Vol. 21, No. 2 February 2013

In the News Travel industry is cautiously optimistic

Cuban biotech booming on expanded P2P opportunities in Cuba Biotechnology, pharmaceuticals comprise BY VITO ECHEVARRÍA A third official who attended last year’s show, a $500 million export sector ...... Page 2 ast March, the New York Times Travel but was absent this time, was Luís Sotolongo Show featured large exhibits by C&T Char- Otero, former director of the San Cristobal trav- Lters and Insight Cuba, along with tourism el agency. He’s reportedly been appointed to Respect in Santiago ministries and travel agencies from Western head Habaguanex SA, which is in charge of run- At summit in Chile, Raúl Castro takes over Europe, Latin America, Africa and the Far East. ning Old Havana’s boutique hotels. This year, things were different. The only Mederos gave a short summary of the travel rotating presidency of CELAC ....Page 4 options Amistur now offers U.S. visitors — Cuba-bound travel agency with a physical pres- namely, politicized tours of various facets of ence at the 2013 show — held Jan. 19 at the Cuban society, like education and healthcare. Political briefs Jacob K. Javitz Convention Center — was Ala- Obama hints at better U.S.-Cuba relations; That’s no surprise, considering that Amistur bama-based International Expeditions, which is part of the government-run Cuban Institute of Contreras welcomed home ...... Page 5 conducts nature-oriented trips worldwide. Friendship with Peoples (ICAP). Despite Cuba’s muted presence there, Amer- Mederos said his company’s tours — which icans hoping to visit the island still managed to give Americans the chance to interact directly Provinces: Villa Clara fill up a room to review legal travel options. with local Cubans — complies with the “people- Central Cuban province’s economy is hit A seminar moderated by anti-embargo to-people” rules for licensed travel to Cuba set hard by sugar sector’s decline .....Page 8 activist John McAuliff, chief of the New York- forth by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office based Fund for Reconciliation and Development, of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). brought back two out of three Cuban travel offi- “We have representatives of Amistur in every Hemingway is watching cials who showed up last year: Eloy Govea, com- province in Cuba,” he said. “Of course, one has Hong Kong-based investment growth fund mercial director of Havanatur, and Eduardo the opportunity to see the beauty of the island.” Mederos, director of Amistur Cuba SA. shows strong interest in Cuba ...Page 11 See Travel, page 7

CARICOM cries foul Caribbean rum distillers claim U.S. excise- Documents show USAID aimed to create tax rebates violate WTO rules ...Page 12 ‘illusion of transparency’ in Cuba efforts Havana Charrette BY TRACEY EATON to write a new one.” Instead, the contractor .S. officials stressed the importance of would carry out a daring plan to set up satellite INTBAU oversees long-term vision to pre- Internet connections under the nose of Cuban serve historic Havana harbor .....Page 13 secrecy during a 2008 meeting with a UMaryland contractor who had been cho- state security agents. USAID promised to protect the identities of sen to carry out a new democracy project in contractors and their associates in and out of Business briefs Cuba, according to a confidential memo. Cuba. “The program is not pressing [and will ETECSA confirms ALBA-1 fiberoptic cable The project wasn’t considered classified, how- not press] them to disclose networks,” said the is now activated for Internet ...... Page 14 ever, because the U.S. Agency for International memo, which DAI filed in federal court on Jan. Development (USAID) wanted to create the illu- 15 as part of its reply to a $60 million lawsuit sion of transparency. filed by the Gross family in November 2012. Bookshelf Development Alternatives Inc. of Bethesda, The memo stressed the unusual nature of the ‘Immigrant Prince,’ ‘Selling Guantánamo’ Md., won the USAID contract on Aug. 14, 2008, program: “The project was not classified be- and quickly hired Alan Gross, who was later and ‘The Great Game in Cuba’ ...Page 15 cause USAID wanted to send the message that arrested in Cuba while working on the project. this is a transparent process. Also, a classified DAI wrote the confidential memo to summa- project imposes significant security, documenta- CubaNews (ISSN 1073-7715) is published monthly tion burdens and delays on all its stakeholders.” by CUBANEWS LLC. © 2013. All rights reserved. rize what was said during a private Aug. 26, Annual subscription: $398. Nonprofit organizations: 2008, meeting with top USAID officials. USAID wanted no delays and was eager to $198. Printed edition is $100 extra. For editorial in- During that meeting, DAI learned that Wash- move ahead. The memo said: “This Administra- quires, please call (305) 393-8760, fax your request ington had “five to seven different transition tion expects immediate results from this pro- to (305) 670-2229 or email [email protected]. plans” for Cuba, and that it would “not be asked See USAID, page 6 2 CubaNews v February 2013 MEDICINE Cuba seeks to decentralize biotech, pharmaceutical sector BY DOMINGO AMUCHASTEGUI Between 1981 and 1986, Cuba invested $1.8 ed in 66 countries. Joint ventures had been iotechnology and pharmaceuticals now billion to establish its first, and largest, scien- established or were being negotiated with bring Cuba close to $500 million a year tific pole on the outskirts of Havana: the Polo China, Malaysia, India, Russia, Brazil and Bin foreign exchange, second only to Científico del Oeste. Other smaller poles Spain, to name a few. nickel exports. So says Dr. Luís Herrera Mar- have been set up in the provinces of Maya- Nevertheless, securing intellectual proper- tínez, director of Cuba’s Center of Genetic ty rights is half the battle. Breaking into new Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGBC). markets and associating with big biotech Surprising? Not quite. In 2006, the Nobel firms has been — and continues to be — a Prize-winning chemist Robert Huber of Ger- considerable obstacle, due to these multina- many’s Max Planck Institute said Cuba’s deci- LUXNER LARRY tionals’ connections to U.S. markets and laws. sion to promote biotech was “bold but wise … Even so, the biotech sector has taken its and already is beginning to bear fruit.” rightful place in the Cuban economy. By 2007, In 2011, the U.S. journal Nature said Cuba’s said Dr. Agustín Lage Dávila, director of the biotech industry “is the best established com- Molecular Engineering Center (CIM), “Cuba pared to all developing nations.” had created the foundations for a transition to These achievements didn’t just come out of an economy based on knowledge.” the blue. Since the 1964 creation of the Na- The industry has won numerous awards tional Center for Scientific Research (CNIC in Vials of cancer vaccine made by Havana’s CIM. and medals by such institutions as the World Spanish), 54 institutions of higher learning Organization of Intellectual Property, Lloyds have been established, as well as 220 entities beque, Santa Clara, Cienfuegos, Ciego de Register, the World Health Organization dedicated to science and technology. Avila, Sancti Spíritus, Camagüey, Holguín and (WTO) and the United Nations Children’s Cuba boasts more than 20,000 science pro- Santiago de Cuba (see map, facing page). Emergency Fund (UNICEF). fessors at the university level, not to mention By 2006, the results were tangible: 150 Early last year, 600 scientists and execu- 37,500 researchers and technicians and a Cuban biotech and pharmaceutical products tives from 40 countries including the United reserve of nearly 1,200 scientists. had been registered, and 500 patents request- States gathered in Cuba for Biotecnología NEJM on health care in Cuba he prestigious New England Journal of The downside to Cuba’s biotech ‘miracle’ Medicine, in a generally favorable article Ton Cuba, nevertheless warns that “one espite the hype surrounding Cuba’s [President Hugo] Chávez will affect future should not romanticize Cuban health care.” much-vaunted medical and biotech- relations with Venezuela.” D She noted that the budget of Havana’s Dr. Edward W. Campion and Stephen Mor- nology sector, the island’s healthcare rissey, Ph.D., writing in the weekly maga- faces serious shortages which the Castro Latin American School of Medicine (ELAM) zine’s Jan. 24 issue, says that while Cuba’s regime would rather not talk about. is being cut in half, and that the school will “highly structured, prevention-oriented sys- That’s the word from scholar and Latin no longer admit American students. tem has produced positive results” — such as America specialist Elaine Scheye, who runs “At least 65 drugs are either currently no the world’s highest vaccination rates and a life The Scheye Group Ltd. a global advisory longer available, or are projected to be in expectancy comparable to that of the United service on biotechnology-related issues. severe shortage or become unavailable,” States — “the system is not designed for con- “It is really a confluence of several factors she told ASCE delegates. sumer choice or individual initiatives.” causing this problem, an internal set of “Shortages may be due to medical per- “There is no alternative, private-payer problems as well as external factors. There’s sonnel stealing from hospitals and policlini- health system. Physicians get government no planning or very poor planning, or plan- cas, or selling drugs on the black market. benefits such as housing and food subsidies, ning only when wolves are at the door,” said Many surgeries must be postponed or can- but they are paid only about $20 per month,” the Chicago-based consultant. celled due to lack of sufficient anasthesia.” She mentioned a failure to attract new said the authors, who visited Cuba recently. “Misplaced priorities is another issue, business. A decade ago, there were 700 joint “Their education is free, and they are respect- where the dollars are being spent, as well as ventures, only 258 in 2009 and 240 now. ed, but are unlikely to attain personal wealth.” the whole issue of medical tourism and med- On the other hand, she said, “despite The article, “A Different Model — Medical ical diplomacy that is causing some unin- severe drug shortages, Cuba pays for plas- Care in Cuba,” noted that a nephrologist in tended health effects internally.” tic reconstructive surgery, facelifts, breast Cienfuegos lists 77 patients on dialysis in the Scheye gave a presentation at last Aug- implants and sex-change operations.” province, which on a population basis is about ust’s Association for the Study of the Cuban As to whether the Cuban health-care sys- 40% of the current U.S. rate — similar to the Economy (ASCE) conference in Miami. The tem can be sustained, Scheye has a few rec- U.S. rate in 1985. A neurologist said his hos- title of her paper: “Why is biotechnology a ommendations: reorganize and regionalize pital got a CT scanner only 12 years ago. crown jewel and yet Cubans can’t get a pre- health services to allow for efficient and “U.S. students who are enrolled in a Cuban scription filled?” rational use of large and expensive available medical school say that operating rooms run She said the Cuban market for medicine resources, especially technology. quickly and efficiently but with very little stands at around $643 million in 2011 — yet “Obviously, not every medical condition technology. Access to information through in per-capita terms it’s still one of the small- requires a physician, but on the other hand, the Internet is minimal,” the article adds. est in the region. when you need one, can you get one?” she “One medical student reports being limited to “Medical tourism is alive and flourishing. pointed out. “This is really the start of man- 30 minutes per week of dial-up access.” There’s a Cuban hospital in Qatar, and Cuba aged care and rationing — a precursor to Details: New England Journal of Medicine, continues to be committed to international full-blown managed care.” 860 Winter St., Waltham, MA 02451-1413. URL: medical diplomacy, but the longevity of – LARRY LUXNER www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp1215226. February 2013 v CubaNews 3

Biopharmaceuticals — FROM PAGE 2 Habana 2012, an event that takes place every two years. Cuba’s portfolio consists of 230 patents and is classified into four branches: n Vaccines that fight 27 key diseases including meningitis, dengue fever, hepatitis B and C, haemophilus influenza and various types of advanced lung and prostate cancer. These vaccines treat everything from nervous system tumors to diabetic foot ulcers (see “Heberprot-P holds promise for diabetics with foot ulcers,” CubaNews, Dec. 2012, page 12). n Agriculture breakthroughs by way of transgenic seeds, biopesti- cides, biolarvicides, a rodenticide known as Biorat, therapeutic and viral vaccines against allergies, in-vitro flowering and other technologies. n Improvement of cattle-raising standards and livestock diseases, milk preservation (Stabilak), enzyme activators, molecule production and treatment of animal ticks (GAVAC). n Various equipment for medical facilities and services. In recent years, Cuba has begun experimenting with cloning and nano- technology. Officials have repeatedly said they’re taking this leap to avoid “the risk of being excluded irreversibly from tomorrow’s world.” In addition, 12 new major biomedical experiments are underway in Cuba, followed by clinical tests in the European Union and throughout Latin America. Since last year, Cuba has been redesigning its R&D institutions, poli- cies and projects. The biotech branch and its Polo Científico del Oeste — where the bulk of Cuba’s research, production and marketing takes place — will merge with the 60 or so pharmaceutical entities now under Corporación Quimefa (which until recently has claimed to provide as much as 90% of Cuba’s medicine needs). The new conglomerate will be called BioCubaFarma. It is to encom- pass 38 research centers, 16 production centers, 19 marketing firms and three services firms. The whole process will continue following the “closed loop” integrated system — meaning labs, factories and marketing departments will all be under one roof. Ideas will go from lab to market in a fraction of the time. BioCubaFarma’s leading body will be the Centro de Estudios Avanzados de Cuba [Center for Advanced Studies, or CEAC). The merged entities will no longer depend on state budgets or subsi- dies of any kind. They will have to be financially self-sufficient and com- pletely decentralized from the state — a typical pattern for the future of all of Cuba’s industries and services. At Biotech Habana 2012, Nobel Prize-winning U.S. professor Peter Agre praised Cuba’s immunization programs, R&D and public health strategies. “The biggest patrimony that Cuba has are its young scientists, highly qualified and with a lot of enthusiasm for their work,” he said. “There is a lot to learn from Cuba.” q Former Cuban intelligence officer Domingo Amuchastegui has lived in Miami since 1994. He writes regularly for CubaNews on the Communist Party, Cuba’s internal politics, economic reform and Florida’s Cuban exile community. 4 CubaNews v February 2013 POLITICAL ANALYSIS Cuba wins regional support at CELAC summit in Santiago BY ODETTE MAGNET FMPR leader Juan Gutierrez Fischmann — In a letter from the UDI, which Pinera said uban President Raúl Castro has taken who is nicknamed “El Chele” and who’s mar- he’d deliver to Raúl, party leaders said “al- over the rotating presidency of the Com- ried to Raúl Castro’s daughter — is one of the most 22 years after the assassination of Jaime Cmunity of Latin American and Carib- masterminds of the Guzmán assassination. Guzmán, due to either inertia or deliberation, bean States (CELAC in Spanish) — an organ- According to them, this information was no one has been sentenced for this act.” ization founded in December 2011 at the urg- kept secret until April 1996. A judicial investi- The letter concluded: “It is not possible that ing of Venezuela’s Hugo Chávez. gation determined that two FPMR militants, the murderers of a senator of our country Raúl praised the ailing Chávez, who is Ricardo Palma Salamanca and Raúl Escobar continue to be sheltered. In keeping with our recovering from cancer surgery in a Havana Poblete, took part in the killing. code which rejects all forms of violence, we hospital, at the CELAC meeting in Santiago, The investigation also found that Galvarino recur to reason. Because of this we are asking Chile. Speaking Jan. 28, he hailed the 33- Apablaza, Mauricio Hernández Norambuena for truth and justice.” member bloc as “a common vision of the larg- er Latin American and Caribbean homeland and its people.” CELAC is a counterweight to the economic “After 30 years of resisting this criminal imperial blockade, and political power of the United States, which has frozen Cuba out of other summits. Latin America and the Caribbean is using a single voice to tell According to an AP report, Uruguayan the United States: All your attempts to isolate Cuba are failing.” President José Mujica said it was refreshing to meet European presidents and prime min- — VENEZUELA’S HUGO CHÁVEZ, IN A LETTER READ TO DELEGATES AT THE CELAC SUMMIT IN CHILE isters on equal terms “without the boss from the north” at the table. At the summit, Venezuela’s vice-president, Nicolas Maduro, read a lengthy typewritten and Juan Gutiérrez Fischmann organized the Pinera finally met with Raúl for 50 minutes. letter signed by Chávez, in which the 58-year- attack. UDI party members say most of these During the encounter, the Chilean president old leader asks CELAC member states to re- men currently reside in Cuba. was supposed to have asked his Cuban coun- main unified and fight economic imperialism. The Chilean government supports UDI’s terpart to expedite the extradition of those demands. At a press conference shortly be- “We have to live with our differences ... implicated in the Guzmán assassination. UDI fore Raúl Castro’s arrival, President Sebastian always trying to find the best way of comple- leader Melero later said the Chilean govern- Pinera warned that “we want that all crimes, ment “had done its duty.” q menting each other. We cannot let intrigues especially one as grave as the assassination of divide us,” said the letter. “After 30 years of a senator, to be acknowledged and judged by resisting this criminal imperial blockade, Odette Magnet, former press attaché at Chile’s our courts and those responsible to face the embassies in Washington and London, is a free- Latin America and the Caribbean is using a consequences of their actions.” single voice to tell the United States: All your lance journalist and writer now living in Santiago. attempts to isolate Cuba are failing.” But Raúl Castro’s visit was not well- received by the Chilean right. On Jan. 25, the Unión Democrata Independiente (UDI) party Jump in Cuban travel to U.S. seems unlikely published a statement in Chilean newspapers uba’s new travel policy has resulted in Cuba, like health care and property rights. expressing its opposition to the Cuban gov- a rush of Cubans seeking new pass- But that doesn’t mean that every Cuban C who asks for a passport will get one. ernment and calling Raúl “one of the major ports and packing their bags, but few dictators of the Western world.” of those would-be travelers will be coming to Yoani Sánchez, an activist blogger and the United States anytime soon. critic of the Cuban government who’s been CHILE WANTS ANSWERS IN ‘91 ASSASSINATION The U.S. Interests Section in Havana in- denied permission to travel outside Cuba before, doubted dissidents would be given That was not all. UDI President Patricio terviews all prospective travelers to the U.S. There’s a 443-day wait for those interviews, passports but lined up to get one anyway. Melero had tried unsuccessfully to deliver a She was successful obtaining a passport, letter to the Cuban Embassy in Santiago to which are conducted to make sure those granted non-immigrant status don’t stay. Sánchez wrote happily a week later on get the Castro regime to turn over informa- Twitter. But another dissident, Angel Moya tion on former members of the Manuel Rodrí- State Department spokesman William Ostick said USINT-Havana is limited to only — who was jailed in a 2003 crackdown — guez Patriotic Front (FPMR). said he was denied a passport. That group was a disbanded far-left organi- 50 employees, “so that doesn’t give us a lot There’s a way Cubans who don’t want to zation involved in the April 1991 killing of of capacity to process more visas.” wait years to travel to the United States to Chilean senator Jaime Guzmán, a well-known But interest in visiting the States remains circumvent the process: they can go to third lawyer, founder of the UDI and political strate- high among Cubans anyway. Ostick report- countries and apply for U.S. entry there. gist for the Pinochet dictatorship. ed an 8% spike in calls to the U.S. mission Because the 1966 Cuban Adjustment Act But a sign posted at the building’s entrance seeking interviews after Cuba unveiled its allows all Cubans who enter the U.S. to apply said the embassy was closed to the public. new migration policy on Jan. 14. for legal status, traveling legally through “Once again they are refusing to accept de- Cuba adopted strict exit-visa laws in 1961 third countries provides Cubans an alterna- mocratic expressions, once again the Cuban to prevent a mass exodus from the island. tive to taking risky trips by sea. government does not want to accept that With the new law, nearly all Cubans can Ostick expressed cautious optimism re- democracy and courts of justice can take travel after applying for a passport and the garding Havana’s new migration policy, say- action,” said Melero, who was joined by a relevant entry visa for their destination. ing “we encourage safe migration, and we do group of UDI party members — all of them They can stay out of the country for up to not encourage people to risk their lives.” opposed to the presidential visit. two years before they lose certain rights in – ANA RADELAT Melero and other party leaders insist that February 2013 v CubaNews 5 POLITICAL BRIEFS OBAMA ON CUBA: ‘IT’S GOTTA BE A TWO-WAY STREET’ In their own words … President Barack Obama, in a Jan. 30 interview “He told us with great strength: ‘I am optimistic, I trust completely in the treat- with Noticiero Telemundo TV news anchor José ments I am undergoing, I will beat this again. I’m holding onto Christ and life.’” Díaz-Balart, offered some hope that U.S.-Cuba ties would improve during his second term in office. — Nicolas Maduro, vice president of Venezuela, in a Jan. 29 message from the Havana “We have tried to make overtures that were sickbed of his cancer-striken boss, 58-year-old Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez. good for the Cuban people, you know, loosening up remittances from family members, loosening “During his time in Congress, Hagel supported legislation that would have up travel for family members back to Cuba, provided a lifeline to the decrepit Castro regime that for the last half a century because our view has been that that empowers has exploited the Cuban people and posed a severe security threat to the United civil society inside of Cuba,” he told Telemundo. States ... In a time of regional turmoil and rogue regimes, our secretary of “But what we’ve also said is that, in order for us defense must stand up to dictators like the Castro brothers who seek to oppress to see an actual normalization of relations the voices of democracy and freedom.” between the United States and Cuba, we have to — Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), chair of the House Mideast and North Africa sub- do something about all those political prisoners.” committee, in a statement objecting to Chuck Hagel’s nomination as defense secretary. Obama, speaking from the White House, told Díaz-Balart that “we don’t expect every country to “I think having a secretary of state and a secretary of defense who understand operate the way we do. And obviously, we do busi- and are willing to speak publicly that isolation is counterproductive is a very ness with a lot of countries around the world that good start. I’m optimistic about the opportunity.” don’t meet our standards in terms of constitutions — Tomás Bilbao, executive director of the Cuba Study Group, which advocates using and rights. My hope is that, slowly but surely, the engagement to spur democratic change, in a Jan. 27 interview aired by ABC News. Cuban leadership begins to recognize that it’s time to join the 21st century.” “The Cubans will celebrate having Hagel in the Pentagon. Not only will they The president added: “It’s one thing to have see that as a sign of weakness but as an invitation to push the envelope. Instead cars from the 1950s. It’s another thing when your of reducing the chance of conflict, the opposite is true.” whole political ideology is 50 or 60 years old — — and it’s been proven not to work.” Frank Calzón, chief of the Center for a Free Cuba, speaking to the Washington Post. Obama concluded by saying: “I think we can have progress over the next four years. I’m happy “I’ve often felt that if we want a real get-tough policy with the Castro brothers, to engage it. I think it would be good for the we should force them to deal with spring break once or twice.” Cuban people. But it’s gotta be a two-way street.” — Rep. Jeff Flake (R-AZ), joking during a congressional hearing Jan. 25 to confirm Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry as U.S. secretary of state, replacing Hillary Clinton. RUBIO TO OPPOSE HAGEL DEFENSE NOMINATION Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) has decided to vote “To suggest that spring break is a form of torture to the Castro regime, unfor- against the confirmation of former Nebraska Sen. tunately, they are experts of torture as evidenced by the increasing brutal crack- Chuck Hagel to be the next secretary of defense, down on peaceful democracy advocates on the island.” the Washington Post reported Jan. 31. — Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ), scandal-plagued chairman of the Senate Foreign “I oppose his confirmation because of his views Relations Committee, who was clearly not amused by Flake’s comments (see above). on U.S. policy toward Cuba, his past opposition to tough Iran sanctions, his questionable comments “One sun rose on us today, kindled over our shores, peeking over the Smokies, in the past about U.S. support for Israel and his greeting the faces of the Great Lakes, spreading a simple truth across the Great support for direct, bilateral negotiations with Plains, then charging across the Rockies...” North Korea,” said Rubio, an embargo supporter — Richard Blanco, a Miami-raised child of Cuban exiles, reciting his 583-word poem, and one of the rising stars of the Republican Party. ‘One Today,’ at President Obama’s Jan. 21 inauguration. Blanco is 44 and gay. DEFECTOR CONTRERAS WELCOMED WARMLY IN CUBA “Gracious and eternal God, as we conclude the second inauguration of Presi- Baseball star José Ariel Contreras received a dent Obama, we ask for your blessings as we seek to become, in the words of hero’s welcome in his homeland 11 years after Martin Luther King, citizens of a beloved community, loving you and loving our defecting from Cuba, which historically has brand- neighbors as ourselves.” ed defecting athletes as traitors, the Associated — Press reported Jan. 30. Rev. Luís León, a Cuban-born Episcopal priest and Operation Pedro Pan veteran Contreras, 41, is the first athlete to take advan- who delivered some brief remarks in Spanish at the Jan. 21 inauguration ceremony. tage of a new migratory law which took effect Jan. 14 and which, among other things, makes it easier “It makes us immensely happy that Contreras is here in Cuba, his land, the for defectors to visit their homeland. country where he was born, a place he defended in other moments. The deci- Hundreds of onlookers turned out to have their sion he has made is very personal, and it has to be respected.” picture taken with him at a park in Pinar del Río, — Miguel Díaz, wearing a red New York Yankees cap as he spoke Jan. 29 to Reuters. where he played professionally before leaving Cuba, according to dissident Dagoberto Valdes. “On behalf of all those who called Oswaldo and Harold friends and heroes, we “What impresses me most is the enthusiasm and are called to humbly honor their memory and ensure we never forget their lega- welcome he was given by his fans, who received cy. They were both personal heroes of mine and, for many of us at Roots of Hope, him as a hero,” Valdes told AP. “It was a very emo- true giants among men and individuals who deeply inspired us through their liv- tional encounter with the people.” ing example of courage, compassion, hope and peace.” Contreras abandoned the Cuba squad in Mon- — Felice Gorordo, founder of Roots of Hope (Raices de Esperanza), writing terrey, Mexico, in 2002, and a year later signed Jan. 27 in the Miami Herald about dissidents Oswaldo Payá and Harold with the New York Yankees. He won a World Cepero — both of whom died in a July 22, 2012, car crash in eastern Cuba Series with the Chicago White Sox in 2005, and that many observers believe was caused by agents of the Castro regime. later played for Colorado and Philadelphia. 6 CubaNews v February 2013 DAI asked Gross to handle “new media” — can be used to establish a broadband Internet USAID — FROM PAGE 1 satellite Internet connections — described as connection from anywhere in the world. gram, definitely before mid-January.” the “most sensitive component in a very sen- Users can also make phone calls, send emails That deadline likely had something to do sitive project.” And during four trips to Cuba, and set up a WiFi network.” with the departure of George W. Bush, a Gross established three Internet connections In follow-up visits, Gross wanted to learn strong supporter of USAID’s Cuba programs, — one in Havana, two outside the capital. how Cubans were using BGAN equipment, and the arrival of Barack Obama, who was DAI paid him $258,274. He requested more increase the number of users at each site and sworn in as president on Jan. 20, 2009. money to continue the project and was prom- boost security so they wouldn’t be caught. The project was entitled “Cuba Democracy ised $332,334, which would have brought his He considered it “highly probable” that and Contingency Planning Program” or subcontract total to $590,608, records show. state security agents would detect the satellite CDCPP. The memo gave explicit instructions In late November 2009, Gross returned to connections in the provinces, where signals on how the initiative should be described if Cuba a fifth time. Cuban authorities arrested are more easily detected. He wrote: any lawmakers should ask about it. him Dec. 3, 2009, and accused him of crimes “Even limited use of BGANs and wireless “Explanation to the Hill regarding CDCPP: against the socialist state. networks will be monitored and detected to empower pro-democracy, pro-human rights Gross called his effort “Para La Isla” — For because Island government technicians rou- and those looking for alternative visions for The Island.” According to a 13-page proposal tinely ‘sniff’ neighborhoods with their hand- the island. The program seeks to expand the he wrote after his first four trips to Cuba: held devices in search of ham-radio and satel- reach of their ideas and activities, to build and “Efforts to date under the Para-La-Isla Pilot lite dishes. While wireless computer networks fortify networks and their capacity to act, and have been focused on establishing and opera- [intranet] are not likely to cause any problem to increase the flow of communication to and tionalizing 3 sites on the Island through which if detected, discovery of BGAN usage for around the island.” target group members now have greater ac- Internet access would be catastrophic.” cess to information than they had previously.” GROSS SUBCONTRACT WAS WORTH $590,608 In the undated memo, Gross proposed six USAID TECHNOLOGY: ‘TELCO-IN-A-BAG’ That vague description gave no clues to the additional trips to Cuba his company would Gross planned to install special SIM cards in project’s clandestine nature, but the DAI carry out from Nov. 1, 2009, to Oct. 31, 2010. the three BGAN systems that would disable memo was clear: “CDCPP is not an analytical The memo stated: “Activities initially devel- their GPS tracking feature and make them project; it’s an operational activity.” oped under this pilot at the first site in the cap- more difficult to detect. The memo said USAID picked DAI in part ital city have been replicated and expanded to During the last three of the six trips that because of its international reach. two other target group member communities Gross planned, he had hoped to supply “up to “USAID would like to tap into the global in the provinces. These activities can be an additional three prospective new target network of contacts that DAI has in terms of expanded to other identified target groups.” group sites” with what he described as “Telco- democracy promotion...” Planes flying in to in-a-Bag.” Each would include unlocked Cuba from Europe, Central America and the GROSS: DISCOVERY WOULD BE ‘CATASTROPHIC’ smartphones, a 120GB iPod, a BGAN satellite Caribbean look “less conspicuous.” That likely means that Gross and DAI had modem, a MacBook, a 500GB external hard Grant limits to non-U.S. NGOs “have no envisioned taking the program beyond the drive and other equipment. funding ceiling,” the memo added. But: Jewish community where Gross installed his The memo said Gross and DAI would reach “Cuban security apparatus is very strong so first Internet connection. “an amicable agreement on how to resolve or non-US NGOs should be vetted.” Gross had supplied his Cuban collaborators settle” any differences if forces beyond their with Broadband Global Area Network equip- control prevented the project’s completion. ment. The BGAN, which fits into a backpack, See USAID, page 7 February 2013 v CubaNews 7 Sol Meliá, Barceló Hotels and the Rex luxury ing Cuba travel packages in June 2012. Travel — FROM PAGE 1 car rental agency to fulfill such VIP requests. One category of licenses is actually under- One thing Mederos didn’t mention is that Private villa and resort suite rentals can utilized, said McAuliff: religious travel. Amistur also books international “solidarity also be made available through Havanatur “Any religious organization of any kind can brigades” that promote the Cuban Revolution. Prestige. So can special packages, from wed- go,” he said. “Again, with a letter from the The best-known of these is the Venceremos dings to cigar tours, golf outings and diving minister or a rabbi or priest saying they’re go- Brigade, which since 1969 has sent over 8,000 excursions — a far cry from the slim pickings ing [to Cuba] for religious activities. It doesn’t American anti-embargo activists to Cuba. Amistur’s idealistic guests are offered. mean that they’re going there just to worship. These visitors enjoy a “hands-on” approach It’s no coincidence that the introduction of The U.S. government can’t say some are OK to learning about the revolution by harvesting such VIP options for deep-pocketed and others aren’t OK.” sugar cane, painting buildings, fixng struc- Americans follows the Castro regime’s warm Both McAuliff and fellow speaker Bob tures and hauling construction materials. welcome for wealthy foreigners overall — and Guild, vice-president of New Jersey-based Meanwhile, Havanatur’s Govea highlighted for Cubans who defected long ago and now Marazul Charters, hope President Obama’s his agency’s priority in getting U.S. tourists to want to return for short visits. second term will usher in more Cuba travel see Cuba beyond the well-known attractions opportunities for Americans. of Havana and Varadero. ‘SCARED TO DEATH OF DOING ANYTHING WRONG’ “Maybe with a new secretary of state [John “We are trying to diversify our offerings Last October, Cuba revised its immigration Kerry], we can put an end to these restric- like Holguín, Santiago de Cuba and Baracoa, law to let foreigners who own real estate on tions,” said Guild. Meanwhile, McAuliff is the first Spanish settlement in Cuba,” Govea the island to apply for a one-year visa to enter optimistic that more U.S. travel entities will be said, adding that “Camagüey has the largest Cuba, renewable for an extra year. allowed to offer Cuba packages in 2013. historical center in Cuba and will celebrate its Besides these Cuban travel agencies, only “You had 50 to 60 P2P licensees last year. 500th anniversary in 2014. It has some of the U.S.-based agencies Marazul Charters and We think now it’s over 140. So that’s different most beautiful architecture in Cuba. You can International Expeditions were on hand to from last year,” he said. “The groups finally easily spend six days there, doing something give advice on legal travel to Cuba. got their renewals for two years. They now have a window to do serious business plan- different and interesting each day. However, efforts by Sen. Marco Rubio (R- ning, and that’s an important difference.” Havanatur has also begun marketing a VIP FL) to derail people-to-people travel last year One company already taking advantage of concierge service to American travelers. Hav- were still on the minds of some attendees. “We as license holders are scared to death the more conducive business climate is anatur Prestige includes butler service at var- Insight Cuba, which was conspicuously ious Cuban hotels, chauffeured transporta- of doing anything wrong, so we’re going to be sure that everyone is doing what they’re sup- absent from this year’s Travel Show. tion to and from the airport, exclusive beach “Insight Cuba doesn’t need to come here,” posed to do,” said Steve Cox, co-founder of and pool areas, laundry and spa service. McAuliff said of the company, which is based It works with hotel chains like Gran Caribe, International Expeditions, which began offer- in New Rochelle, N.Y. and relies on ads pur- chased on popular websites like YouTube and Facebook. “It has people knocking at its door. Why should it spend $4,000 on a booth?” q Marysol travel firm offers VIP services Vito Echevarria, a New York-based freelance ack in 2008, Panama-based Marysol late December appearance at Havana’s 28th journalist, has written for CubaNews since our Travel Services SA offered a service Annual Jazz Plaza International Festival. establishment in 1993 about business, music, cul- Bwhich at that time was rather unusual: Sommers first performed in Havana’s La ture and sports, and more recently e-commerce. rentals of dream villas and condos in Zorra y El Cuervo Jazz Club, followed by upscale Havana districts like Miramar and another act at the Havana Jazz Café, and Siboney, and nearby Playa del Este. afterwards at the Hotel Meliá Cohiba. The website that Marysol’s owners had There, he jammed with Cuban celebrities USAID — FROM PAGE 6 set up, www.cubaluxuryrent.com, was also like Oscar Valdes (co-founder of the Irakere But there was no amicable agreement after offering everything from 24-hour limo serv- and lead musician of the Diákara band), as Gross was arrested and Gross and his wife, ice complete with Russian-speaking drivers well as Jorge Luis Pacheco, Alejandro Fal- Judy, sued DAI and USAID. to butlers, chefs, maids, yacht rentals and cón y Cubadentro, Achy Lam y Afrocuba, On Jan. 15, DAI asked a federal judge to entry into exclusive Havana nightspots. Carlos Averfoff and Wil Campa. throw out the lawsuit. Lawyers for DAI said These days, Marysol has three travel “We were very pleased to work with the company wasn’t required to protect Gross sites: www.marysoltravel.com, www.partic- Jimmy arranging his trip,” said Nagy. “We because he was an independent contractor ularcuba.com and www.cubanaturetravel.- are most proud of being able to organize his who should have done more to avoid arrest. com — and it has expanded its offerings to performances with Oscar Valdes and other “In sum, DAI had no duty to protect Mr. licensed U.S. visitors to Cuba. famous jazz musicians. We also organized Gross from the type of injury he suffered, and “Marysol Travel Cuba offers quality spe- sightseeing trips for him, where he learned no exception to this rule is applicable given cial-interest programs to Cuba, such as eco about the history of Cuba and its people.” his admitted status as an employee of an inde- and nature trips, educational travel, archi- Marysol’s recent addition of Americans pendent contractor. Whether his injury was tectural tours, art travel, photo travel, cul- to its clientele occurred during the higher- foreseeable is a factual question that does not tural and artistic events, conferences and profile Havana Film Festival last December. change this analysis.” festivals,” said the company’s Havana-based Among the Hollywood figures attending The Cuban government — not DAI — are sales director, Tamas Nagy. that festival: actress Annette Bening, film ultimately to blame for any harm done to “All these trips are in line with the cur- director Lisa Cholodenko and Hawk Koch, Gross and his wife, the lawyers said. rent U.S. people-to-people travel policy to president of the Academy of Motion “DAI deeply regrets that Mr. and Mrs. Cuba, providing a great opportunity for U.S. Pictures Arts and Sciences of America. Gross have suffered harm due to the actions of the Cuban government while Mr. Gross citizens to explore the culture and people of Details: Marysol Travel Services, Miramar Cuba legally.” was undertaking activities in Cuba to further Trade Center, Edificio Beijing, Planta Baja, the U.S. Government’s foreign policy.” q To drum up business, Marysol handled Ave. 3ra esq. 78, 10200 La Habana. Tel: +53 the travel arrangements for American jazz 5 263-1786. Email: [email protected]. Tracey Eaton, former Havana bureau chief of saxophonist Jimmy Sommers during his – VITO ECHEVARRÍA the Dallas Morning News, now lives in St. Augus- tine, Fla., and writes regularly for CubaNews. 8 CubaNews v February 2013

GEOGRAPHY Villa Clara economy hit hard by decline of sugar industry age decrease of 0.2%. This contrasts with the period from 1991 to This is the sixth in a series of monthly articles on Cuba’s 15 provinces by 2001, when Villa Clara gained 18,800 inhabitants (or 0.2% growth). geographer Armando H. Portela, who has a Ph.D. in geography from the The collapse of the sugar industry after 2002 — until then the Soviet Academy of Sciences. Portela currently resides in Miami. province’s chief employer — put a further brake on population recovery and sparked an exodus from Villa Clara. BY ARMANDO H. PORTELA About 25.7% of the province’s inhabitants live in Santa Clara, the Villa Clara is one of three provinces created in 1976 after the division capital. With 205,245 residents, Santa Clara is Cuba’s fifth-largest of the old province of Las Villas. Measuring 8,441.8 sq kms (3,247.8 sq city. Other key cities and towns: Placetas and Sagua la Grande (near- miles) or 7.7% of Cuba’s territory — including 469 sq kms (181 sq miles) ly 41,000 people each); Caibarién (32,700); Manicaragua and Cama- of the northern keys — Villa Clara is Cuba’s fifth-largest province. juaní (23,000 each); Remedios (18,600); Santo Domingo (16,200); Its location in the geographic center of the island has been crucial for Ranchuelo (16,800); Vueltas and Esperanza (12,000 each); Que- its development. mado de Güines (10,400), and Encrucijada (10,300). The territory is diverse, including densely populated plains and val- leys with sugar-cane plantations, tobacco farms and grazing lands. Plains ECONOMY alter with sparsely populated mountains and low hills commonly covered Traditionally, the economy of Villa Clara has been a combination with shrubs, dense forests and coffee groves. of farming and manufacturing oriented towards the production of sugar. But the paralysis of the sugar sector leaves many unanswered POPULATION questions and the local economy in ruins as the industry is plagued In 2011, Villa Clara’s population was estimated at 797,721 inhabitants, with a wide array of problems. These include pathetically small agri- or 7.1% of Cuba’s total population. As in other Cuban provinces, popula- cultural yields, low industrial inefficiency, poor management and the tion growth has declined since the early 2000s. Between 2003 and 2011, lack of skilled labor. Villa Clara lost nearly 22,000 inhabitants, translating into an annual aver- Sugar cane was for two centuries the backbone of the local economy, but the collapse of this traditional industry is forcing a radical realignment of the countryside, as well as of the economy. The 2002 downsizing of the sugar industry left Villa Clara nominally with only 11 out of 28 mills to produce sugar. However, not all of them are active. Only six mills will be grinding this harvest, for instance. It is not hard to imagine the impact on the local economy of having just one out of five mills in shape to grind. This slashes the province’s daily grinding capacity to just under 16,000 tons of sugarcane — compared to 75,000 tons in 2002, when Villa Clara accounted for 11-13% of Cuba’s total sugar production. In recent years, the real daily grinding rate has averaged a scanty 10,370 tons of sugarcane. With roughly 114,000 hectares (282,000 acres) or 18.6% of all farm- land, sugar is still the primary crop, even after abandoning or converting 114,700 ha (283,430 acres) or half of the original 229,000 ha (566,000 acres). Only 52,000 hectares of that is grinded annually. Sugar- cane yields have averaged a miserable 27 tons per hectare from 2006 to 2011 — roughly half of what’s needed just to break even. The dismantled mills were Mariana Grajales (formerly Corazón de Jesús); Osvaldo Herrera (Pastora), Braulio Coroneaux (Macagua); Carlos Caraballo (Santa Catalina); Hermanos Aimeijeiras (San José); Unidad Proletaria (Uni- dad); Luís Arcos Bergnes (Carmita); Marcelo Salado (Re- forma); 26 de Julio (María Antonia); José Ramón Riquelme (Resolución); Juan Pedro Carbó Serbiá (Fidencia); Benito Juárez (Zaza); Emilio Córdoba (Nazábal); Antonio Finalet (Resulta) and Batalla de Santa Clara, which was built in the ‘80s. Some of the remaining 11 mills have been idle at least for a decade, or at best have been working sporadically during this period. Restarting a long-idled mill is a serious challenge, not to mention find- ing the necessary workers who have long since scattered after years of inactivity. In 2010, Villa Clara produced 136,800 See Villa Clara, page 9 February 2013 v CubaNews 9 LARRY LUXNER LARRY

Top, young rockeros gather at Parque Vidal, downtown Santa Clara; at left, Che Guevara mausoleum; at right, father and daughters pedal home on his bicycle. tons of sugar worth $64.2 million at prevailing world market prices — a far cry from the one million tons achieved in the late 1980s, worth in excess of $580 million at the preferential prices paid by the Soviets. In 2002, production was still 370,000 tons. It wasn’t only human factors that killed Villa Clara’s sugar industry. Hurricanes Michelle in 2001 and Ike in 2008 — not to mention the 2003-05 drought — also had a devastating effect on sugar output. Sugar refining has remained strong, however, as Villa Clara’s three refineries provide a crucial part of domestic consumption. These re- fineries at the George Washington, Quintín Banderas and Chiquitico Fabregat mills produced 135,772 tons of refined sugar in 2010, down from 147,200 tons in 2009. A torula yeast factory is located at the Perucho Figueredo mill, and alcohol is produced at the Heriberto Duquesne sugar mill. See Villa Clara, page 10

Highway propaganda billboard quotes Fidel at entrance to Villa Clara province. 10 CubaNews v February 2013 like a promising new source of income for the erally in poor condition. Villa Clara — FROM PAGE 9 province. Villa Clara, which has zeolite re- Driving time to Havana was cut from five to Villa Clara is traditionally Cuba’s second- serves of nearly 120 million tons, has a pro- three hours after completion of the National most important tobacco growing area after duction capacity of 150,000 tons annually, but Highway in the late 1970s, but services along Pinar del Rio. Its strongly scented brands, between 2009 and 2011, zeolite exports aver- this route are inadequate, forcing many once in great demand in the United States for aged barely 1,600 tons. motorists to choose older roads. Port activity blending with local varieties in cigarettes, is Other key industries at Sagua la Grande in- is limited to Caibarién and Isabela de Sagua, devoted primarily to “tripa” for cigars and clude a spark plug plant — the only one in its with neither port handling much cargo. Sugar cigarettes. kind in Cuba, producing 900,000 units in 2011 is shipped mainly through Cienfuegos. The province produces 16 million cigars — a mechanical plant and a boiler plant, both The military-civil airport at Santa Clara, per year, mostly for domestic consumption. Tobacco is grown mainly at a narrow undu- lating valley along the Escambray foothills, where loose loamy brown soils developed over weathered granites create an adequate environment. The northern flat hills near the LUXNER LARRY town of Zulueta, with brown calcareous soils, are also a traditional tobacco-growing region. Nearly two-fifths of the province’s lands are devoted to pasture, but it is generally of poor quality, growing over unattended lands. Villa Clara produced 55.7 million liters of milk in 2011 and 60.3 million liters in 2010, up from 50 million liters in the 1980s.

INDUSTRY Villa Clara’s industries are oriented mainly Two monuments: At left, a memorial to the Holocaust at the tiny Jewish cemetery in Santa Clara. At right, towards the needs of the sugar industry and the bulldozer used in 1958 to derail a train full of soldiers, marking the last battle of the Cuban Revolution. suffered along with the sector’s downsizing. Some of these industries have national sig- serving the sugar sector almost exclusively. whose importance faded after the completion nificance. In 1995, a polypropylene sack plant opened of the National Highway, has limited domestic Built in the early 1960s, the Inpud plant in to serve the sugar industry. This factory pro- service, though its runway is now being Santa Clara makes domestic appliances rang- duced nearly 45 million units in 2011, up from lengthened to 3,000 meters (9,840 feet) to ing from kitchen hardware to refrigerators. 37.6 million sacks a year earlier. handle big jets, which would boost tourism to Using Italian technology and with UN assis- A brewery built in 1953 in Manacas to pro- the northern keys. tance, the fridge line at this plant was upgrad- duce Bacardi’s Hatuey beer was upgraded by ed to improve the energy efficiency of its TOURISM models now sold in dollar stores under the Compared to other Cuba’s destinations, the “Antillano” brand. This line has nominal out- provincial tourism industry is still modest. put of 25,000 units per year, but production The province of Villa Clara currently has came to only 250-275 units in 2010 and 2011. eight hotels with 4,232 rooms available for This plant seems on the verge of paralysis. LUXNER LARRY tourism in Cayo Santa María, a top destination A $100 million textile mill at Santa Clara, recently developed by Cuban and Spanish in- built with Japanese technology in 1979, never vestors. At least 80% of these rooms are consi- reached its capacity of 60 million sq meters dered five-star category. (72 million sq yards) of fabrics per year. The If the U.S. travel ban to Cuba were lifted, 5,000 workers at the plant, known as Desem- Cayo Santa Maria would have a chance to be- barco del Granma, produced mostly for ex- Crumbling apartment blocks, city of Santa Clara. come a powerful magnet for American tour- port until the collapse of the communist bloc ists. High-class, secluded and with some paralyzed nearly all activities. East Germany in 1983. Five years later, it was adult-oriented facilities, the spot could be- In 2011, the plant produced 14.2 million sq brewing 6.9 million cases of Manacas-brand come a top Caribbean destination, located just meters (17 million sq yards), slightly more beer annually. 230 miles southeast of Miami. than one-fifth of design capacity. In the early 1990s, output dropped dramati- In 2011, some 277,500 tourists — mostly The Planta Mecánica in Santa Clara sup- cally to 600,000 cases, but slowly recovered to Canadians and Europeans — visited Cayo ports diverse industrial needs in the island, reach 3.7 million cases in 1998, 4.0 million Santa María, nearly triple the 97,309 visitors manufacturing parts, machinery and equip- cases in 1999 and 7.1 million cases in 2011; who came in 2006. That translates into aver- ment mainly for the sugar industry, but also the brewery now produces draft beer as well. age annual growth or 37%. for metallurgy and mining as well as the elec- The fishing ports of Caibarién and Isabela In 2002, only 62,200 foreigners visited the tricity, oil and hydraulic industries. de Sagua rank among the most important in province. By 2011, tourism income in Cayo A large chemical plant at Sagua la Grande Cuba. Lobster, oysters, sharks and other spe- Santa María reached $120 million, or 80% of produces a wide array of industrial reactives, cies are the most valuable captures, though the hard currency earned by the province in acids, alkalis, chlorine compounds and clean- oyster harvesting has declined due to water that year; the rest went largely to Santa Clara, ers for the sugar and other industries. This pollution and the shrinkage of habitats. the provincial capital. That’s double the total plant’s poorly treated waste is particularly income derived from the sugar industry. harmful for the environment. INFRASTRUCTURE A new airport built in Cayo Las Brujas, next Over the past few years, the plant has annu- The six-lane National Highway, the two-lane to the resort destination, has dramatically cut ally produced 15,000 tons of caustic soda and old Central Highway and the Central Railroad the travel time to hotels for overseas tourists. 3,700 tons of chlorine for domestic use. link Villa Clara to the rest of the island. In addition, a spa resort at Elguea mineral In the late 1980s and early 1990s, zeolite — A dense network of secondary roads and springs receives a small number of visitors, a raw material used to produce animal feed, railroad branches reaches all settlements and mostly Cuban medical patients under treat- fertilizer, cement and medications — seemed economic hubs. Roads and railroads are gen- ment for a number of illnesses. q February 2013 v CubaNews 11 BUSINESS & FINANCE Hong Kong investment growth fund signals interest in Cuba BY VITO ECHEVARRÍA real-estate ventures in the Caribbean, such as will have to happen in order for these projects hink of an investment fund active in the the Dominican Republic’s Cap Cana — and to move forward,” he said. Cuban economy, and Ceiba Invest- now wants to see how his fund can build With some investors failing in Cuba, Tang Tments Ltd. — with stakes in well-known something similar in a future Cuba. is impressed with the successful management Havana properties like the Miramar Trade “The Cap Cana project is an interesting of Ceiba Investments’ ventures by Dutch cor- Center and the Hotel Saratoga — will proba- benchmark for what [Cuban state tourism en- porate attorney Sebastiaan Berger. bly come to mind. tity] Palmares is trying to promote in Cuba “We think Ceiba is a great example of what Now, a potential rival has surfaced: Hem- with the mixed-use developments,” he said. can be achieved in Cuba,” he said. ingway Capital, which for the time being “At last count, there were about 20-plus on Since Tang was born and raised in Austra- exists only online. Its website at www.hem- the drawing board, but none have been lia — studying economics, finance and mar- ingwaycap.com promises to use “Asian direct signed off to date that I know of. We are very keting at Perth’s Curtin University before investment capital” to take advantage of interested in this opportunity in the long term going on to business school at the University Cuba’s transition to “market socialism.” and have looked at a number of projects.” of Illinois — it’s conceivable he might also Hemingway Capital seeks to “employ a pas- pull in Australian capital to Cuba. sive, minority investment portfolio approach” TANG: INVESTORS NEED TO SEE MORE REFORMS “We have had interest from Australian to its Cuban ventures, with potential returns Tang has observed the ups and downs of investors, and Australian independent travel- on investments “through a variety of chan- those who’ve already taken the Cuba plunge. ers are a fast-growing segment in Cuba,” he nels including trade sale of underlying assets, For that reason, he’s holding out for more said. “But I think the sheer distance is a factor share sales and/or public listing of Heming- Cuban economic and political reforms before here that limits more involvement.” way Capital on an international exchange.” following suit. He mentions, for instance, the Time will tell on what further reforms the Jeremy Tang, the fund’s Hong Kong-based new visa category Cuba has established for Castro regime might enact. For that reason, managing partner, said Hemingway Capital real-estate investors. However, Tang wants to Tang feels he has time on his side. When was set up two years ago to focus on invest- see more changes. Hemingway decides to put a stake in Cuba’s ment opportunities in Cuba with its investor “The immigration reform is a critical issue, economy, it’s likely the deep-pocketed Sir base in Asia. but there are a number of other things that David Tang will follow its development. q “We have already raised our initial develop- ment capital. We have spent the last 18 months carrying out due diligence on a num- ber of projects in Cuba, but we have not com- Berger: Real-estate visa law is ‘significant’ mitted to any significant [ventures] to date,” t appears the Cuban government is get- means it’s in Ceiba’s interests for Cuba to Tang told CubaNews, adding that his Hong ting serious about attracting foreign liberalize the entry of foreign real-estate Kong-registered fund isn’t linked with any rel- Iinvestors to the island’s still-emerging investors into the country. atives of novelist Ernest Hemingway, whose real estate sector. “I believe that the adoption of the immi- ties to Cuba predate the Cuban revolution. Last October, Cuba’s Gaceta Oficial (De- gration law in general (including its Articles Jeremy Tang is associated with, though not cree 305, Articles 92 and 93) announced a 92 and 93 regarding foreign residents) is a related to, Hong Kong millionaire Sir David revision to Cuban immigration law, which significant step forward,” said Ceiba’s direc- Tang, who recently raised funds for a ballet now makes foreigners who own real estate tor, Sebastiaan Berger. school in Havana (see CubaNews, October or have long-term property rentals on the “The fact that the law provides that own- 2012, page 15). island eligible for one-year visas renewable ers and/or [long-term] renters of real The two worked together to launch the for an extra year. Pacific Cigar Company Ltd. and Havana estate in Cuba will now be able to stay in The new visa category, “Real Estate Resi- Cuba for extended periods of time is an House, exclusive distributor of Cuban cigars dent” (Residente de Inmobiliaria) is now in the Far East, Australian and Canadian mar- essential piece of the puzzle to set up a officially listed along with five other types of framework that is necessary to implement kets. Jeremy acknowledged running that visas that incoming foreigners can apply for business for a number of years, “which is how concepts like long-term rentals, time-shar- (Visitor, Diplomatic, Official, Temporary ing and sale of holiday condominiums.” I first became involved in Cuba.” Resident and Permanent Resident). During the 1990s, Tang also founded luxu- This, he says, should help revive foreign Of all the foreign entities operating in interest in Cuba’s evolving real-estate sec- ry retailer Shanghai Tang, which was later Cuba, Ceiba Investments Ltd. has perhaps sold to the Swiss firm Richemont. Tang also the most reason to be happy about this new tor, which recently has come under ques- has a background in business development visa law. With 2.7 million square feet of tion because of slower-than-expected devel- within the Asian hospitality sector, as head of commercial and tourism assets under its opment of golf-oriented luxury ventures. JT Asia Consulting, which he set up in 2007. control, this growth fund —registered in These include a country club to be built Tang’s current venture is the Hong Kong- the Channel Islands — has perhaps the near Varadero by the London-based Esen- based outdoor advertising firm BrandWrap, largest holdings of real estate in Cuba. cia Group, as well as golf properties to be whose name derives from its outdoor ads, One of its interests is the joint-venture In- built by developers like Leisure Canada, which are designed to wrap themselves mobiliaria Monte Barreto SA, which owns Standing Feather International and others. around the office towers they’re displayed on. and operates the Miramar Trade Center. “Although things have been quiet on the BrandWrap furthered Tang’s name recog- Another is an indirect ownership of the golf resort front and long-term rentals, this nition within Hong Kong’s business circles. five-star Meliá Habana Hotel, as well as the could possibly be interpreted as a sign that He then raised his profile half a world away Meliá Varadero, the Meliá Las Américas the Cuban authorities are indeed serious by showing up at the HVS Chicos Hotel and the Sol Palmeras hotels in Varadero. about this type of investments,” said Ber- Investment Conference in the Bahamas last Ceiba also has an interest in another joint ger. “But they first want to create the legal November as a guest speaker on Cuba’s venture that plans to build a 400-room framework for it to function properly.” investment climate. beach resort hotel near Trinidad. All this – VITO ECHEVARRÍA Tang is familiar with the success of other 12 CubaNews v February 2013 CARIBBEAN Island rum distillers say U.S. tax rebates violate WTO rules BY LARRY LUXNER approaches, the WTO would probably rule in the rest of the Caribbean uncompetitive.” our favor,” said John Beale, the ambassador Diageo, for those not familiar with the rguing who bottles the best rum in the from Barbados. His is among the countries Caribbean is sort of like debating which drinks world, is a British conglomerate and A most affected by U.S. subsidies, since 90% of the planet’s largest producer of spirits, with country produces the tastiest gourmet rum produced in Barbados is exported, either coffee, or who exports the finest cigars. annual sales of $17 billion — an amount that in bulk or bottled form. far exceeds Jamaica’s annual GDP. Its brands Ever since the 17th century, when slaves on At the 35th meeting of the Caricom Council West Indies sugar plantations began ferment- for Trade and Economic Development, which include Smirnoff (the world’s best-selling ing molasses into rum, connoisseurs have was chaired by Jamaican Foreign Minister vodka); Johnnie Walker (the world’s best-sell- pondered that question — with contenders A.J. Nicholson, delegates urged the trade bloc ing Scotch whisky), Baileys (the world’s best- for the “best rum” title ranging from Haiti’s to “pursue all avenues available” to secure a selling liqueur) and Guinness (the world’s legendary Rhum Barbancourt and Jamaica’s resolution “that restores Appleton Estate to pricey Mount Gay Rum the competitive balance from Barbados, Cuba’s Havana Club and the in the marketplace.” three B’s of the Dominican Republic: Bermu- Beale warned that dez, Brugal and Barceló. Barbados and its fellow Within the 15-member Caribbean Commu- Caricom states could LUXNER LARRY nity, however, few would dispute the biggest very quickly find them- threat facing the rum industry today: Wash- selves priced out of the ington’s generous excise-tax rebates that are market if cheaper rums used to subsidize rum production in Puerto from Puerto Rico and Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. the USVI are allowed to Despite its relative obscurity, the surpris- flood U.S. liquor-store ingly emotional issue — replete with arcane shelves thanks to unfair terms like rebate caps, cover-overs and zero- and possibly illegal sum incentives — has galvanized the Wash- trade preferences. Glasses of rum cocktails on display at the Mount Gay distillery in Barbados. ington-based ambassadors of all 15 Caricom “This is not just a sub- member nations like never before. sidy to assist someone. It completely distorts best-selling stout). These countries, ranging from tiny St. Kitts and wipes out the competition,” Beale com- But its opponents across the Caribbean & Nevis (population 53,000) to Haiti (popula- plained. “Diageo has more money than we paint Diageo officials as modern-day pirates, tion 10.2 million), accuse the United States of can ever dream about. Something seems a bid looting their struggling countries’ treasuries violating World Trade Organization rules. odd there. Something doesn’t add up.” of hard-earned foreign currency in the corpo- And they threaten to pool their collective Said Trinidadian Ambassador Neil Parsan: rate quest for more and more profits. clout and take their case to Geneva if the situ- “The Diageo plant’s production capacity is far In 2009, Diageo rocked the beverage indus- ation is not resolved to their satisfaction. greater than the total production capacity of try when it announced it would move produc- “We have had four legal opinions, and it is the Caribbean. There’s an economy of scale tion of its popular Captain Morgan spiced rum quite clear that while there may be different coming out of the Virgin Islands that renders See Rum, page 13 February 2013 v CubaNews 13 INFRASTRUCTURE Havana Charrette: A long-term vision for historic harbor BY DOUGLASS G. NORVELL For centuries, Havana was the economic Norwegian lawyer working with INTBAU. he Havana Charrette — an urban plan- engine of the city’s economy, but like many Adding to the eclectic mix of experts is ning process funded by the Internatio- ports has been hit by its inability to handle John H. Piling, who teaches at Boston Archi- Tnal Network for Traditional Building, large container ships. That has made its facil- tectural College and who provides the effort Architecture and Urbanism (INTBAU) — ities largely obsolete, with Cuba-bound cargo with a capitalist point of view — along with a bears watching by companies looking to do now heading instead to Mariel, Manzanillo or phalange of graduate students eager to get business in post-embargo Cuba. Santiago de Cuba. into the nuts, bolts, interpretation and graph- Now in its fifth cycle, the Havana Charrette The strategic development proposals out- ics of the project itself. identifies prospects for real-estate develop- lined in Havana Charrette V provide for up to The charettes began in 2007 with a transit ers, marine construction firms, commercial 25,000 units of social housing, as well as com- workshop that concluded with a proposal for and recreational boat builders, and particu- munity services and infrastructure supported a light-rail line extending around Havana har- larly architectural and planning firms skilled by 2.5 million square meters of for-profit con- bor and crossing under the harbor entrance at implementing projects. struction for international enterprises. between Habana del Este and Habana Vieja. A “charrette” (coming from a French word They include extra-care and private hous- Another charrette — this one focused on meaning wagon) is an ongoing planning ef- ing, health services for foreign patients, Habana del Este — envisioned Cojímar and fort where interdisciplinary teams focus on a small-scale, clean industry, expanded mar- Ciudad Camilo Cienfuegos linked by a major particular project — in this case, Havana har- itime leisure (including more cruise ships) boulevard paralleling the Via Monumental, bor. Charrettes are supported by the National and a roll-on/roll-off ferry terminal. coming out of the tunnel under Havana Bay Charrette Institute in Portland, Oregon, and linking up with the road to Matanzas. which offers free advice and operational sup- LIGHT-RAIL LINES AND GREEN BUFFER ZONES? The proposal calls for a 20-meter-wide port, along with training programs. In addition to providing a long-term vision green buffer zone along the coastline, and a In 2011, the fifth Havana Charrette outlined for Havana harbor for the first time in history, marketplace and plaza alongside the Estadio the redevelopment of Havana harbor, with the charrette also sets the stage for a truly Panamericano. the goal of “turning the industrial character of international effort at planning waterfront All information generated by the Havana the harbor into a sport and recreational one.” development in Cuba involving U.S. and charrettes is available through the INTBAU Some 30 architects, landscape architects, European experts. website. The organization offers free mem- planners, and designers from Australia, Its prime mover and local host is professor berships as well as opportunities for low-cost Europe, North America and Cuba joined Julio César Pérez Hernández of the Univer- donor categories. forces to focus on waterfront revitalization in sity of Havana’s School of Architecture. The Details: INTBAU, 19-22 Charlotte Road, Lon- Havana’s master plan. charrette’s coordinator is Audun Engh, a don EC2A 3SG, England. URL: www.intbau.org.

to push for the change,” Armitage said, citing Rum — FROM PAGE 12 data obtained through OpenSecrets.org. from Puerto Rico to a sparkling new distillery Bill Watson, a trade policy analyst at the in St. Croix. Cato Institute, is a vocal critic of what he says The drinks giant had considered Honduras is an abuse of the rum excise-tax rebates. and Guatemala as possible low-cost options as In a Jan. 3 story, “Rum Subsidies Included early as 2007, but decided on the USVI after in Fiscal Cliff Pork,” he called the program “a that government offered it $2.7 billion in tax tool of industrial policy and corporate welfare” benefits over a 30-year period. and warned that “the potential for an embar- The move prompted bickering between the rassing WTO challenge grows greater now two U.S. possessions amid calls for a boycott that the program has been extended.” of Diageo products by the New York-based National Puerto Rican Coalition. COMPLICATED FORMULA DETERMINES REBATES Frank Ward is chairman of the Barbados- At the heart of this complex issue is the U.S. based West Indies Rum and Spirits Producers Havana Club, Bacardi are world’s best-selling rums. excise tax on rum, which stands at $13.50 per Association. He says rum exports generate proof gallon (roughly $2 a bottle). about $700 million a year in foreign exchange Caribbean’s disappointment. This amount is collected on all bulk and and more than $250 million in tax revenues “The USVI started the ball rolling, and bottled rum produced in, or imported into, for the Caricom and the Dominican Republic. Puerto Rico began matching it dollar for dol- the U.S. Permanent law stipulates that $10.50 At least 15,000 workers are directly em- lar,” he complained. “The money being divert- of that $13.50 must be returned or “covered ployed in rum production throughout the ed to those two territories is globally distort- over” to the governments of Puerto Rico and region, and another 60,000 people indirectly ing our trade. It’s also a violation of America’s the USVI to be used any way they choose. hold jobs in that sector — though some coun- WTO obligations.” Under the program, each receives a share tries are more vulnerable to large-scale com- Jim Armitage, writing in The Independent, of the money based on how much rum it pro- petition than others. says it’s impossible to know exactly how duces relative to the other. “Our beef is really with the subsidiaries much Diageo will save in the long run by Since the Clinton administration, however, given to the rum companies, not with the pro- switching loyalties from Puerto Rico to the temporary law — which expires annually and gram itself. Some of our member companies USVI, though some estimates have put the requires recurring congressional approval — have already seen massive losses because of annual benefit at around $50 million. provides an additional $2.75 per proof gallon, their inability to compete on price,” he said. “You could argue that’s not much for a mul- meaning the two territories get a total of Ward, who’s been chairman of WIRSPA tibillion-dollar operation like Diageo, but it’s a $13.25 per proof gallon. since 2007, said the Diageo deal in St. Croix whole lot more than the company paid Wash- “The additional $2.75 lapsed in Congress at ington lobbyists Trent Lott and John Breaux “opened the floodgates” — much to the See Rum, page 14 14 CubaNews v February 2013 tory for the past 400 or so years. Rum — FROM PAGE 13 It’s hard to find a country in the region that BUSINESS BRIEFS doesn’t produce its own rum — and these the end of 2011, but was among dozens of ETECSA: FIBEROPTIC CABLE IS FINALLY ONLINE temporary tax breaks renewed through 2013 include not only giants like Bacardi and under the cliff deal,” reports Havana Club but also lesser-known brands Cuba’s state telecom monopoly confirmed Caribbean Busi- like English Harbour (Antigua & Barbuda), Jan. 24 that the island’s first hard-wired ness, a San Juan weekly newspaper. In fiscal 2011, Puerto Rico — which has ben- Chairman’s Reserve (St. Lucia), One Barrel Internet connection to the outside world has efitted from this program since 1917, received (Belize) and Black Cat (Suriname). been activated, but said it won’t lead to an im- more than $449 million in rum excise tax “Rum creates jobs, taxes and foreign ex- mediate jump in access, ABC News reported. rebates. The USVI, which began receiving change, but in the case of Barbados, it goes In a statement published in the Communist similar benefits in 1954, got $133.5 million in even beyond that. It’s a question of psyche,” Party newspaper Granma and other official revenues in fiscal 2011. said Beale. “Rum was created in Barbados. If media, ETECSA broke its long silence on the Puerto Rico’s resident commissioner in Barbados cannot compete in rum, what can ALBA-1 fiberoptic cable, which officials once Congress, Pedro R. Pierluisi, said the exten- we compete in?” boasted would increase capacity 3,000-fold. der legislation agreed to in the fiscal cliff talks Until now, Cuba’s Internet has been strictly represents about $65 million a year in rum via ponderous satellite links, and out of reach rebate funds for Puerto Rico. for most Cubans. ETECSA said the new cable Cuba, one of the world’s top rum exporters, has been operational since August — initially couldn’t care less about U.S. excise-tax re- carrying international voice calls — and that bates because Washington’s 50-year-old trade company has been conducting data traffic embargo prevents it from selling a single drop tests on the cable since Jan. 10. of rum in the United States. “When the testing process concludes, the Nevertheless, its Havana Club brand, pro- submarine cable being put into operation will duced in a joint venture between the Castro not mean that possibilities for access will auto- regime and Paris-based Pernod-Ricard, ranks matically multiply. It will be necessary to third in international sales — right behind invest in internal telecommunications infra- Bacardi and Captain Morgan — and enjoys structure,” the company said, adding that particularly strong sales in Spain and Italy. even then the goal is “gradual growth of a Beale said he and his fellow Caricom am- service that we offer mostly for free, and with bassadors have met with the USTR to plead social aims in mind.” their case, but to no avail. The $70 million ALBA-1 arrived on the “Back in June, WIRSPA came up here and island from Venezuela in February 2011 to met with people from the State Department great hoopla, but officials soon stopped men- and the USTR. My background is in business, tioning the cable amid rumors of mismanage- and it was quite clear to me that the USTR is ment and corruption involving the project. in no position to take on something that is Its status was unknown until late January, absolutely minuscule. We would get nowhere when U.S. firm Renesys documented evidence with them,” he said. “We should consider of faster data traffic to Cuba and concluded going to the WTO, because that’s the only that the cable had been switched on. way to get Washington’s attention.” Dissident blogger Yoani Sanchez, an advo- Bayney Karran, Guyana’s ambassador to cate for wider Internet dissemination, ques- the United States, agrees with Beale. tioned whether the government would have “In Guyana, such a large part of our eco- said anything about the cable if Renesys and nomic output is agriculture-based, and we suf- Dominican Ambassador Anibal de Castro, foreign media had not reported about it. fer from the lack of value-added products. who’s also passionate about this topic, said “#Granma says now it’s necessary to build Sugar is the largest sector of our economy, “rum is part of our culture and tradition. It is infrastructure for the #FiberOpticCable to and rum adds value. When our exports of deeply associated with our history, so when provide service!” she tweeted. “And what rum are affected, it has consequences on we talk about rum, we’re talking about the were they doing the past two years?” employment,” he said. Caribbean.” About 16% of Cubans have online access, In 2011, the Dominican Republic exported according to official statistics, usually through ISSUE ISN’T JUST ECONOMY, IT’S EMOTIONS TOO $120.6 million worth of rum, mainly to Spain, their school or workplace — and often just to Chile, United States, Haiti and Italy. The U.S. Guyana, unlike its fellow English-speaking an Intranet that also has email capability. share of that total was $8.7 million. Reporters Without Borders, which main- members in Caricom, isn’t an island but a Rum accounts for 2% of total Dominican ex- poor, tropical South American country nearly tains a country-by-country list of censorship, ports, and 7% of the country’s agricultural echoed Renesys’ conclusions on its website. the size of Great Britain. exports — yet that percentage will grow as Although Guyana’s El Dorado and “The regime does not have the means to set demand ramps up. up a systematic filtering system, but it counts Demerara premium brands are known world- “The Dominican Republic is very much in wide, most Guyanese rum is exported in on several factors to restrict Internet access,” favor of free trade, and the Dominican rum said RWB, a loud critic of the Castro regime. price-sensitive bulk form — leading industry industry has invested a lot of money in the leaders to warn that unfair competition from These include high fees for hourly access and last few years to improve the capacity and national data infrastructure problems. Puerto Rico and the USVI could further quality of Dominican rum,” said de Castro. impoverish Guyana, where per-capita GDP “But this is an obstacle to compete on equal stands at only $2,700 a year. TO OUR READERS: From time to time, terms. This subsidy eliminates the competi- receives requests for back issues “We’re struggling to increase our GDP and tive advantage and goes against the rules of CubaNews develop our economies for the benefit of our free trade. We hope the Americans will pay of our newsletter. In our office, we keep people,” said Karran. “It’s hardly acceptable attention to our demands, and that they will print copies going back to September 1993. that we would have setbacks because other accept that it’s a mistake and will take the nec- If you would like an old issue, please email countries are flouting the WTO rules.” essary measures to eliminate it.” q a request to [email protected] or send a note But the issue is more than economic. It’s to Larry Luxner, Editor, PO Box also an emotional one, given the central role CubaNews, Larry Luxner, a veteran Washington-based jour- 1345, Silver Spring, MD 20915-1345 — USA. that rum has played in shaping Caribbean his- nalist and photographer, is editor of CubaNews. February 2013 v CubaNews 15 BOOKSHELF Immigrant Prince, Selling Guantánamo, Great Game in Cuba eriodically, CubaNews presents reviews of Hispanic power in the United States, the role At her story’s center is the late Alberto books we think will interest our readers. of religion in political life and the ongoing Fernández, the “man of the boats.” His strug- PThis month, we offer “Immigrant Prince: debate over immigration policy,” says Aubrey gle has slipped beneath the radar of history Mel Martínez & the American Dream,” “Sell- Jewett of the University of Central Florida. and is told here for the first time. ing Guantánamo: Exploding the Propaganda Details: Stephanie Williams, Publicity and With the Tejana, Alberto brought more Surrounding America’s Most Notorious Mili- Promotions Manager, University Press of Flor- explosives into Cuba in March of 1961 than all tary Prison” and “The Great Game in Cuba.” ida, 15 NW 15th Street, Gainesville, FL 32603- other vessels combined. Alberto came to be- 1933. Tel: (800) 226-3822. Fax: (352) 392-0590. lieve he could not conduct operations without MEL MARTINEZ AND THE AMERICAN DREAM Email: [email protected]. URL: www.upf.com. the assistance of the CIA. But what he experi- el Martinez, the first Cuban-Ameri- enced from this can senator in U.S. history, came to SELLING GUANTÁNAMO agency, time M Florida in 1962 as part of Operation after time, was In the aftermath of 9/11, few questioned the Peter Pan. His rags-to-riches climb through political narrative provided by the White betrayal and county, state and national politics has the House about Guantánamo and the steady sabotage. character of a storybook saga. stream of prisoners delivered there from half On Mar. 1, In his even-handed, inspiring and deeply a world away. 1961, Alberto satisfying biography, “Immigrant Prince: Mel The Bush administration gave various ratio- exfiltrated Martinez and the American Dream,” author nales for the detention of the prisoners cap- Humberto Sorí Richard E. Foglesong demonstrates that the tured in the War on Terror: they represented Marin from Cuban-born Martinez became a politician not extraordinary threats to the American people, Cuba. Sorí had from an ego-driven desire to exercise power possessed valuable enemy intelligence, and been working and capture were awaiting prosecution for terrorism or inside Cuba to a t t e n t i o n , war crimes. create a mass but from a Both explicitly and implicitly, journalists, revolutionary morally driv- pundits, lawyers, academics, and even movement. His en desire to released prisoners who authored books about goal now was to return the the island prison endorsed elements of the present to the favor for all official narrative. CIA the Unidad that he and In Revolucionaria “Selling Guantánamo” (ISBN 978-0-8130- (reproduced here in the original Spanish), a his family re- 4455-2, cloth $24.95), John Hickman exposes ceived from the holes in this manufactured story. blueprint for a successful invasion of Cuba. their adopt- He shines a spotlight on the critical actors, Sorí returned to Cuba, believing the CIA ed country. including Rumsfeld, Cheney and President planned to adopt his revolutionary strategy; University Bush himself, and examines how the facts instead, he lived long enough to witness the Press of Flo- belie the “official” accounts. horror of the Bay of Pigs. Behind the scenes is the quintessential rida released Hickman chastises the apologists and the the 312-page critics of the administration, arguing that both Texas rancher, Robert J. Kleberg, Jr., who sat book (ISBN failed to see the forest for the trees. at the helm of King Ranch — the largest in the 978-0-8130- Hickman offers an alternate theory that United States — assisting his Cuban friends. 3579-6, cloth, completely contradicts the narrative spun by At Kleberg’s right hand was a veritable $32.00) back the Bush administration: the prisoners were James Bond, Michael J. P. Malone. Malone in March 2011. put on display as symbols of military victory, boasted FBI connections at the highest level, From counting chads to Terri Schiavo to punished as substitutes for the architects of and rescued many from Cuba. the confirmation of America’s first Hispanic 9/11 who remained at large — and used as Yet Malone’s story is also missing from his- Supreme Court justice, Martinez — who was pawns in a neoconservative move to signal a tory. His name, which appears on many born in Sagua la Grande, in the province of new U.S. foreign policy that ignored the UN, agency documents, was released by the CIA Villa Clara — has played a role in many recent disregarded the Geneva Conventions, and only in the late ‘90s. And as close to CIA head political controversies. scoffed at the International Criminal Court. Allen Dulles as they were, Kleberg and Mal- Foglesong explores that aspect of his char- Hickman is an associate professor of gov- one were unable to persuade that organization acter, his appeal to Latino voters and the rea- ernment at Berry College. to behave honorably while Cuba was in crisis. son behind his sudden resignation from office “The Great Game” (ISBN 978-1-62087-467-7, in 2009 (he later became a lobbyist and is now Details: Stephanie Williams, University Press will be available in March. of Florida, 15 NW 15 St., Gainesville, FL 32603- price $24.95) chairman of Chase, directing operations in Details: Lauren Burnstein, Publicity Depart- Florida, Mexico, Central America and the 1933. Tel: (800) 226-3822. Fax: (352) 392-0590. Email: [email protected]. URL: www.upf.com. ment, Skyhorse Publishing, 307 W. 36th St., 11th Caribbean). Floor, New York, NY 10018. Tel: (212) 643-6816. Drawing from Machiavelli, Foglesong THE GREAT GAME IN CUBA Email: [email protected]. describes Martinez as an “immigrant prince,” a genuine leader who has escaped his own “The Great Game in Cuba: How the CIA “Bookshelf” is an occasional feature of Sabotaged Its Own Plot to Unseat Fidel Castro” history and shown others the way forward. focuses on the efforts of a group of stalwart CubaNews in which we summarize works As a U.S. senator, Martinez was respected Cubans to restore democracy to Cuba and to we think will interest our diverse audience. in both parties for his forthrightness in create a post-Castro society. If you would like your book, report, novel addressing the problem of America’s undocu- Author Joan Mellen’s years of research, in- or scholarly publication to be featured in an mented workers and other issues affecting cluding personal interviews and access to pre- upcoming issue, please email a request to U.S. Hispanics. viously classified documents, testifies to the [email protected] or send a review copy “Foglesong has done a masterful job sheer volume of untold information on Fidel to Larry Luxner, Editor, CubaNews, PO Box threading Mel’s life into larger political, his- Castro’s 1959 revolution. 1345, Silver Spring, MD 20915-1345 — USA. torical and social themes such as the rise of 16 CubaNews v February 2013

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May 2 3 -25 : “Dispersed Peoples: The Cuban and Other Diasporas,” FIU Cuban Research In- Feature writers stitute, Miami. Event “invites comparisons between the Cuban experience and other groups n VITO ECHEVARRÍA n living outside their homelands.” Details: Florida International University, 11200 SW 8th St., DM n DOREEN HEMLOCK n 363, Miami, FL 33199. Tel: (305) 348-1991. Fax: (305) 348-3593. Email: [email protected]. Cartographer n ARMANDO H. PORTELA n

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