CIAO DATE: 02/2015
March 2014
Norwegian Institute of International Affairs
This Report consists of three papers taking stock of the political changes in Cuba by the end of 2013 (with some updates from early 2014): First, Vegard Bye attempts to summarize the status of the Cuban reform processes under president Raul Castro, with emphasis on the link between economic reforms and political transformations. One basic question is whether increasing economic pluralism may also lead to political pluralism, or whether there will rather be a re-concentration of both economic and political power. Second, Armando Chaguaceda looks at the social deteriorations in Cuba. What is at stake are some of the most important achievements of the revolution in terms of health, education and social security. The author argues that these achievements have never been seen in a rights perspective. The paper is published in Spanish. An English summary of the main observations is included in Bye’s paper (Chapter 7). Lastly, Borghild Tønnessen-Krokan describes the polarized debate and issues that have blocked normalization and friendly coexistence, and analyzes constraints and benefits related to dialogue on human rights, security and other contentious issues both inside Cuba and between Cuba and the US in light of a recent thaw.
Resource link: Which Way Cuba? Political transformations, social deterioration and attempted dialogue [PDF] - 2.5M