Reflections on the Cuban Revolution

When I visited Cuba in the first few days of 1992, it was not clear that the revolution would survive. Food was in relatively short supply and electricity blackouts were common. Even long-time supporters of the revolution were pessimistic about the future. Everything that had been accomplished in its first 32 years seemed in jeopardy when the Soviet Union went out of existence at the end of 1991 and canceled most of its trade deals with Cuba. The country’s gross domestic product was in the process of shrinking by 50 percent. How did the Cuban Revolution survive that shock, and how is it now coping with the illness of Fidel Castro and the transfer of power to his brother, Raúl? The answer lies in a simple truth. The primary strength of the Cuban Revolution was never its linkage with the Soviet superpower or the leadership of Fidel Castro

Kwazakhele after twenty years of democracy: the contradictory development of political pluralism and political alienation

The article explores political participation and democratic consolidation in South Africa 20 years after the end of apartheid. It does so through the lens of the residents of Kwazakhele, a black township in Nelson Mandela Bay in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. Two surveys conducted in the month following the May 2014 elections provide the basis for analysing the political attitudes and expectations of older residents and comparing them with those of younger residents of the \u27born free\u27 generation. The findings are that while there is a high level of participation by older residents, there is a significant alienation of youth. At the same time, the consolidation of democracy is evidenced by the growth of political tolerance and political pluralism, shown by the presence and (limited) support for opposition parties. The findings include analysis of how the voting patterns in Kwazakhele contributed to the defeat of the ANC in the 2016 local elections in the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality

El Área de Libre Comercio de las Américas en el contexto de las relaciones estre Estados Unidos y América Latina

El Área de Libre Comercio de las Américas (ALCA) es un acuerdo internacional de comercio dirigido a eliminar las barreras todavía subsistentes al libre flujo de dinero, bienes y servicios a través de las fronteras en el hemisferio occidental (excluyendo aThe Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) is an international trade agreement that aims to eliminate the remaining barriers to the free flow of money, goods, and services across borders in the Western hemisphere (excluding Cuba), to create one large int