The Russians are coming, and I don’t mean that movie from the 1960s with Carl Reiner, Eva Marie Saint, and Alan Arkin. Back then, the Russians showed up in a coastal town. This week, their warships showed up in Cuba, not far from Miami.
U.S.-Cuba policy
On this day in 1959: Fidel Castro appoints himself prime minister of Cuba
We recall another day in Cuban history: “On February 16, 1959, Fidel Castro is sworn in as prime minister of Cuba after leading a guerrilla campaign that forced right-wing dictator Fulgencio Batista into exile. Castro, who became commander in chief of Cuba’s armed forces after Batista was ousted on January 1, replaced the more moderate Miro Cardona as head of the country’s new provisional government.”
Obama’s Cuba Thaw: Still a bad deal ten years later
What did the U.S. get out of this deal? I’m talking about reestablishing diplomatic relations with Cuba 10 years ago. The answer is nothing, unless you are one of those who believes that the Castro regime is about to reform the economy, allow an independent media, and hold multi-party elections.
The Cuba embargo plus 62
On February 7, 1962, President John F. Kennedy issued an executive order broadening the United States’ restrictions on trade with Cuba. In 2019, we spoke with attorney Jason Poblete about the US-Cuba embargo, property confiscation issues and other stories.
A chat about Lopez-Obrador with Allan Wall
Allan Wall, blogger and political contributor, talks about Mexico, the border and migrants plus Lopez-Obrador talking the Cuban embargo and dropping sanctions against Venezuela along other stories.
Nixon was right about Fidel Castro
We remember President Richard M. Nixon, who was born on this day in 1913 and died in 1994. Our family was on the way to a baseball game when we heard the news of his death on the radio. You may remember that Mr. Nixon suffered a stroke earlier in the week, and Mrs. Nixon died the year before. He was never the same after she died, or so I hear from those around him.
The problem is Mexico’s Lopez–Obrador, not the embargo on Cuba
We’ve seen this before. A caravan comes together in Mexico and “walks” to the U.S. border.
Cuba: Living dictator same as dead dictator
Fidel Castro died seven years ago; his brother Raúl is still around, although not very visible; and the appointed successor, Miguel Díaz-Canel, wears business suits to look presidential. Has anything changed? Not really. We may not hear three-hour-long speeches from Fidel Castro, but dissidents still face repression.
1960 and the election that impacted Cuba
63 years ago today, Senator John F. Kennedy defeated Vice-President Richard Nixon to win the 1960 election. Nixon conceded the next day, despite this election being very close. I wonder how many people know how close that JFK-Nixon election was? The two men were separated by about 113,000 votes, or 49.72% to 49.55%!
Reagan stopped Castro in Grenada
Forty years ago this week, President Reagan invaded Grenada. It turned out to be a major victory against Cuba’s Fidel Castro that prevented the Soviets from having another strategic piece of real estate.