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What Elián González Wants for Cuba

What ever happened to Elián González? Belly of the Beast’s Liz Oliva Fernández recently sat down with Elián, now 29 and a father of a 2-year-old daughter, to talk about migration, family, and Cuba’s future. Elián lives a modest life in his hometown of Cárdenas, just a few blocks from his father. As a recently elected lawmaker in Cuba he hopes to improve relations with the United States and the Cuban-American community.

The State of Caba-US Relations: An Interview with Dr.José Ramón Cabañas

In January 2023, Dr José Ramón Cabañas travelled to Britain to talk about his book, US-Cuba Relations: The Inside Story of the 2014 Breakthrough. Dr Cabañas was head of Cuba’s US Interests Section on 17 December 2014, when Presidents Raúl Castro and Barack Obama announced rapprochement and the restoration of diplomatic relations. His new book explains the background and significance of this historic moment in international relations. Helen Yaffe caught up with Cabañas in London. First published by Counter Punch.

The Absurdity of Listing Cuba as a State Sponsor of Terrorism

Trump placed Cuba on the list of State Sponsors of Terrorism. Now the State Dept has reasserted the designation in February. Calla Walsh, the co-chair of the National Network on Cuba, explains its immense impact on the blockade on Cuba and how the US uses the “terrorist” designation politically.

The EU Blocking Statute

The EU Blocking Statute, designed to protect EU companies from the extraterritorial effects of certain U.S. sanctions laws, also applies to the EU banking system. However, some EU banks have been accused of violating the Statute by blocking transactions with Cuba or with the word “Cuba” in the transaction description, thereby illegally complying with U.S. sanctions.

Despite the EU’s efforts to protect its economic interests and uphold international law, some EU banks have chosen to prioritise compliance with U.S. sanctions over the EU Blocking Statute. This has led to criticism that the Statute has been underutilised and that EU companies continue to comply with U.S. sanctions, thereby undermining the EU’s efforts to protect its economic interests.

Embargo on Cuba Hurts U.S. Farmers

Great video from Belly of the Beast from their shorts series, Cuba is a natural market for U.S. farm products, but U.S. sanctions effectively prevent farmers from selling food to Cuba.

Cuba: The Election on March 26th

Cuban society, the Cuban people, has chosen its candidates and the mass organizations, trade unions, students, women, sports, cultural, … no one can be left […]