Bring the Spirit of Two Easters to US-Cuba Relations March 29, 2024 Dear Assistant Secretary Nichols and Deputy Minister de Cossio, To Irish Americans who value their ethnic heritage, Easter carries a significance of irrational bravery in the face of a colonial master--and unexpected eventual victory. To persons raised in a Catholic tradition, beyond the chocolate bunnies lies the message of rebirth and salvation. In the spirit of both meanings of Easter, I wish you a happy holiday and want to convey the equally improbable hope that the Barbados agreement on Venezuela can be saved in conjunc ..read more

 A personal dialogue with Cuban friends about Venezuela The Donald Trump / John Bolton linkage of  Venezuela and Cuba was designed to justify greater pressure on Cuba, even containing hints of military intervention. I have argued for a long time, perhaps unrealistically, that the only hope for a restructuring of relations with Cuba was a grand bargain reconciliation. The embargo will only be ended when we provide a reason to do so in terms of US interests.  The moral and political case is completely valid but has no significant impact on US policymakers.   Cuba cannot ..read more

Human rights and sanctions: two sticks Should countries subject their agreements and cooperation to political and legislative changes that undermine the rights of disadvantaged groups? by Rafael Hernandez  March 18, 2024  Orginal Spanish text   https://oncubanews.com/opinion/columnas/con-todas-sus-letras/derechos-humanos-y-sanciones-dos-varas/ The current that raises once again the old anti-communist slogan of toughening policy towards the island and conditioning relations to this or that, in Europe or in Washington, believes it has found in the current Cuban crisis the r ..read more

 Us and the Americans How does history serve us to understand the origins of our problems and as a tool to interpret the present? by Rafael Hernandez  January 3, 2024  Original Spanish text  https://oncubanews.com/opinion/columnas/con-todas-sus-letras/relaciones-cuba-eeuu/ I saw the men of my generation, the lares, sing in ceremonies, rejoice when Cuba and Fidel and that year 60 were just an inferior, invertebrate animal. And I saw them later when Cuba and Fidel and all those things were weight and color and the strength and beauty necessary for a young mammal. I ran with ..read more

The reappearance of Raúl Castro, an unusual event written by Carlos Alzugaray Treto January 8, 2024 Original Spanish in La Joven Cuba  https://jovencuba.com/reaparicion-raul-castro/ For Cubans who, despite everything, are still seriously interested in continuing to analyze national politics, it was surprising to observe what happened in the small square of Parque Céspedes in the city of Santiago de Cuba on the night of the 1st. January 2024, in a solemn evening convened on the occasion of the 65th Anniversary of the Triumph of the Revolution. As is usual in these cases, the first s ..read more

  The Once and Future Irish Link Between Cuba and the US   by John McAuliff      [for presentation at the CIPI Conference, Havana, 12/8/23]   (I have visited Cuba 64 times,  1st in 1971 but all the rest from 1997 after achieved goal of normalization with Viet Nam, Cambodia and Laos.)   Thanks to CIPI and ISRI, in particular to Ambassador Cabanas who played an important role in the opening of bilateral relations   The question might fairly be asked why in a conference about Cuba in the Foreign Policy of the US is there a presentation on th ..read more

Cuba seeks to thaw Biden administration’s cold shoulder BY RAFAEL BERNAL 10/15/23 02:00 PM ET "We are open and willing for more cooperation. We want to turn this relation into a relation not of aggression, but to a relation of respect, respect, cooperation. And also I don't think it's too much to ask the U.S. what they ask of every country: The United States will not even dream and Americans will not ever dream of another country intervening in their domestic affairs," said Johana Tablada. Cuban officials are megaphoning their intent to open wide-ranging negotiations with the Bid ..read more

  Padura: In Cuba "we have hit rock bottom" and  "what is most lacking is hope" by EFE WRITINGJULY 25, 2023 Click to share on Twitter (Opens in a new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in a new window) Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in a new window) The writer Leonardo Padura poses during an interview with EFE in Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic). EFE/ Orlando Barria Santo Domingo, Jul 25 (EFE).- In Cuba "we have hit bottom", "we are experiencing one of the deepest crises" and, more than food or light, "today what is most lacking is hope," he affirms in a ..read more

  XVIII Ibero-American Congress of Thought House of Ibero-America. Holguin   The Casa de Iberoamérica with the co-sponsorship  of the University of Holguín, convene the XVIII Ibero-American Congress of Thought, to be held between October 25 and 27, 2023 in the Cuban city of Holguín, with the fundamental theme: 30th Anniversary of Foundation of the Casa de Iberoamérica, this time in the face-to-face modality. You can participate in the Congress in person, in the categories of author, speaker, lecturer or observer, sharing their experiences about the proposed topics, from articles ..read more

  The Intersection of Cuban and Irish Nationalism in 19th Century New York    by John McAuliff  for presentation at the Latin American Studies Association, Vancouver, 5/25/23   When Ireland’s President Michael D. Higgins visited Cuba in 2017, he spoke about the two countries special bond: “Irish and Cuban people have in common a proud sense of their national identity, a passion for freedom… In the past, both of our people have shared an experience of living in the shadow of a powerful neighbor. We are two island nations who have been marked by colonization and that hav ..read more