Reflections on a visit to the island February 1st-17th 2022

Cuba: Revolution in ruins or still being built?

At the risk of sounding facetious, if capitalism is renowned for the process of “creative destruction” then in an ironic sense one might have to concede that on the face of it, Cuban socialism is marked by a sense of “entropic decay.” At least that is the initial impression one gets walking through the streets of Vedado, Havana, as I made a point of doing on a recent visit for 17 days in February, seven months after the ‘social explosion’ of 11 July 2021, when people took to the streets in unprecedented scenes of protest. These protests were against the government’s handling of the economy, food scarcity and a perceived lack of Covid response that has produced a general anxiety about the future of this socialist revolution, now in its seventh decade with no utopian end anywhere in sight.

What are Cubans currently saying about 15N?

“I do not think that it will succeed. Last July was a surprise, not now, the government is prepared.”

Cubans speak for themselves on 15N

Nils Castro: The people take the initiative

The unforeseen incidents of discontent on July 11, 2021 gave the Cuban leadership the opportunity to go on the offensive with one of the basic qualities of the Revolution: the ability to multiply dialogues with the people and stimulate their participation, in each sector and community, to undertake the solution to their problems.

By Stephen Wilkinson

Cuba and the US: Two narratives and an impending disaster?

Now that the dust is settling on the events in Cuba over Sunday 11 and Monday 12 July, details are beginning to emerge that give us a clearer idea of what actually happened. What is interesting and concerning is the way the Cuban Press has been painstakingly unpicking the events and presenting the Cuban people with a completely alternative narrative to that which is being circulated and repeated in the United States and which, it appears the government in Washington accepts. Both cannot be right and the truth may not lay in between. What is required is a level-headed appraisal and evaluation of the effect of both stories upon their respective audiences. Unfortunately, once again, ideological bias, mistrust and, it has to be said, irrationality and hatred are the enemies of making good policy. The matter is serious, for such is the balance of forces in the debate in the United States that a military intervention in Cuba is now more likely than it has been since the Missile Crisis of 1962.

By Marcel Kunzmann and Stephen Wilkinson

Update on the happenings in Cuba #1

On Saturday 17 July, six days after the disturbances and small street protests that captivated news media across the world, some 100,000 Cubans gathered outside of the American Embassy on the Malecon seafront in Havana to express their support for the Cuban revolutionary government. Similar gatherings were arranged in every city across the island. The world’s media largely ignored the events as they occurred but images shared on social media showed citizens of all ages and considerable numbers of young people expressing their support for the socialist government peacefully.

By Marcel Kunzmann and Stephen Wilkinson

Events in Cuba- What happened?

The events in Cuba on Sunday and Monday of July 11-12 have been widely reported in the media and have been the subject of intense activity on social media. This article has been compiled by a member of the IISC, Marcel Kunzmann and  Stephen Wilkinson. It is summary of the events as we understand them to be and is a fair and honest assessment of the situation that we can make at this time.