#Cuba&039;s National Assembly

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Cuba’s Current Economic and Political Crises

Introduction[1] At least by early December 2023, it was evident that Cuba was experiencing a horrible economic crisis. One commentator put it this way: “Cuba is going through the worst crisis it has experienced in decades, with widespread shortages of food and medicines, rolling blackouts and a sky-high 400% annual inflation rate. The calls on the communist leadership to open up the economy to…

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Nearly All U.N. Members Condemn U.S. Embargo on Cuba

Summary:

In a meeting of the United Nations General Assembly last week, delegates overwhelmingly voted to condemn the United States' continued trade embargo on Cuba, with one holdout being the representative from Israel. The resolution to condemn America's sanctions against Cuba has been brought to the U.N. every year for the past thirty years, gaining more support this year than it ever has. Cuban foreign minister Bruno Rodriguez spoke of the "cruel" toll the embargo has taken on Cuba's economy: over $6 billion since President Biden assumed office, and insurmountably more since it was first instituted in 1960. While President Obama attempted to ease tensions between the U.S. and Cuba, predecessors Trump and Biden have reversed those efforts by enforcing further sanctions. Biden has justified the latest sanctions as a condemnation of Cuba's police response to protests last year, which evolved into violent anti-government protests. But Cuba's UN ambassador Yuri Gala believes, as do most UN members, that "if the United States government really did care for [...] human rights and self-determination of the Cuban people, it could lift the embargo," (Gala, "Only one country backs US in UN Cuba vote").

Analysis:

America's embargo on Cuba is a relic of the Cold War and its efforts to prop up governments around the world that favor capitalism and liberalism – many of which have failed. Most notably, the U.S. provided financial and military support to the regime of dictator Fulgencio Batista in the post-World War II era. Batista was severely authoritarian, but his economic policies allowed the U.S. to benefit from trade with Cuba, and he led a prominent campaign against "Communist activities." America's support for Batista despite his corrupt leadership, and its subsequent hostility towards a Castro-led Cuba, demonstrates the realist theory that states will ultimately abandon principles in favor of self-interest. U.S. foreign policy regarding Cuba prioritized the relative gains of its own power over the idealist approach of cultural consistency. If America truly were a staunch proponent of democracy, it would have condemned Batista's authoritarian abuses and use of secret police forces. But to American officials, creating a capitalist global economy was more advantageous than opposing Batista's anti-democratic dictatorship. Put in terms of the prisoner's dilemma, America chose to confess, not cooperate.

Fidel Castro as a popular leader championing socialist ideals posed an ideological threat to the U.S. in its efforts to emerge as the capitalist global hegemon. It lended legitimacy to the ideals of the Soviet Union, America's opponent in the Cold War and the other end of the bipolar global power structure. While the U.S. enjoyed hegemon status after the Soviet Union fell, growing opposition to the U.S. trade sanctions against Cuba reflect a shift towards a more multipolar power distribution. As nations like China, India, and Russia gain influence, so too do ideologies counter to American and western ideals; socialism and anti-capitalist sentiments are increasingly popular around the world. The U.N.'s near-unanimous vote against America's actions symbolizes a new balance of power that challenges U.S. supremacy on the global stage.

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HAVANA | Cuba eliminates gay marriage language from new constitution

HAVANA | Cuba eliminates gay marriage language from new constitution

HAVANA— Cuba’s government said Tuesday that language promoting the legalization of gay marriage will be removed from the draft of a new constitution after widespread popular rejection of the idea.

Gay rights advocates had proposed eliminating the description of marriage as a union of a man and woman, changing it to the union of “two people … with absolutely equal rights and obligations.”

That…

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Cuba's national assembly is set on Saturday to begin the long-awaited reform of its constitution to give legal backing to the Communist-run island's economic and social opening while upholding the "irrevocable nature of socialism". via Snapzu : Health & Body

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Cuban President Raul Castro (L) and First Vice president Miguel Diaz-Canel speak during the Permanent Working Committees of the National Assembly of the People's Power in Havana, on July 14, 2017

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The Communist regime controlling Cuba announced on Thursday that it would delay both the departure of elderly tyrant Raúl Castro and his likely replacement with hand-picked successor First Vice President Miguel Díaz-Canel in "elections" to be held next year.

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More Details on Cuba’s Declining Population 

After the UN . . . report ”World Population Prospects” recognized the demographic debacle that is sinking the number of inhabitants in Cuba, the island’s government released its own figures to acknowledge that the “effective population” is currently less than ten million people.”[1] “During the debate that followed the presentation of the Migration Bill at the plenary session of the National…

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Additional State Department Briefing on Helms-Burton Changes

Additional State Department Briefing on Helms-Burton Changes

A prior post discussed the changes in U.S. implementation of Title III of the Helms-Burton Act that were announced on April 17 by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and discussed by an Assistant Secretary of State. That same day an unidentified senior official of the Department held a briefing for journalists, apparently at the U.S. Embassy in Havana. Here are highlights of that briefing.[1]

General…

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Cuba’s National Assembly Approves Draft Constitution

Cuba’s National Assembly Approves Draft Constitution

On July 22, Cuba’s National Assembly of Popular Power approved the draft of the new Cuba Constitution. It will now go to a period of “popular consultation, August 13-November 15, and afterwards to a national referendum. [1]

In a concluding address to this session, President Miguel Diaz-Canel said, “The behavior of the economy in the first . . .[half of the year] closes with 1.1 percent growth. A…

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A Pessimistic Assessment of Cuba’s Economic Future

A Pessimistic Assessment of Cuba’s Economic Future

Jorge G. Castañeda, the Foreign Minister of Mexico from 2000 to 2003,[1] has rendered a pessimistic assessment of Latin American socialism, especially in Venezuela and Cuba.[2]

He starts with the assertion that the recent “Cubana de Aviación airliner’s crash in Havana . . . [was an] illustration of the utter bankruptcy of the 21st century socialism.” Later in the article he says, like “the Cuban…

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The Inauguration of Cuba’s New President, Miguel Díaz-Canel

The Inauguration of Cuba’s New President, Miguel Díaz-Canel

On April 19, Miguel Diaz-Canel officially became Cuba’s new President of the Councils of State and Ministers. Born after the Revolution in 1960, he grew up in the central province of Villa Clara, about three hours from Havana, the son of a schoolteacher and a factory worker. He studied electrical engineering at the Central University of Las Villas, where he was active in political life. After…

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Raúl Castro To Remain Cuba’s President for At Least Two More Months  

On December 21, 2017, Cuba’s National Assembly determined that Raúl Castro’s term as President would be extended from February 24 to April 19. The stated reason for the extension was the delay in the start of the electoral cycle caused by Hurricane Irma.[1]

Some, however, speculate that the real reason for the extension is trying to cope with Cuba’s many economic and political problems—slower…

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Cuba’s Elections, 2017-2018

Cuba has elections by private ballot for members of its local legislatures (Municipal Assemblies of People’s Power); provincial legislatures (Provincial Assemblies of People’s Power); and national legislature (National Assembly of People’s Power). The initial such election in 2017-2018 occurred on November 26 for the local legislatures. This post looks at that election and the direct elections…

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U.S. State Department’s Positive Assessment of Cuban Religious Freedom  

On August 15, 2017, the U.S. State Department released its annual report on religious freedom in nearly 200 countries and territories in the world. This report is a requirement pursuant to the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, as amended; legislation that upholds religious freedom as a core American value under the Constitution’s First Amendment, as well as a universal human right.…