXJqAyzftcHdkPmIk6ItWAKGdNVx3-32xnngb5bpfwvalC1XFlH-QikefkSzz9M0v6fcvYKroDtADgQJgwSNASUmH75PZZHWQoNpMmvEF0pWijupusVgwDkhLiuuxJ1p5F5tFEWXxlD68k64vuIIhuIdklL7xAj7HnaujvVgn_j8f8xVhxxij44Va_OYdRRA9eYRbZA-J_iz7Hge1tT-Ev4m_nEFtpAq8lMG6HuNNLsNTgt7MdUCJPcQrzrcWwvwBVcqYHH5Asqsb43qE2RWXw2iA3ueXZ-peGXQ1Tcp7KqpkJ__nw7Sim_&c=CF5rfZ5KDlfmhVOGWTHtZ-ZLu5bI65LDlPXTzBDOIEZSercraPoOtQ==&ch=_s5A8tiPF6vDvozFL3tQVfxvkdvHrjkPuR0Go-IglypgKkDMz0v6oA==]
The Editorial Board, Houston Chronicle
In Cuba, Change at a Caribbean Pace [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019ecs41KwUhsguQrSt8bmjZgbUbjVrX0TqXqjleVTE6zrZSXX-zzD7r944osuSes5yxPoKHxHyaPZNT34C5IY7y2a9tB67cKSueWtC5INeC0eBFPyL0k4yNl8hyqPm7V3VIQhqBMqO3ScUSMcPuM3Mbg_aSbtA1vZ3zMp9tBKuzQd30BwlxXrlOg0NIyIVD9uNKEGiKrX42uGhQuv3gA5SlKK3KNjCsl_ctmf020rYZEUloz6iVLbPHiya2uX82yOtmONtJWZRwIhgtXg-vNjcsyX37laMfGfgc4fGtWy_R8al4apdxghi85vL_HEX-0vdOewtZYbZBx0z_qYFoctfWtpBaa2wvPw9_x_E4BKrMeqs41jYjwoha6fTvszAODqj3uGVtgNwsOfmwPR_j8CxJIVE7UPmtVo&c=CF5rfZ5KDlfmhVOGWTHtZ-ZLu5bI65LDlPXTzBDOIEZSercraPoOtQ==&ch=_s5A8tiPF6vDvozFL3tQVfxvkdvHrjkPuR0Go-IglypgKkDMz0v6oA==],
Alex Brooks & David Prodger, Real Clear World
Meet Lazaro Armenteros, the next Cuban baseball star [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019ecs41KwUhsguQrSt8bmjZgbUbjVrX0TqXqjleVTE6zrZSXX-zzD7r944osuSes5-3G_UeYghPu9HJtipef2pUuWq0ovcJp9LFCtjHBLCgbBP8uRHCrIyOznd0FIjTQWCubTGJTwKx2j5R4LBVyGY7WfiQQvEzNAemsZgnelHkk8UD8oukGYEPmwt7YDWi1ySDrkmy-6OonjyIGzVHkmDEYE36bLerFdret8WZOmogvBesWBoamPGXOKOlb9u37SEbW6oPHWdSZ8_M0YdkszvXU7dY0OPP1uGykijmXD8LX8LTS409FR3Y8tdayW5Aw_1bpCcu8OtW35qpS4fXEZWzz8i0_jgYxL01-SWYfOXrAdg3TP3GcmanxB3UG47ptlV5BTXmVTjL8NDVHhUW6KBuk7uYumk586H52LISXy9HbebtVgkoTEdip8HL0ecj3wGxNQ5jWJ14uFETydKZM2Pwa_c27hGIykt-588qyhoyQ=&c=CF5rfZ5KDlfmhVOGWTHtZ-ZLu5bI65LDlPXTzBDOIEZSercraPoOtQ==&ch=_s5A8tiPF6vDvozFL3tQVfxvkdvHrjkPuR0Go-IglypgKkDMz0v6oA==],
USAToday, Bob Nightengale
Recommended Viewing
What a Year for Latin America! [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019ecs41KwUhsguQrSt8bmjZgbUbjVrX0TqXqjleVTE6zrZSXX-zzD7r944osuSes5nm9aaS_w3RfayizOp7DhNBkDEPHqcyQh-L5flqnLEWep5C7Oqy9ohp97JRYtdWCwdeXf7X-NRjQ6g0n1tIzGJKnXfBShlHppKE7k7JoSob3Sm5HizRTMF9OgYQlibYagA_Z4iBUsshKjF4xK3Le6pZd2PjaMspC1oiLR29joNMvi-a9cwYUuSHUsn_X8gKpjKI62sANOlu8foxzXrvj2Cn5SV-5fUHVCNBnj2k6wxHC-D_H390XoDIQ8xsjzFHvPSD6YK6A0Iaaamj7wx4hLiQXmd8V7izohdV_f7C7T1PRLEuvWPobMXtoBa9zhbxgBJSn5qDn0clEjK_mzgkYN7N-tHXvyfm4z_WLEYMCKk4U9d_QVei70JNFKrY5EPuXXnFhFk-1woZb-IXkXvOiP2U3Szi7dmwk6aCAUK2MD0aVhHEBUlKsR2Q==&c=CF5rfZ5KDlfmhVOGWTHtZ-ZLu5bI65LDlPXTzBDOIEZSercraPoOtQ==&ch=_s5A8tiPF6vDvozFL3tQVfxvkdvHrjkPuR0Go-IglypgKkDMz0v6oA==],
Stephen Kurczy, Americas Quarterly
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
U.S.-Cuba Relations
Prominent editorial boards call for further changes in U.S.- Cuba relations
"Houston, we have a problem [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019ecs41KwUhsguQrSt8bmjZgbUbjVrX0TqXqjleVTE6zrZSXX-zzD7r944osuSes5jeVLELhCiFqRqUSzliaKbLCKTDzrAysoM5XlI2iWqsVensJ5Lhs1ePrqfY8kiX-iNFvNl3atvClMO01JKA-bXWB2hXnXot663ev4nLeu2KQ60tjf_eK1E6_NfiaAFcwCUxU6AiQX_3k=&c=CF5rfZ5KDlfmhVOGWTHtZ-ZLu5bI65LDlPXTzBDOIEZSercraPoOtQ==&ch=_s5A8tiPF6vDvozFL3tQVfxvkdvHrjkPuR0Go-IglypgKkDMz0v6oA==],"
as Tom Hanks said in Apollo 13. Except, it's the hometown paper, The Houston Chronicle,
making the statement, and it's about the embargo against Cuba.
Following the one-year anniversary of the U.S.-Cuba diplomatic rapprochement marked
last week, the editorial boards of The New York Times [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019ecs41KwUhsguQrSt8bmjZgbUbjVrX0TqXqjleVTE6zrZSXX-zzD7r944osuSes5mbfiPu5FaJB37t-1ry8W8aiWa1M-Fz8PT85z79Hl4Mhl0AE2R9PTZ6mXlcNPus9PnL6xpR10nnrtn7gOd5BoRPMIp3HxeHG0F8H-10Zswld5z7mWaOkbHjw47oFrVO50MVuxs2KhUBpesIzk5G5QSMlhDS8Z2Tg2uujhl0e-ZDlP5_iK4n2VHlaPmOh3euaZvzZnXhmOGUjZrgDs5hdGmCo0WnLuC5YOIMyxUbP5mXrZEwaO7ytOSpzz_4vwanrhXFxBCbTZqgeObyul3ZiJJQAFPWWTbiaL4d7gBmtMd7AtmW7vkv2Y3JgSOSmVTvksoJPZ0iDeHoAy8y--7bBQmjmN7IEa7QMC&c=CF5rfZ5KDlfmhVOGWTHtZ-ZLu5bI65LDlPXTzBDOIEZSercraPoOtQ==&ch=_s5A8tiPF6vDvozFL3tQVfxvkdvHrjkPuR0Go-IglypgKkDMz0v6oA==],
the Los Angeles Times [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019ecs41KwUhsguQrSt8bmjZgbUbjVrX0TqXqjleVTE6zrZSXX-zzD7r944osuSes5acXLB9KhIyr_Ovk86pHyLzkKGpPhIotNJauJNxU13dx3rn8EqWRvzOWd8SHtAQPGumVGfj418dIGJeI-C_1Tl6kOO_I-eBP4FlabUMG62yAVQcYh3vFwLmF2AajMNzGryuYsY1BrDRRiUOYzyfeWtgvjW2x1Z4zzaI9xNaSkuMZJVKcF2_awZGuDsMIweqWHmTPLzFFxNbnz9aGOm7p4Gqesiu1MvEm1ne1eQrWtLTHUdDGhjCjQ35boM-SQqWv9rmiKczkfGSyN2_eVwCFKHBe4m40hssRZKbv25LkXPLgDe0ScfrDmM8-nWA4uQwp2SL0C7sLDgfFXQJndh86jlA==&c=CF5rfZ5KDlfmhVOGWTHtZ-ZLu5bI65LDlPXTzBDOIEZSercraPoOtQ==&ch=_s5A8tiPF6vDvozFL3tQVfxvkdvHrjkPuR0Go-IglypgKkDMz0v6oA==],
and the Houston Chronicle [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019ecs41KwUhsguQrSt8bmjZgbUbjVrX0TqXqjleVTE6zrZSXX-zzD7r944osuSes510VZYjWP5b8QzvM60tvgtJWkvCRBCtkcCNTN1bNweRXJqAyzftcHdkPmIk6ItWAKGdNVx3-32xnngb5bpfwvalC1XFlH-QikefkSzz9M0v6fcvYKroDtADgQJgwSNASUmH75PZZHWQoNpMmvEF0pWijupusVgwDkhLiuuxJ1p5F5tFEWXxlD68k64vuIIhuIdklL7xAj7HnaujvVgn_j8f8xVhxxij44Va_OYdRRA9eYRbZA-J_iz7Hge1tT-Ev4m_nEFtpAq8lMG6HuNNLsNTgt7MdUCJPcQrzrcWwvwBVcqYHH5Asqsb43qE2RWXw2iA3ueXZ-peGXQ1Tcp7KqpkJ__nw7Sim_&c=CF5rfZ5KDlfmhVOGWTHtZ-ZLu5bI65LDlPXTzBDOIEZSercraPoOtQ==&ch=_s5A8tiPF6vDvozFL3tQVfxvkdvHrjkPuR0Go-IglypgKkDMz0v6oA==]
this week called for additional reforms in U.S. policy.
The New York Times Editorial Board urged U.S. policymakers to end preferential treatment
for Cuban migrants under the 1966 Cuban Adjustment Act. The Los Angeles Times Editorial
Board affirmed its support for negotiations with Cuba and for ending the embargo.
Perhaps, most strikingly, was the editorial published by the Houston Chronicle.
In arguing for repeal of the embargo, it calls the policy "a major hurdle to good
relations and, in our opinion, to change on the island." The paper adds that the
embargo's "attempt at economic coercion only hardened the [Cuban] government's resistance
to change, gave it an excuse for the country's problems and severely limited U.S.
influence."
Against the grain of tough talk dominating the debate over U.S. foreign policy,
the paper concludes "In America, we're accustomed to tough talk and bellicose foreign
policy, but sometimes - maybe a lot of times - soft power works best. That's what
Obama is trying with Cuba. Congress can help by ending the embargo as quickly as
possible so that American business can fully access the market and commercial ties
between the two countries can grow."
The New York Times called on Congress to repeal the preferential treatment enjoyed
by Cuban migrants under the 1966 Cuban Adjustment Act, saying it "has been a boon
for human smugglers in Latin America and created burdens for countries from Ecuador
to Mexico through which they move." Should Congress fail to act, the editorial
went on to say that the Obama administration should use its executive authority
to "negotiate a new agreement with the Cuban government that makes orderly immigration
the norm. Cubans who arrive in the United States without authorization should be
sent back unless they show a credible fear of persecution."
The editorial also endorsed an end to the Cuban Medical Professional Parole Program
[http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019ecs41KwUhsguQrSt8bmjZgbUbjVrX0TqXqjleVTE6zrZSXX-zzD7t0Gww3ZbQOfb-kEx82exqL2_FEm1-hHiPUFklB-QVAxIfsupxuSOz1Lxi2-DpunpP-5gyvpQSSgP-QDTHDlbFVfQtUyub8ulk5yuNgMqch44lcn1mH2kbCY76TYjbu5YAjinVQ5CS8sAhtx42cJvc-ro579HJZNensadclso_ElhxJoKfmQrfdetnIa9qnujpTRMzBhMwNXUkKs-F-mPEaZYZSq1Sy6H4UvWzsx6g7cSXYPMmXsJkbRTp5xuAu9VZPG_tXBPJwSkEbDG32dVEj2hsLy7NBla3P4SU8mxLvZtFh3Zmc1N6c=&c=CF5rfZ5KDlfmhVOGWTHtZ-ZLu5bI65LDlPXTzBDOIEZSercraPoOtQ==&ch=_s5A8tiPF6vDvozFL3tQVfxvkdvHrjkPuR0Go-IglypgKkDMz0v6oA==],
a program which allows Cuban doctors working in third party countries to enter the
U.S., which was adopted by an executive action under President Bush. Earlier this
year, 14 Members of Congress called on the President to end this program, arguing
in part that it undermines what Cuban medical professionals are doing globally for
underserved communities and in response to crises like the Ebola outbreak in West
Africa.
Like the Houston Chronicle, the Los Angeles Times Editorial Board endorsed ending
the embargo, saying "The embargo has not only exacerbated the hardships faced by
people living under the Castros' totalitarian regime, it has harmed Americans and
American companies without weakening the Castros' grip on power."
The editorial also urged the U.S. and Cuba to look to the future in its negotiations,
particularly in the compromises needed to resolve longstanding compensation claims-
saying, "The administration should ensure through these crucial negotiations that
Americans who lost property to the Cuban revolution receive some measure of justice."
Do editorials matter any longer in the public policy discourse? Read this study
"The Persistent Advocate: The New York Times Editorials and the Normalization of
U.S. Ties with Cuba [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019ecs41KwUhsguQrSt8bmjZgbUbjVrX0TqXqjleVTE6zrZSXX-zzD7r944osuSes5bfI-lpWwT1YEUytXuF_SqsQGxhEZQgyi8qCq7gOTdriOuuv2YI_TyVU4zhDlES5F9vkx1mQKt7VIT9xSb-YblM5QGMBXz2gRL59J0HkKtfYhMKpysHbMWlLlmcw4XFB9lZmBci8TDCK82ydKVOUGx-NnHwv2ghqDf0G5GFzuZz9DHHSZhFySa9MMfDD884XIdujlYdtHZC3gRFq9EeGZ0NOS5MB9_boYN6oSMpaRV8lzIYfO7L2_qFyYu0XcaU4vLkHQQq54aYOGj7-4UhkGY0wDAw3l7F_YVf2Eo_OezlXfiARaElm62fQsPlXYb2fLUrmmyREPYGA=&c=CF5rfZ5KDlfmhVOGWTHtZ-ZLu5bI65LDlPXTzBDOIEZSercraPoOtQ==&ch=_s5A8tiPF6vDvozFL3tQVfxvkdvHrjkPuR0Go-IglypgKkDMz0v6oA==],"
published last week by the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy,
and reach your own conclusion.
A year in reflection, opponents and supporters of normalization speak out
Sunday, a prominent group of Cuban American businessmen, including Carlos Gutierrez,
former U.S. Commerce Secretary under President George W. Bush, and Mike Fernandez,
a top backer of Jeb Bush's campaign, took out a full-page ad in the Miami Herald
[http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019ecs41KwUhsguQrSt8bmjZgbUbjVrX0TqXqjleVTE6zrZSXX-zzD7r944osuSes5q9e7NDaH0WOJ_Qk2MDBRz8GcOtfWwqeIBI-rgH-k50tpyVQpxe6eyWw2n9aS1-MeG-1Y4QcSNXoM-s43_o0f1Q7F-INl3K7zlXGbfX1LefHE3OeVLBBqsoJoSW4Yq0Fx-kaGBYL_RjCrb3YAWNs2lb-nkKCjyqTJERm2VxgA9LAMEe2Ye44fUDhGKcwvZJbdArWdy8r3oc_AtUXZ_cs8L_Qzutrxdf_HV2pqHi1rctUE5Ft9JsjqZLVtz2RyIpZdZiYGlUDsrWc-jbygWG4DS_T2pesB2lbsB35XolpSAqN3HPFSrhiHjuyeZxRXFXVwGW1YAhXqs2_KhAgzJjiXpA==&c=CF5rfZ5KDlfmhVOGWTHtZ-ZLu5bI65LDlPXTzBDOIEZSercraPoOtQ==&ch=_s5A8tiPF6vDvozFL3tQVfxvkdvHrjkPuR0Go-IglypgKkDMz0v6oA==]
calling on their fellow Cuban-Americans to recognize progress in Cuba. Their words
stood in sharp contrast to two open letters sent to President Obama last week in
opposition to the administration's Cuba policy.
Carlos Gutierrez and Mike Fernandez paid for Sunday's ad [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019ecs41KwUhsguQrSt8bmjZgbUbjVrX0TqXqjleVTE6zrZSXX-zzD7r944osuSes5clcZ4le3plvuL5-_sWd5_FFYNkTLGY1R3vruuFhzxrVIk-4-OzyN7YkFNiUwFMTJnddJZiy8GabGiHvpBYoGhqhDjN1XKNmIWWUCKDfQt2lzGpSsAXw5FgE9cWE5jKfS_TpscjUTAEpKU7ffw8GKUML5907RrG5qT2IhZheXTnrFrkDNDX65e5aCeo52SsAGJMa2p3u6vK-Lo1-V6DtXm8v90yyJuTty-J-3aYlQfPfpa0Df294gQBXw5WZ1yHfvFK1_hqlXAFuaMLlI-0Wfm30kSmTXmPbb&c=CF5rfZ5KDlfmhVOGWTHtZ-ZLu5bI65LDlPXTzBDOIEZSercraPoOtQ==&ch=_s5A8tiPF6vDvozFL3tQVfxvkdvHrjkPuR0Go-IglypgKkDMz0v6oA==]
explaining that, while visiting Cuba, "We saw progress beyond what we could have
imagined...We saw entrepreneurs with a thirst for knowledge and families benefiting
from the newfound freedom of enterprise..." The letter eschewed political interest
affirming, "We have arrived at the point in our lives where we have no interest
in personal advancement, but only in what would be good for 'nuestra gente.'" Gutierrez,
who has traveled to Cuba three times this year added, "It's so difficult to have
a point of view understanding the changes that are going on unless you go to Cuba."
Those who signed the ad were denounced by unpersuaded members of the exile community.
Silvia Iriono, in Babalublog [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019ecs41KwUhsguQrSt8bmjZgbUbjVrX0TqXqjleVTE6zrZSXX-zzD7r944osuSes50c8eQQTFzBW6U5Tm_6Lh0BtgZXbCBp08eR5EeiuLiLFioJQj5tW6sSwj20oAeJRcdweW9Yj8S3sUe-xcGVEtarqFE7DzYdFQHeN9EDmqNDbkBeEsA0ACRSlhXXTLnd-OoX8-fKtsotxVH-VlcgvNXjCwQ9b4dRpmKDSd7gXY8RniHfHnyrf_rgTljf16ViNI73l06pmf6gKXdSiO1jNrC_KKzJInqZ9e6DLKOd5BMY12s9G6pqXrWC1xq20oRvfN8t9wvHTIxCN_eovkAt_v5efpSClr4ztkRpBVpUPtPnuXXRH1ohv47lU8UhKErIki6S_AZLJwUkwcGhiQuo-fBIGmhJMxJHEWMySe80ioqCq5n2z-g7VBfpzQsmQzP6EQ1QQacpcqoVg=&c=CF5rfZ5KDlfmhVOGWTHtZ-ZLu5bI65LDlPXTzBDOIEZSercraPoOtQ==&ch=_s5A8tiPF6vDvozFL3tQVfxvkdvHrjkPuR0Go-IglypgKkDMz0v6oA==],
wrote "These gentlemen are not my fellow Cuban Americans." Another essay [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019ecs41KwUhsguQrSt8bmjZgbUbjVrX0TqXqjleVTE6zrZSXX-zzD7r944osuSes5ASiYJXdldf24-X9N9dWHo94eaaeLaAT6O4fy5Fu2n04ZYbOR-caDmluxRBnNQJ4Ok-TVt1P1pVse_suV4IlwPoVJ2i8uK6gne6c1Ga4PhvSLfRdZNPW6441QBHsK-9Hh68G72euMndH-PhaH7oH7qgXEScwUdVq-GW60sgoYqUi6fUNy8hKo4Xl5-nUMzHcR8znbQFJr2lrzN7LCkeThBq3KX84T5zI88tUVdlDEkDO2egjtLcYgmaq0VaW_aBZVOYSTseMfflrrxuLGcg2O2QmKhbfrQJtHzs5g4fWSy81LuYYo_TYbvVgt9ILvS7aAKxuRUVR4EHzPgB8DOFhMuhQAIQe2FegG&c=CF5rfZ5KDlfmhVOGWTHtZ-ZLu5bI65LDlPXTzBDOIEZSercraPoOtQ==&ch=_s5A8tiPF6vDvozFL3tQVfxvkdvHrjkPuR0Go-IglypgKkDMz0v6oA==]
labeled the signers as dollar-hungry opportunists under the sway of handlers by
the Cuban government.
Last week's letters in opposition, one published jointly [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019ecs41KwUhsguQrSt8bmjZgbUbjVrX0TqXqjleVTE6zrZSXX-zzD7r944osuSes5rZh0z5OVFZJtfGkr4BITqwIeQeEIdu9MTmNS3KnF6I20kjQB-txxpceLBrCHmcmelXMr9QcxoKS1_Dv1PidR30OHbTIu7mGuBOFBPtaXhXdKQYO-j-EoSg8MBASBQk4N5e8rzU3PJXFDeXvaQDS1s_3KTobuZ_JGhsbD8MgWe8UkhVFa7tiItQJwtm2N8Bwd0ZLts83m53bNdDPbH-_f0wobfFFGzFFyp3ceED1MWpXKX3j6S56Mbz2FJ0pSrf02lxJjYHXsV1klpr4S2pnwUeLKFeA7gwTP22O_Y07RTI8ymhNdgoiBeObNyLthYFFexZw0-ntYVB5nPm6arD7Uog==&c=CF5rfZ5KDlfmhVOGWTHtZ-ZLu5bI65LDlPXTzBDOIEZSercraPoOtQ==&ch=_s5A8tiPF6vDvozFL3tQVfxvkdvHrjkPuR0Go-IglypgKkDMz0v6oA==]
by the Cuban Resistance Assembly and the Democratic Directorate and the other published
by former political prisoners, complain that the U.S. policy of normalization has
had "negative consequences" for human rights on the island.
The Cuban Resistance Assembly and the Democratic Directorate publicized their letter
[http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019ecs41KwUhsguQrSt8bmjZgbUbjVrX0TqXqjleVTE6zrZSXX-zzD7r944osuSes56Zdmgj8AVlU0vikrC7Fikqz0VlioD-3qZh42HY9EgHpB9wTivcxRlSBut0Rx7T8yphOhD_T5Zoa9mCWlNBMBKjwdrIcSt4vWTorXYkerv7yBWNOIlwDxblN7DBDLGAXVD0su7-toccM2duakuR8drRdwQsx-BNtGC9dl6Q6PpZmDzTbB5kXhBd8X6xZOa8CNOAR1A8l9DvYb4eOpukwsN038y23vu8PI-ZYBJi9q6nBfivorA7--3ADWkgT2F7Q9yUW8OhRW6_WoVAyXGaIH-_wgu_V_7WZhSHyz0PCfpd0ObahoAKl_J3YXtwf3tkgWF6yuBOIDjEI372FdsVmdug==&c=CF5rfZ5KDlfmhVOGWTHtZ-ZLu5bI65LDlPXTzBDOIEZSercraPoOtQ==&ch=_s5A8tiPF6vDvozFL3tQVfxvkdvHrjkPuR0Go-IglypgKkDMz0v6oA==]
at the University of Miami's Institute for Cuban and Cuban American Studies with
Bertha Antúnez, sister of Jorge Luis García Pérez "Antúnez," a prominent pro-democracy
activist in Cuba, and Míriam and Mario de la Peña, parents of Mario Manuel de la
Peña, one of four Brothers to the Rescue members shot down by Cuban forces in 1996.
The letter from political prisoners [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019ecs41KwUhsguQrSt8bmjZgbUbjVrX0TqXqjleVTE6zrZSXX-zzD7r944osuSes5pjFLNBO-cpDO3E8gXwASOFK_C3Oys_18SpTPxzTLXyjhmgbducVaV8P0oVyWf3xXqhSqUdwkTAuxTagjD6Dkiq1Wes5H2Y0vIEUUY6IA05q8Cnt6UKoP4KX8NhgrIU8pWj6djQKi1IwqCdfT4Pm3dPbrYPGnvlKzA7sAGZ5xa5gfAqh4wsfaq67te6oU_CiYALeIi5ImzF88FAXgYVPbNVbNyk4ZJV7fB4PsRPuLDXzly93i1KSnLEN5FdelY25ccP84BaQFLYJsECl3kciv4FxbeSFu15aN3kTIRLJTwkG_dkRK96Q7yV8LFNzivpo_hgfRvVuNOcU=&c=CF5rfZ5KDlfmhVOGWTHtZ-ZLu5bI65LDlPXTzBDOIEZSercraPoOtQ==&ch=_s5A8tiPF6vDvozFL3tQVfxvkdvHrjkPuR0Go-IglypgKkDMz0v6oA==]
highlights the increasing number of arbitrary detentions in Cuba as evidence that
normalization has, in their words, "...has taken a bad situation and made it worse."
By contrast, as the ad cosigned by the new Cuban American supporters of U.S. policy
suggests, "As fellow Cuban-Americans, let us recognize the progress that has been
made on both sides of the 90-mile Florida Straits, albeit halting, in the right
direction. Just consider what has been accomplished in the last 12 months versus
what has been accomplished in the last century."
Cuba re-opens market to Arkansas poultry
This past Saturday, Tyson Foods and Simmons Foods announced that poultry trade will
resume between Cuba and Arkansas this year, reports Arkansas Online [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019ecs41KwUhsguQrSt8bmjZgbUbjVrX0TqXqjleVTE6zrZSXX-zzD7r944osuSes53dwaITEkxFd-NYmatZFMWh3M0CQ57MHf7sLfIXqZuvu5fsYLa-eM0pqNbTarM6T7QTw63_hYFgcsyVTEQIaiyAblxo7euePETPM3IiQ8HVT67OhWysO3Gf4lfcwh7lQBx3dhf6D1NS7irYOrZrCUIMcaYs1acCQu_9wWeGP5CZRDUXIqd4zimux-BcR48UHptBOS005Dd8Ywn_Fog7KFsrkpTr4KW7P2_gDKj07ZATBo-6DlHJWkGTqNcnqayzO36l4mWILbiFBDW9nNreImhs4Ph_cWvtelRoIjiLPYuRkDcRdJNLMW4wj8JP9YamrOn-OU8XktcAshKsDIuE17fN1BraA22xkxXFOHyUCWFlvBxzkhIM65Gw==&c=CF5rfZ5KDlfmhVOGWTHtZ-ZLu5bI65LDlPXTzBDOIEZSercraPoOtQ==&ch=_s5A8tiPF6vDvozFL3tQVfxvkdvHrjkPuR0Go-IglypgKkDMz0v6oA==].
Governor Asa Hutchinson, who traveled to Cuba in September, said that Cuba's government
has ordered 4,500 tons of poultry from Arkansas companies scheduled to ship in January.
Cuba's government banned poultry imports from Arkansas earlier this year after an
outbreak of bird flu. Governor Hutchinson confirmed that, "Because of our trip we
got this success story of the poultry contract."
Global U.S. poultry and egg exports took a huge hit early in 2015, with export sales
falling from $2.4 billion in 2014 to only $386.3 million over the same period in
2015. Most bans on U.S. poultry were lifted earlier in the year but Cuba remained
a hold out.
In September, the governor led a 3-day trade mission [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019ecs41KwUhsguQrSt8bmjZgbUbjVrX0TqXqjleVTE6zrZSXX-zzD7r944osuSes5yPo27HEyzGqByfVEUzIk7hsOhfvg_xXAxkqXbrZ0MFWxuY-NwIF2d7od9FHpNh_RgUjXJEXh50-OMnMvsRz1l9GshEw9IUeTVeuRw-JM-g03RkLENC7bJ0JbyjIdwnJFYYlUrXncD6A2dXlkauiDI-Kf-tAmtI6vdxeG9KzqZYHqvjC8froQhYoxPl1AROOMj_Qb7CTL3lknMz_kTISE2rBfkaviaPIa7CEFMC67A2rbdvQKTIRfO_U_vhpAwCE79wCrIeDW636j6bzmhzuJpGs38IYExq4wDXfUjHtVwq4J7aJ6PNtauVuv7wq3JttLVx7mEmCb_xQ9rQZswbuK970D6HK0265xjUy8-mpdmr546UDoYt0Z3_ofMiM04xns55zNsTr2L9x9dDcC0Xf-epuicNHkGRIVZ9fuh8c0oiOeS8QclRi_hK4U4bxQ805l&c=CF5rfZ5KDlfmhVOGWTHtZ-ZLu5bI65LDlPXTzBDOIEZSercraPoOtQ==&ch=_s5A8tiPF6vDvozFL3tQVfxvkdvHrjkPuR0Go-IglypgKkDMz0v6oA==]
to Cuba accompanied by poultry industry executives and others. For more on Governor
Hutchinson's trip to Cuba, check out our previous reporting [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019ecs41KwUhsguQrSt8bmjZgbUbjVrX0TqXqjleVTE6zrZSXX-zzD7saGhSXsq4GOJ3N7ftnfyVE1Bb4vDEqLn5nQ53d03SyuZ68mE1R52ijazVHnje7ijd7MYHqhE23iiLM5kpcIEKJ30Ec52b1U7M6azkf9TFpzvzHttr933e5FWBsAXezmi8_U2ZzXwLf_f1oyVYLj9XTkBTMJNgnOSdAVVE31olh-sbXneLhHSB5A8AeChSnPpBoR4iUVQtb0esVK3hs-b82b0etpbKynIhZUaFUhYO4D5oQylJrAtonS4c3Lhz_DwiV7551LoKrNZTiTLsQgFhcTV1mjdIn366zTsJFJ4GK7MbnBVbLZ1m4RNeAtKxwSz4DWySl-pve4lSBljtwoSz3KT02selGMbmKXbVDKf1CjJP2JaHT1yBPuwqEhEiuLBg==&c=CF5rfZ5KDlfmhVOGWTHtZ-ZLu5bI65LDlPXTzBDOIEZSercraPoOtQ==&ch=_s5A8tiPF6vDvozFL3tQVfxvkdvHrjkPuR0Go-IglypgKkDMz0v6oA==].
In Cuba
Cuba's economy grows 4 percent, boost over previous years [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019ecs41KwUhsguQrSt8bmjZgbUbjVrX0TqXqjleVTE6zrZSXX-zzD7r944osuSes5oVDYZ8ffpzNfWLvmnUBAp--5xcLJLxPiUecHLcw-bA5qZqHz7J3Nij8YihfGzjiV_28iZEatD5dRtPKlRDAtZf-LSlxxOH1BuA0A1HqQJPsMO2fxHKnsRovVqkewKXOzmaChKFrdrrBAbn8OWA2ZazI8BJ8KtJXTzX9dOoEBORMfwvjEuTmgxU6dm2K9hpF7OHtvDo6k5aNMFEo_TnlGgDuMqHEmyo44YxteYTubRRUBsKiKr_QTfHwa2Q1vfZrjAvyebylPQDN8HOjoq2dNFp1QpkxSqvu-arHcETerl0fQVCr9wP4TkA==&c=CF5rfZ5KDlfmhVOGWTHtZ-ZLu5bI65LDlPXTzBDOIEZSercraPoOtQ==&ch=_s5A8tiPF6vDvozFL3tQVfxvkdvHrjkPuR0Go-IglypgKkDMz0v6oA==]
In a year of détente with the U.S., Cuba's Gross Domestic Product grew by 4 percent
reports state media [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019ecs41KwUhsguQrSt8bmjZgbUbjVrX0TqXqjleVTE6zrZSXX-zzD7r944osuSes5vdJLoEQcgniWj8ozsb4-ij3pdjlmYURISFzQDWKlC7LPJ3rEpYdNS4yn5MeJtnXPNjaNVGZpdtfqmBh8OmtbuBw1pSQ72NyNN-2cD0m-BF08uyb3SEOh48rkDRKak_y8L3CwV5gxlzMQb-Dom9DYxJE1HEAq7n64UxdfMTlSlNmAI9Rn5ooC6cw2MyIjbV_b_r3hnSbu6ZZB-C4-m2sAcCCO9rAWE9ytBLfAvyseWUFM9AeR7Nzm8H82b6AEsjB0jNLxxZIn1CmsTsuB6UrVCtH_kmj7ZmgWXfK6YWBuYvZ2qWgR6Wq-0PICdmjQaK3bt_5xx1HTa43C4v4RLOHOQA==&c=CF5rfZ5KDlfmhVOGWTHtZ-ZLu5bI65LDlPXTzBDOIEZSercraPoOtQ==&ch=_s5A8tiPF6vDvozFL3tQVfxvkdvHrjkPuR0Go-IglypgKkDMz0v6oA==].
From 2011-2014, despite Cuba's economic reform measures, the economy grew by only
2.3 percent.
The official economic report makes no mention of this year's normalization process,
highlighting instead that growth continues despite sanctions faced by Cuba, reports
Reuters [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019ecs41KwUhsguQrSt8bmjZgbUbjVrX0TqXqjleVTE6zrZSXX-zzD7r944osuSes5oVDYZ8ffpzNfWLvmnUBAp--5xcLJLxPiUecHLcw-bA5qZqHz7J3Nij8YihfGzjiV_28iZEatD5dRtPKlRDAtZf-LSlxxOH1BuA0A1HqQJPsMO2fxHKnsRovVqkewKXOzmaChKFrdrrBAbn8OWA2ZazI8BJ8KtJXTzX9dOoEBORMfwvjEuTmgxU6dm2K9hpF7OHtvDo6k5aNMFEo_TnlGgDuMqHEmyo44YxteYTubRRUBsKiKr_QTfHwa2Q1vfZrjAvyebylPQDN8HOjoq2dNFp1QpkxSqvu-arHcETerl0fQVCr9wP4TkA==&c=CF5rfZ5KDlfmhVOGWTHtZ-ZLu5bI65LDlPXTzBDOIEZSercraPoOtQ==&ch=_s5A8tiPF6vDvozFL3tQVfxvkdvHrjkPuR0Go-IglypgKkDMz0v6oA==].
Cuba's government hopes to reach 7 percent economic growth for "significant development."
State media reports a 30 percent increase in productivity for the first six months
of 2015 and salary growth of 12 percent. This brings the Cuban monthly salary to
roughly 700 Cuban pesos (CUP) or approximately 26 USD.
Falling import costs, including decreasing oil and food prices, likely boosted growth
while declining export prices in oil products, nickel, and sugar likely constrained
growth. The report does not mention sectors directly benefiting from normalization,
namely tourism and remittances. It also remains silent on revenue from professional
exports to Venezuela.
The report maintains that Cuba will provide the same level of basic service in education
and health to the Cuban people for the coming year. This year's economic plan will
be presented for approval before the National Assembly on December 29.
For more on Cuba's economic reforms, see our previous publications [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019ecs41KwUhsguQrSt8bmjZgbUbjVrX0TqXqjleVTE6zrZSXX-zzD7noCJcw1odEKtQvIXjs6Z7kI4PbOu264r2FiTW1xIRxnpVkk4OsjaX_92SGowSri8sJKl491eW-QlgpQ0D5TP688VZatkuC0DeKJ5aFMgCUpLfWFmtCkQc657t470N3SQrSkCl6qxWVZywNA7r0-PyjPqKEV3dZiFskzEyRjFIgrz1WEb4R-Ec3g882qVHPi79cCZRcEEAZiuSjyfiKW3KsranPBQkXJKTR_xP4oA4LhK7GeX7jo__z9Gpw3ePLM9bfZnXbDbFbt59G1tT6bJaagjWKVIMyUgYIbkQQ0YKPB-VPSlkmm9PLIP76YPkOMXlf5GvuHnojd6GrowbI2hmo=&c=CF5rfZ5KDlfmhVOGWTHtZ-ZLu5bI65LDlPXTzBDOIEZSercraPoOtQ==&ch=_s5A8tiPF6vDvozFL3tQVfxvkdvHrjkPuR0Go-IglypgKkDMz0v6oA==].
Cuba reports a new record in aquaculture production [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019ecs41KwUhsguQrSt8bmjZgbUbjVrX0TqXqjleVTE6zrZSXX-zzD7r944osuSes5Lwi9W31gwM3nqVklSlqFP6BtHI2Y04I37HIgXkdG6owiTM8THyuvKBH23mua2qNqVs0BDSqJCdVJAPrwyPMml7Fg9iRixKzgkuTLLsL5wnDekPLzVi7w3KPbOEGfnwsCSK96eTFRIKRKDuXxYZ9GBO5nxY0xrOF8suXV3nRmgKt4PjnM1-T3J0LOqjRz2d49h0T_EfiXTkVKcWWxquyvyBc6HDAFTMXKxDdoHDxS4YN1Ol5B8zmV4pJQB8FKdlN4lTO4_n9yuSqR7TTVE7k1eQ==&c=CF5rfZ5KDlfmhVOGWTHtZ-ZLu5bI65LDlPXTzBDOIEZSercraPoOtQ==&ch=_s5A8tiPF6vDvozFL3tQVfxvkdvHrjkPuR0Go-IglypgKkDMz0v6oA==]
Cuban aquaculture produced a record 27,228 tons of fish this year, which is 1,200
more than what they expected to produce in 2015, according to officials. The national
director of aquaculture, Nelson Pérez, declared that they hope to close the year
with 27,500 tons of fish. More than 20,000 of the fish are silver carp (or "tench"),
1,150 are tilapia, and 6,150 are "clarias." Shrimp production also had a record
year with more than 4,678 tons in 2015.
Sancti Spriitus, Camagüey, and Villa Clara produced largest supply of fish. Pérez
attributed the result to better organization, fishing gear insurance, better feed
supply, and management collectives, along with more motivation between workers and
management collectives.
The majority of aquaculture production is used as primary material in the production
of croquetas, embutidos, picadillo, and other Cuban foods products. The director
highlighted the success despite the drought in the country, which affected some
fish stations.
Aquaculture in Cuba depends on the importation of feed and other products; development
in this sector requires large investments. When U.S. agriculture leaders visited
the island in March 2015, they noted [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019ecs41KwUhsguQrSt8bmjZgbUbjVrX0TqXqjleVTE6zrZSXX-zzD7r944osuSes5oU1BOd0K6YZUyTI028M0hL4kloZmJn8gQd4HzBCLhxTJd11DsfRjzp64e3B6oqAnU3uhKoq3luStS6LRSZ7CHkK3Rci2h3lF9QhmVTkRFuoEuOYkRIkgnAte5yE9NFwqpA1XUQ9ovYPSadwT-YSsL6ac0fvlNl3TdaqCNmsPdozj-kxUAzH-DXP2R4StcABwDcwgOB25mKuOatqKytUk8AXRvvJPCcAZi8DBEg4pKWgmr481nm_AgsXzDqFshC9PPBr3SZmyyN2ebea5nsx_SBzEacQ9zXUXUo3OSUPHa3AI51NAHmnRFXOcTFfa1Uwf&c=CF5rfZ5KDlfmhVOGWTHtZ-ZLu5bI65LDlPXTzBDOIEZSercraPoOtQ==&ch=_s5A8tiPF6vDvozFL3tQVfxvkdvHrjkPuR0Go-IglypgKkDMz0v6oA==]
that "Aquaculture is a sophisticated growth industry, and the Cuban waters 'are
pristine.'" The Norwegian government currently supports an aquaculture facility
in the Bay of Pigs, but U.S. investment in this area is still restricted by the
economic embargo.
Cuba's Foreign Relations
Update: Costa Rica suspends its SICA membership over Cuban migration, region fails
to agree on solution
Effective last Saturday, Costa Rica will no longer give Cuban migrants temporary
visas. President Luis Guillermo Solis explained [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019ecs41KwUhsguQrSt8bmjZgbUbjVrX0TqXqjleVTE6zrZSXX-zzD7r944osuSes5ub-HadiB48FfUPwveaMkgcdLaM1lIHLFDM_miwrARzHsIO0WdAwMvkFZ62S6pHtsGbbaTH8ISPS9JG2soCp75jn0tESf58tfbOkNNHMrIF7-u3SXZhSqlHErfNbJdajvhBn8DwsqFHQrSvyX0KRIHVDR7YuLXdROeLPOXyrExO_bIB-uc49Xsk_ExUsueekY9sBT5QxOMGPF9uYXi5FjpMpOJnT0RL5TshLWhDRWet8J0PkbaeY7RvQ6vHnv6VNMQTDjZXi8xKQWuiQ8p0wsXpFlLnRmBpgu3ykFCRPehfyxWSMhiJF4rdGImKZAhDXZ&c=CF5rfZ5KDlfmhVOGWTHtZ-ZLu5bI65LDlPXTzBDOIEZSercraPoOtQ==&ch=_s5A8tiPF6vDvozFL3tQVfxvkdvHrjkPuR0Go-IglypgKkDMz0v6oA==],
"the national capacity to address the migrants has reached its limit."
Previously, the government of Costa Rica pledged that no Cuban migrant would be
deported from Costa Rica, a promise it continues to honor for over 5,000 Cuban migrants
[http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019ecs41KwUhsguQrSt8bmjZgbUbjVrX0TqXqjleVTE6zrZSXX-zzD7r944osuSes582OrUNGCPkApixdWxL6VhfGcrP6ZsPZzeg4-zamy9_15d3CRCcPsySuMvgG6un_FVmJQlUDySFa0S1ehMSyV1GQIotaFzaBMhwcqxxuSI--9S0nW-CLisw7hhYLha-nJJ4LFuJPM7MEmmPIuktMgDyrbivCgfV9LjvcHIrK28q5PfUaMjvRSjPRL0Z4y1wb2SCKlAsW_wEDW_UpjqyfkjoyDU-1GZ7QjEpESHE_Ti3JeDnWST6EZANQeHlSWGwrGJSvocL_uayyZSBaizyQoxg==&c=CF5rfZ5KDlfmhVOGWTHtZ-ZLu5bI65LDlPXTzBDOIEZSercraPoOtQ==&ch=_s5A8tiPF6vDvozFL3tQVfxvkdvHrjkPuR0Go-IglypgKkDMz0v6oA==]
already within its borders. New migrants entering the country will be deported according
to President Solis [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019ecs41KwUhsguQrSt8bmjZgbUbjVrX0TqXqjleVTE6zrZSXX-zzD7r944osuSes5_ZXZ5ZfePXuW7sT7D8tCRU3savx0H3DgsLMpNbCtPw1KrO0hNL9lIwEVo6boxfk6KQOysccZiDrniF1WgmSSnKZ6aThSSsAd-T0uLPApTj7PAULsw6EFgtihaVeObjk66t3SL_3Gtn-i_0dXzxXL6-zndlzpGFDV42e4h1ZUcmNbhJeLOH6FDpyXtnPNunyg0d9ssJ5HQ1vfD2uuHZr2aSmqLKFJXLyH-foErc0ZDUoC1d0gAI10L0DBsfzgsqhDL9VTZ9YGAfaAd1w9jPmVj6CoXNBj3dBPGHPq9bwROGCY1pg7IAnnu_-TLDk53RjNCdvO7AvWbaEBFsTUbDXAhvZ_Y-8m9SBSy8h_9aLL0bfK3rUAguX--r9StM_nu6aU&c=CF5rfZ5KDlfmhVOGWTHtZ-ZLu5bI65LDlPXTzBDOIEZSercraPoOtQ==&ch=_s5A8tiPF6vDvozFL3tQVfxvkdvHrjkPuR0Go-IglypgKkDMz0v6oA==]
who strongly discouraged would be migrants from attempting to enter Costa Rica.
Friday, Costa Rica suspended [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019ecs41KwUhsguQrSt8bmjZgbUbjVrX0TqXqjleVTE6zrZSXX-zzD7r944osuSes5lr_r8RGIYho8K6lgzK-8HtqUdYqcJZ91r8U6zSetMGJHS-lJj0LKFXmlNOZxmqTq61aFeqn4cjHHT6peJza35R_TZCCz2uP3lHNQayCzSDehd6H-dhImQfF3AR7P7tgxRAKXJkoGj_1PmJg3__NZu7pJGXK2PYlG3i8dSFkCzd5MR4gHrYsiCod0dD_ll5V_KvQa9BM8YZxeRy445j8bj5Ljd6KMWf8VjIEM9EadmU8K_g_jH-qO_XKcprZXzjEOjTR39vrPTzT9SgVNN2YOvSJgLengVCsDDVlkAQ-2Gb14K0KAnvHHhYA2tuWQJetNBn7PGWaKBnCFQRq_HiGAjFQuW_8d7P9-Ksv4Fmm3YP_e3scfuW4Pa_7IE4P6xGj_vrS25Elq_BY8etUfy5EkWumBgRcGyK7lfgx0HBxyF16HjwoVNto2_J3mI02TEAjT&c=CF5rfZ5KDlfmhVOGWTHtZ-ZLu5bI65LDlPXTzBDOIEZSercraPoOtQ==&ch=_s5A8tiPF6vDvozFL3tQVfxvkdvHrjkPuR0Go-IglypgKkDMz0v6oA==]
its membership in the Sistema de Integración Centroamericana (SICA), a regional
body designed to mediate issues between participants. Leading up to the meeting,
Costa Rica refused to participate in the SICA summit unless the issue of Cuban
migrants was discussed. While the issue surfaced, no agreement was reached, causing
a frustrated President Solis, to withdraw all political participation with SICA
according to Progreso Semanal [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019ecs41KwUhsguQrSt8bmjZgbUbjVrX0TqXqjleVTE6zrZSXX-zzD7r944osuSes5PdjzTXLyiT5T1hNbiIifuiSO6gorvTX7eH-XWhcC8Vt8L-XyqTdL4xJR4y8eftL3gVfq_Tg-oglyGxwtZwdgOWwvlYAT9a1nrEy13WRVNpBfT5ubVYQSXMGEe-uNdKQ4pcY9mPFw-EKy7aljY_XMpisK2NhW5pIbvBQuR7AJcmVYajnlNrQtIIT69qTOBorLp_Hl2-q9dyHqOBAaIz5Tn0AL9NNvABDsEPfeXmVEwi0gqWr5-OCLYQR0lb2TMOUCHLpQei7H0BCc9znNKuTAwAQ4QhVk3lA7CyCsBfHL76DGmg_ZZyo7cWt-fRU7Mz-8&c=CF5rfZ5KDlfmhVOGWTHtZ-ZLu5bI65LDlPXTzBDOIEZSercraPoOtQ==&ch=_s5A8tiPF6vDvozFL3tQVfxvkdvHrjkPuR0Go-IglypgKkDMz0v6oA==].
Costa Rica will remain a participant in the economic, commercial, and technical
bodies of SICA.
Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Belize refuse to allow Cubans passage through their territory
for the migrants headed northward. As we have reported previously [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019ecs41KwUhsguQrSt8bmjZgbUbjVrX0TqXqjleVTE6zrZSXX-zzD7r944osuSes5LN9t_CLu4kV3-Krhihu3sO058kfHhYdn4JPSxL2CCYEESK-jON_dzPc7y1dumKMxcU5E7DwRsoogIQlancjgXBkCNMqrNV-75h6sMq0gNsla1vTnmhR_MVUj4HjjAzA3x9w20hN4gXWYZPNHyexI7jLEMqJVJ8Abey8BTdX17vRCOwgG64no2zZeUDUTY-MIAPd545xfkZEkEcQYy4mmisAWrf9RoqCPpoFqeaGAKPHDV2-tudCN0u48czOC90PxQ2a4Cu25RxJf2odCuf_spMtFmI_0gSgHiYI8jdMOLEP9QB3o4HB1IHSkf6FMunQljwt-SPLdSDjYUjahC5r4PNkx0ZxXUI2K3SILTdyWJrE=&c=CF5rfZ5KDlfmhVOGWTHtZ-ZLu5bI65LDlPXTzBDOIEZSercraPoOtQ==&ch=_s5A8tiPF6vDvozFL3tQVfxvkdvHrjkPuR0Go-IglypgKkDMz0v6oA==],
the uptick in Cuban migration is at least in part due to suspicions among Cubans
that the 1966 Cuban Adjustment Act (which established the so-called "wet foot,
dry foot" policy allowing Cubans to expedite their path to permanent residency in
the U.S) will end as relations normalize.
This week, The New York Times [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019ecs41KwUhsguQrSt8bmjZgbUbjVrX0TqXqjleVTE6zrZSXX-zzD7r944osuSes5mbfiPu5FaJB37t-1ry8W8aiWa1M-Fz8PT85z79Hl4Mhl0AE2R9PTZ6mXlcNPus9PnL6xpR10nnrtn7gOd5BoRPMIp3HxeHG0F8H-10Zswld5z7mWaOkbHjw47oFrVO50MVuxs2KhUBpesIzk5G5QSMlhDS8Z2Tg2uujhl0e-ZDlP5_iK4n2VHlaPmOh3euaZvzZnXhmOGUjZrgDs5hdGmCo0WnLuC5YOIMyxUbP5mXrZEwaO7ytOSpzz_4vwanrhXFxBCbTZqgeObyul3ZiJJQAFPWWTbiaL4d7gBmtMd7AtmW7vkv2Y3JgSOSmVTvksoJPZ0iDeHoAy8y--7bBQmjmN7IEa7QMC&c=CF5rfZ5KDlfmhVOGWTHtZ-ZLu5bI65LDlPXTzBDOIEZSercraPoOtQ==&ch=_s5A8tiPF6vDvozFL3tQVfxvkdvHrjkPuR0Go-IglypgKkDMz0v6oA==]
Editorial Board called on Congress and the Obama administration to end the CAA.
For more, see our story above.
Last week, U.S. Representative Carlos Curbelo (FL-26) introduced legislation to
begin treating Cuban immigrants like immigrants from other countries, reports the
Miami Herald [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019ecs41KwUhsguQrSt8bmjZgbUbjVrX0TqXqjleVTE6zrZSXX-zzD7r944osuSes5HAN0a6SALEN6AA9oUoclQCP0F15L8zYnWw3qXZJr-_-vnw_VqIYmgQHbC-jzTnlV_1rV3Bnr32hnnNSWmTGtycJTlVKGoEjdUyb7ND5PPMreXKjNqHVauH-4zsC51gy5X3BcUNHH09vPCMnCUj88DTboCcct3exWhiRuYmcioajHbntWRDOIS89pjpUB5YrYPxmtab3JKkvSIRxmBpOyfXzSiOixWNx0gfPui2JAaUaiMmR0GcI_4zlqHC33nLlvDeQX5XAQI_2zYg8vmgoCnPJZRdsgH5PWOxPMfQLPJ1KJ9__eyGeddhpBIR1fyGZH&c=CF5rfZ5KDlfmhVOGWTHtZ-ZLu5bI65LDlPXTzBDOIEZSercraPoOtQ==&ch=_s5A8tiPF6vDvozFL3tQVfxvkdvHrjkPuR0Go-IglypgKkDMz0v6oA==].
Under his legislation, Cubans would be required to file a claim for asylum and enter
the pipeline for approval, a process that can take years. Curbelo acknowledged that
his legislation, HR 4247, could be seen as a "first step" in rewriting CAA, although
the legislation as written only amends the Refugee Education Assistant Act, the
Immigration and Nationality Act, and the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity
Reconciliation Act of 1996.
Representative Curbelo is not the first to propose reforms to the CAA, Representative
Paul Grosar (AZ-4) introduced a bill [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019ecs41KwUhsguQrSt8bmjZgbUbjVrX0TqXqjleVTE6zrZSXX-zzD7r944osuSes5f9Dfy9G0dbWBR4wOyo-kJEQnq1qQnrx7kH-qzwOiwJtqs8gwqRf5Nwyf9sG5f3FtqoYg9hOZqbuT4796FWueswbUvjsK-yjy1KNWjRW5dWmo_UIPP942s3WcjVnwRCSlRSBxTPMRPKDsPAMATqI7J3vj6uGd5cse2pHYX2PCJVr5hW-86J_MmngWBeuPkUgRNlaJNqdb9C6fTnLDcdkkapBzxllpFPrnn8tunIiAfy1zE3IsfeA8WWBCtFC5rSfd6Kkn7WWmMp6NpVubxjDlWKMTZe6sOH-rFhJDRRp6VTQxneSDEHzDGuND7kNYALvy&c=CF5rfZ5KDlfmhVOGWTHtZ-ZLu5bI65LDlPXTzBDOIEZSercraPoOtQ==&ch=_s5A8tiPF6vDvozFL3tQVfxvkdvHrjkPuR0Go-IglypgKkDMz0v6oA==]
in October to repeal the CAA as we previously reported [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019ecs41KwUhsguQrSt8bmjZgbUbjVrX0TqXqjleVTE6zrZSXX-zzD7i8-OGiAle9rRLfGWmw0S3QgyT5pAHKz_RutXAF7CV6sY42Jne0M0cxJgRjRmmMgBHIBCZ9VQlAJu6COhQbU5nqSLDDX3gdaIHjYAc8OWsehruQiTWfrXl1gcPJTuOYQhb9oi9FYLEnWcXZPduZKqGFmD67wc693WL8NGyFyON5Q2xmj5i49heBeez9OAw0QHKTRRfFfa7UfSApH3E6yrym-rYz83P1HvG4wouGLmZcYXji1MoRuMwOW602ps3q4P_V2UTKdYkEX_BPNYRzrtTA_idB7U-ugM9JClMHe-BiqsXDmAOwcBYyeU1GNVvLamLPi8PhpGmkoGrR4NcADpdg=&c=CF5rfZ5KDlfmhVOGWTHtZ-ZLu5bI65LDlPXTzBDOIEZSercraPoOtQ==&ch=_s5A8tiPF6vDvozFL3tQVfxvkdvHrjkPuR0Go-IglypgKkDMz0v6oA==],
and hardliners including Representatives Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (FL-27) and Mario Diaz-Balart
(FL-25) have proposed curtailing the benefits of CAA for some migrants, reports
the Sun Sentinel. [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019ecs41KwUhsguQrSt8bmjZgbUbjVrX0TqXqjleVTE6zrZSXX-zzD7r944osuSes575XqH46FDASldllUsy08VStS0YZ6pIJZJW3IzAN6PxSGYBx9kw4va0Piux52LSVi2bSvvhr5d8jk_nVMpRNikwwQGEsA5-V-fRkcfR51KzT4yqGYo5eppEqboFhPqzHV54NQ0VZIk_58OG12dFgcCctugujd1sbDHlFluQxzYXLkg0Tb8qIVNFSC_GiMfckYVXo6hdAnnEDL7l8V51LWcT-4VDgQLqd0ZZyHKQh9_JRdwrj5sGOrvwGWqsh1vHTEO6BfYZC4yJPJmyPTVlbBauzHYpXyN8qVaccn252PsvXsAJ72KPanRQnljNV6iD3VFxfHRu5afPG_1RGgzfnf-kNfttxjxgVl&c=CF5rfZ5KDlfmhVOGWTHtZ-ZLu5bI65LDlPXTzBDOIEZSercraPoOtQ==&ch=_s5A8tiPF6vDvozFL3tQVfxvkdvHrjkPuR0Go-IglypgKkDMz0v6oA==]
Recommended Reading
A New Cuban Exodus [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019ecs41KwUhsguQrSt8bmjZgbUbjVrX0TqXqjleVTE6zrZSXX-zzD7r944osuSes5mbfiPu5FaJB37t-1ry8W8aiWa1M-Fz8PT85z79Hl4Mhl0AE2R9PTZ6mXlcNPus9PnL6xpR10nnrtn7gOd5BoRPMIp3HxeHG0F8H-10Zswld5z7mWaOkbHjw47oFrVO50MVuxs2KhUBpesIzk5G5QSMlhDS8Z2Tg2uujhl0e-ZDlP5_iK4n2VHlaPmOh3euaZvzZnXhmOGUjZrgDs5hdGmCo0WnLuC5YOIMyxUbP5mXrZEwaO7ytOSpzz_4vwanrhXFxBCbTZqgeObyul3ZiJJQAFPWWTbiaL4d7gBmtMd7AtmW7vkv2Y3JgSOSmVTvksoJPZ0iDeHoAy8y--7bBQmjmN7IEa7QMC&c=CF5rfZ5KDlfmhVOGWTHtZ-ZLu5bI65LDlPXTzBDOIEZSercraPoOtQ==&ch=_s5A8tiPF6vDvozFL3tQVfxvkdvHrjkPuR0Go-IglypgKkDMz0v6oA==],
The Editorial Board, The New York Times
The New York Times Editorial Board favors ending the 1966 Cuban Adjustment Act.
Failing congressional action, the Editorial Board encourages the administration
to use its "discretion" in admitting Cuban immigrants.
Cuba reparations talks should look to future, not past [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019ecs41KwUhsguQrSt8bmjZgbUbjVrX0TqXqjleVTE6zrZSXX-zzD7r944osuSes5acXLB9KhIyr_Ovk86pHyLzkKGpPhIotNJauJNxU13dx3rn8EqWRvzOWd8SHtAQPGumVGfj418dIGJeI-C_1Tl6kOO_I-eBP4FlabUMG62yAVQcYh3vFwLmF2AajMNzGryuYsY1BrDRRiUOYzyfeWtgvjW2x1Z4zzaI9xNaSkuMZJVKcF2_awZGuDsMIweqWHmTPLzFFxNbnz9aGOm7p4Gqesiu1MvEm1ne1eQrWtLTHUdDGhjCjQ35boM-SQqWv9rmiKczkfGSyN2_eVwCFKHBe4m40hssRZKbv25LkXPLgDe0ScfrDmM8-nWA4uQwp2SL0C7sLDgfFXQJndh86jlA==&c=CF5rfZ5KDlfmhVOGWTHtZ-ZLu5bI65LDlPXTzBDOIEZSercraPoOtQ==&ch=_s5A8tiPF6vDvozFL3tQVfxvkdvHrjkPuR0Go-IglypgKkDMz0v6oA==],
The Editorial Board, Los Angeles Times
The Editorial Board of the Los Angeles Times urges the Obama administration to continue
moving forward with normalization and urges the U.S. Congress to lift the embargo.
End Embargo Against Cuba [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019ecs41KwUhsguQrSt8bmjZgbUbjVrX0TqXqjleVTE6zrZSXX-zzD7r944osuSes510VZYjWP5b8QzvM60tvgtJWkvCRBCtkcCNTN1bNweRXJqAyzftcHdkPmIk6ItWAKGdNVx3-32xnngb5bpfwvalC1XFlH-QikefkSzz9M0v6fcvYKroDtADgQJgwSNASUmH75PZZHWQoNpMmvEF0pWijupusVgwDkhLiuuxJ1p5F5tFEWXxlD68k64vuIIhuIdklL7xAj7HnaujvVgn_j8f8xVhxxij44Va_OYdRRA9eYRbZA-J_iz7Hge1tT-Ev4m_nEFtpAq8lMG6HuNNLsNTgt7MdUCJPcQrzrcWwvwBVcqYHH5Asqsb43qE2RWXw2iA3ueXZ-peGXQ1Tcp7KqpkJ__nw7Sim_&c=CF5rfZ5KDlfmhVOGWTHtZ-ZLu5bI65LDlPXTzBDOIEZSercraPoOtQ==&ch=_s5A8tiPF6vDvozFL3tQVfxvkdvHrjkPuR0Go-IglypgKkDMz0v6oA==],
[http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019ecs41KwUhsguQrSt8bmjZgbUbjVrX0TqXqjleVTE6zrZSXX-zzD7r944osuSes510VZYjWP5b8QzvM60tvgtJWkvCRBCtkcCNTN1bNweRXJqAyzftcHdkPmIk6ItWAKGdNVx3-32xnngb5bpfwvalC1XFlH-QikefkSzz9M0v6fcvYKroDtADgQJgwSNASUmH75PZZHWQoNpMmvEF0pWijupusVgwDkhLiuuxJ1p5F5tFEWXxlD68k64vuIIhuIdklL7xAj7HnaujvVgn_j8f8xVhxxij44Va_OYdRRA9eYRbZA-J_iz7Hge1tT-Ev4m_nEFtpAq8lMG6HuNNLsNTgt7MdUCJPcQrzrcWwvwBVcqYHH5Asqsb43qE2RWXw2iA3ueXZ-peGXQ1Tcp7KqpkJ__nw7Sim_&c=CF5rfZ5KDlfmhVOGWTHtZ-ZLu5bI65LDlPXTzBDOIEZSercraPoOtQ==&ch=_s5A8tiPF6vDvozFL3tQVfxvkdvHrjkPuR0Go-IglypgKkDMz0v6oA==]
The Editorial Board, Houston Chronicle
In calling for an end to the trade embargo against Cuba, the Houston Chronicle's
editorial board says, "Obama's rapprochement with the island put U.S.-Cuba policy
in line with our relations with China and Vietnam, both communist-led countries
that have embraced 'market socialism' but not democracy."
I [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019ecs41KwUhsguQrSt8bmjZgbUbjVrX0TqXqjleVTE6zrZSXX-zzD7r944osuSes5yxPoKHxHyaPZNT34C5IY7y2a9tB67cKSueWtC5INeC0eBFPyL0k4yNl8hyqPm7V3VIQhqBMqO3ScUSMcPuM3Mbg_aSbtA1vZ3zMp9tBKuzQd30BwlxXrlOg0NIyIVD9uNKEGiKrX42uGhQuv3gA5SlKK3KNjCsl_ctmf020rYZEUloz6iVLbPHiya2uX82yOtmONtJWZRwIhgtXg-vNjcsyX37laMfGfgc4fGtWy_R8al4apdxghi85vL_HEX-0vdOewtZYbZBx0z_qYFoctfWtpBaa2wvPw9_x_E4BKrMeqs41jYjwoha6fTvszAODqj3uGVtgNwsOfmwPR_j8CxJIVE7UPmtVo&c=CF5rfZ5KDlfmhVOGWTHtZ-ZLu5bI65LDlPXTzBDOIEZSercraPoOtQ==&ch=_s5A8tiPF6vDvozFL3tQVfxvkdvHrjkPuR0Go-IglypgKkDMz0v6oA==]n
Cuba, Change at a Caribbean Pace [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019ecs41KwUhsguQrSt8bmjZgbUbjVrX0TqXqjleVTE6zrZSXX-zzD7r944osuSes5yxPoKHxHyaPZNT34C5IY7y2a9tB67cKSueWtC5INeC0eBFPyL0k4yNl8hyqPm7V3VIQhqBMqO3ScUSMcPuM3Mbg_aSbtA1vZ3zMp9tBKuzQd30BwlxXrlOg0NIyIVD9uNKEGiKrX42uGhQuv3gA5SlKK3KNjCsl_ctmf020rYZEUloz6iVLbPHiya2uX82yOtmONtJWZRwIhgtXg-vNjcsyX37laMfGfgc4fGtWy_R8al4apdxghi85vL_HEX-0vdOewtZYbZBx0z_qYFoctfWtpBaa2wvPw9_x_E4BKrMeqs41jYjwoha6fTvszAODqj3uGVtgNwsOfmwPR_j8CxJIVE7UPmtVo&c=CF5rfZ5KDlfmhVOGWTHtZ-ZLu5bI65LDlPXTzBDOIEZSercraPoOtQ==&ch=_s5A8tiPF6vDvozFL3tQVfxvkdvHrjkPuR0Go-IglypgKkDMz0v6oA==],
Alex Brooks & David Prodger, Real Clear World
Writing just prior to December 17, British diplomats Alex Brooks and David Prodger
offer their reflections on change in Cuba one year post-normalization.
Meet Lazaro Armenteros, the next Cuban baseball star [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019ecs41KwUhsguQrSt8bmjZgbUbjVrX0TqXqjleVTE6zrZSXX-zzD7r944osuSes5-3G_UeYghPu9HJtipef2pUuWq0ovcJp9LFCtjHBLCgbBP8uRHCrIyOznd0FIjTQWCubTGJTwKx2j5R4LBVyGY7WfiQQvEzNAemsZgnelHkk8UD8oukGYEPmwt7YDWi1ySDrkmy-6OonjyIGzVHkmDEYE36bLerFdret8WZOmogvBesWBoamPGXOKOlb9u37SEbW6oPHWdSZ8_M0YdkszvXU7dY0OPP1uGykijmXD8LX8LTS409FR3Y8tdayW5Aw_1bpCcu8OtW35qpS4fXEZWzz8i0_jgYxL01-SWYfOXrAdg3TP3GcmanxB3UG47ptlV5BTXmVTjL8NDVHhUW6KBuk7uYumk586H52LISXy9HbebtVgkoTEdip8HL0ecj3wGxNQ5jWJ14uFETydKZM2Pwa_c27hGIykt-588qyhoyQ=&c=CF5rfZ5KDlfmhVOGWTHtZ-ZLu5bI65LDlPXTzBDOIEZSercraPoOtQ==&ch=_s5A8tiPF6vDvozFL3tQVfxvkdvHrjkPuR0Go-IglypgKkDMz0v6oA==],
USAToday, Bob Nightengale
Recommended Viewing
What a Year for Latin America! [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019ecs41KwUhsguQrSt8bmjZgbUbjVrX0TqXqjleVTE6zrZSXX-zzD7r944osuSes5nm9aaS_w3RfayizOp7DhNBkDEPHqcyQh-L5flqnLEWep5C7Oqy9ohp97JRYtdWCwdeXf7X-NRjQ6g0n1tIzGJKnXfBShlHppKE7k7JoSob3Sm5HizRTMF9OgYQlibYagA_Z4iBUsshKjF4xK3Le6pZd2PjaMspC1oiLR29joNMvi-a9cwYUuSHUsn_X8gKpjKI62sANOlu8foxzXrvj2Cn5SV-5fUHVCNBnj2k6wxHC-D_H390XoDIQ8xsjzFHvPSD6YK6A0Iaaamj7wx4hLiQXmd8V7izohdV_f7C7T1PRLEuvWPobMXtoBa9zhbxgBJSn5qDn0clEjK_mzgkYN7N-tHXvyfm4z_WLEYMCKk4U9d_QVei70JNFKrY5EPuXXnFhFk-1woZb-IXkXvOiP2U3Szi7dmwk6aCAUK2MD0aVhHEBUlKsR2Q==&c=CF5rfZ5KDlfmhVOGWTHtZ-ZLu5bI65LDlPXTzBDOIEZSercraPoOtQ==&ch=_s5A8tiPF6vDvozFL3tQVfxvkdvHrjkPuR0Go-IglypgKkDMz0v6oA==],
Stephen Kurczy, Americas Quarterly
In this photo essay, Kurczy highlights major shifts in Latin American leadership
and policy over the past year.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Until next time,
The Cuba Central Team
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The Cuba Central Newsblast is produced by the Center for Democracy in the Americas
(CDA). CDA is devoted to changing U.S. policy toward Cuba and the other countries
of the Americas by basing our relations on mutual respect, fostering dialogue with
those governments and movements with which U.S. policy is at odds, and recognizing
positive trends in democracy and governance. For more information, check out the
CDA website [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019ecs41KwUhsguQrSt8bmjZgbUbjVrX0TqXqjleVTE6zrZSXX-zzD7vN6Q0fdFF0LeUcrBpz-BCICISLQBke-7bEalgYp6du5Mto9_gYJ96pvGVTN8l_VPgdMCcHJhlOFZCh41aHsx1zCeo5KW9NM8U4pnjcAFrbq6sBuWXP01kyyCzwfw92qrL29YxdJcxSNXBS3-W--a3Za6RHYwFSdG78S-SyvgFPudpTyWFR7isCAhWxfGMbhFpVHRFzmdKeKnT5Luyxd5mRHBQHqoST-_7lssTjAn7G0NmVPT-Hc-PJIFM2sVWkbJaIn-2KBNd2LaRXK2ZZEWew=&c=CF5rfZ5KDlfmhVOGWTHtZ-ZLu5bI65LDlPXTzBDOIEZSercraPoOtQ==&ch=_s5A8tiPF6vDvozFL3tQVfxvkdvHrjkPuR0Go-IglypgKkDMz0v6oA==].
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