Raúl Castro and the New Cuba

In 2006, Fidel Castro yielded power over Cuba to his younger brother Raúl, making him the first new president of the island nation in nearly five decades. Raúl has ushered in many changes and reforms, including allowing open criticism of the government, lifting the ban on personal electronics, and allowing farmers to purchase their own equipment. This timely work weaves together expert analysis with narrative accounts from current Cuban citizens to explore the economic, political, legal, and social changes occurring in Cuba under Raúl Castro’s presidency.
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Harlan Abrahams, a Denver-based writer, lawyer, and former law professor, has published many scholarly articles and written several novels, one of which has been optioned for a movie to be shot on location in Havana. He has traveled to Cuba many times since 1998.
Arturo Lopez-Levy, a native of Cuba, is a lecturer and Ph.D. Candidate at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver. He is also a research associate of the Institute for the Study of Israel in the Middle East and teaches Latin American politics and comparative politics at the University of Denver and the Colorado School of Mines. In Cuba, Lopez-Levy worked as Secretary of the B’nai B’rith Lodge of the Cuban Jewish Community and a political analyst for the Cuban government.

Harlan Abrahams and Arturo Lopez-Levy
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 252
Bibliographic Info: 32 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2011
pISBN: 978-0-7864-6527-9
eISBN: 978-0-7864-8890-2
Imprint: McFarland

Preface by Harlan Abrahams      1
Preface by Arturo Lopez-Levy      5

PART I—TWO NEW PRESIDENTS
1. Arturo and Raúl      11
2. Pedro, Carlos and Raúl      32
3. Raúl and Rody      54

PART II—THE NEW CUBA
4. The Economy in the New Cuba      71
5. Politics in the New Cuba      94
6. The Rule of Law in the New Cuba      126

PART III—THE FUTURE OF CUBA
7. Silly Fantasies      149
8. A Detour to Russia?      165
9. The Chinese Model, Europe and Brazil      172

PART IV—THE NEW CONVERGENCE
10. Making Space      191
11. Fits and Starts      200
12. The Path to Reform      209

Chapter Notes      221
Bibliography      229
Index      235