DOCSLIB.ORG

How Much Longer?

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
How Much Longer? Vol. 13, No. 7 August 2005 www.cubanews.com In the News NGOs mobilize to send humanitarian aid Dennis the Menace to Cuba in the wake of Hurricane Dennis Hurricane causes $1.4 billion in damages; BY HELEN J. SIMON AND VITO ECHEVARRÍA age and water treatment plants. The medicine wrecks crops, infrastructure ........Page 2 on-governmental organizations (NGOs) was to be distributed by the Cuban Red Cross. are scrambling to send assistance to Dennis, the worst hurricane to hit Cuba since NCuba in the wake of Hurricane Dennis — Flora in 1963, killed 16 people when it struck Embargo foes glum and Fidel Castro’s refusal of the meager assis- Jul. 7-8 and caused an estimated $1.4 billion in damage to housing, infrastructure and agricul- Breaking summer tradition, Congress re- tance offered by the Bush administration. jects bills to ease embargo ...........Page 3 ture. According to the Cuban government, over As devastation from the worst hurricane to 120,000 houses were affected; 15,000 of those strike Cuba in 42 years became apparent, NGOs were destroyed (see detailed map, page 6-7). French kiss-off throughout the United States issued pleas for On Jul. 10, Washington offered to send Cuba Dissidents blast Paris for inviting Cuban items ranging from medicine and money to mat- $50,000 worth of emergency supplies and an tresses and nails. They coordinated with each officials to Bastille Day party .......Page 5 assessment team to determine what items were other and with international organizations to needed most. Castro flatly refused the offer. bring relief to millions of affected Cubans. “If they offered $1 billion, we would say no,” Mapping the mayhem “Urgent appeal for Cuba: Help MADRE deliv- Castro retorted in a TV appearance in which he Two-page map details the destruction left er emergency aid to women and families devas- also rejected help from the European Union. tated by Hurricane Dennis,” read one e-mail by Hurricane Dennis ..................Page 6-7 Nevertheless, State Department spokesman posted a few days after Dennis struck. Tom Casey said the U.S. government supported MADRE, a New York-based international wo- the role of NGOs in Cuba. Newsmakers men’s human rights group, specifically sought “We will continue to work through appropri- Alfredo Mesa of the CANF tells CubaNews money to ship anti-parasite medicines to stem ate non-governmental organizations to deliver what must be done to help the Cuban peo- infections resulting from the destruction of sew- See Dennis, page 6 ple in the wake of Dennis .............Page 8 Losing patience Venezuelan oil keeps island afloat, but Analysts say destructive storm has fueled rising discontent in Cuba .............Page 9 analysts wonder — how much longer? BY DIANA MARRERO “How long can this go on before it explodes?” Personnel changes he Cuban economy is rebounding from asks Luís Vicente León, an analyst with the Michael Parmly to replace James Cason at the crippling loss of Soviet subsidies over Caracas-based polling and economic research T a decade ago thanks to the generosity of firm Datanalisis. USINT Havana; Caleb McCarry is named its new socialist ally, Venezuela. Venezuela’s vast spending, both at home and Cuba ‘transition coordinator’ ......Page 10 President Hugo Chávez recently boosted abroad, is outpacing the country’s Gross Dom- Venezuela’s oil shipments to the island from estic Product — a precarious situation that Business briefs 53,000 to 90,000 barrels a day, under highly could spell economic disaster should the price Cuba’s future in transshipment; Chinese favorable terms. He’s also embarked on a num- of oil fall. Even with prices at around $60 a bar- ber of joint business ventures and cooperation rel these days, Venezuela is running a deficit of firm to build TVs in Cuba ...........Page 12 agreements with his friend, Fidel Castro. about 4.5% of GDP. One of the most promising is a plan to help At the same time, Chávez has also driven Shrine to Elián Cuba explore for oil deposits off its shores and away potential investors and limited the growth Miami house where Elián González lived refine petroleum found there. State-run Petró- of private industry through policies that under- leos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA) has opened a keeps the memories alive ...........Page 15 mine economic development, analysts say. new office in Havana to help run the project. “Businessmen are businessmen,” quips Rob- Venezuela’s Banco Industrial has also set up a ert Bottome, publisher of the newsletter CubaNews (ISSN 1073-7715) is published monthly Havana branch, making it one of the few foreign VenEconomy Weekly. “They would love to do by Luxner News Inc. © 2005. All rights reserved. banks in Cuba. Subscriptions: $429/year. For subscription or edito- But some analysts warn that the days of business if the conditions are right. But every- rial inquiries, call us at (301) 365-1745, send a fax to where you turn there are obstacles.” (301) 365-1829 or e-mail us at [email protected]. Venezuelan charity might be numbered, espe- cially if oil prices drop. See Venezuela, page 11 2 CubaNews O August 2005 HURRICANE DENNIS Storm causes $1.4 billion in damages, wrecks agriculture BY OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT harvest. Some of them may be dismantled if it two in the central province of Villa Clara. This costs too much to repair. means that thermoelectric plants Rente (San- urricane Dennis was the worst storm to To grasp the extent of destruction, the offi- tiago de Cuba), Nuevitas (Camagüey), Felton hit Cuba in over four decades. It cial media reported that sugar mills in (Holguín) and Carlos Manuel de Cespedes Hstretched its devastating path over six Granma suffered “serious damages,” includ- (Cienfuegos) could only supply electricity to provinces: Santiago de Cuba, Granma, Sancti ing the Bartolomé Masó mill, located relative- the eastern and central provinces, while Anto- Spíritus, Cienfuegos, Matanzas and Havana ly far from the eye of the storm. nio Guiteras (Matanzas), Santa Cruz del Nor- (see detailed map, pages 6-7). Damage to the plantations must be also ex- te (eastern Havana) and Mariel (western The Category 4 storm killed 16 people in tensive. Although the sugarcane does not die Havana) were the ones responsible of bring- Cuba, caused an estimated $1.4 billion in loss- with the winds or flooding (some plantations ing power to Matanzas, La Habana, the city of es and forced the evacuation of 1.5 million can be uprooted in extreme cases), the cane’s Havana and Pinar del Río provinces. people, the highest figure ever. Of these, stalks fall to the ground, making the harvest Except for the Mariel plant, however, there 245,000 were sent to shelters and the rest to more expensive and difficult. was no other power source available for west- the homes of family and friends. ern Cuba after the hurricane left Cuban terri- According to the official report, 13 deaths DENNIS POUNDS SUGAR MILLS, POWER PLANTS tory. Both Guiteras and the Santa Cruz plants were reported in Granma, two in Santiago de Luckily for the government, the beginning were shut down to prevent further damage Cuba and one in Sancti Spíritus, mostly due to of the zafra still lies five months ahead, and due to hurricane winds and rain. landslides and flooded rivers. the stalks are not yet fully grown. Consider- The heating up of generators to restart The death toll would have likely been much ing the extreme rainfall, it’s likely that the them takes 8-10 hours. Mariel had to send higher had amphibious military vehicles not sugar transport infrastructure has also suf- energy to both shut-down plants as well as to saved dozens of dwellers in outlying areas of fered serious damage. the gas and water distribution system. In all, Havana — many of whom had been evacuat- By comparison, Hurricane Michelle — a the first power cut lasted about 30 hours, ed and then returned home, only to face a Category 4 storm — flattened 35% of all sug- some areas did not have electricity for 48 sudden surge of water from overflowed dams. arcane when it hit central Cuba in 2001. At hours and the least fortunate, in areas like Some 120,000 homes were severely dam- least 10% of those plantations were destroyed. eastern Havana, had to wait for 72 hours. aged. Of these, 15,000 totally collapsed, Including the damage caused by floods, For most of the following week, there were 25,000 suffered partial collapse, 24,000 lost Michelle affected 50% of Cuba’s sugarcane power cuts in Havana lasting eight, 10 and their roofs and another 60,000 lost part of plantations. Experts estimate that the storm even 12 hours — making people wonder why their covering. destroyed 10% of the 2001-02 sugar harvest. A if Dennis had weakened should the restora- Dennis came only 10 months after the mess much milder, Category 2 storm — Hurricane tion of electricity take so long. left by Hurricane Charley; many houses de- Lili — that struck the same area as Dennis Official media reported that Dennis toppled stroyed by Charley’s raging winds still had and Michelle in 1996 destroyed at least 10% of 37 high-voltage towers and 1,025 utility poles, not been replaced by the time Dennis arrived. that year’s harvest. leaving 21 municipalities without electricity. Besides sugar, other crops were also rav- According to official reports, hundreds of WIDESPREAD DAMAGE TO INFRASTRUCTURE aged by Dennis in Santiago de Cuba, Granma, small generators have been imported to guar- Departing from its recent style of releasing southern Camagüey, Cienfuegos, Villa Clara, antee that future power interruptions do not a detailed account of damages, as it did with Sancti Spíritus, Matanzas and La Habana stop essential services like water supply, gas Hurricanes Lili (1996 and 2002), Georges, provinces.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • General Assembly Official Records Sixty-First Session
    United Nations A/61/PV.50 General Assembly Official Records Sixty-first session 50th plenary meeting Wednesday, 8 November 2006, 10 a.m. New York President: Ms. Al Khalifa ................................... (Bahrain) The meeting was called to order at 10.10 a.m. At the thirtieth annual ministerial meeting of the Group of 77 and China, the ministers once again firmly Agenda item 18 rejected the imposition of laws and regulations with extraterritorial impact and all other forms of coercive Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and economic measures, including unilateral sanctions financial embargo imposed by the United States of against developing countries, and reiterated the urgent America against Cuba need to eliminate them immediately. They emphasized Report of the Secretary-General (A/61/132) that such actions not only undermine the principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations and Draft resolution (A/61/L.10) international law, but also severely threaten the Amendment (A/61/L.19) freedom of trade and investment. They therefore called on the international community neither to recognize Mr. Maqungo (South Africa): On this important those measures nor to apply them. occasion, the Chairman of the Group of 77 and China, Ambassador Kumalo, would have preferred to deliver The Group of 77 and China is guided by the basic this statement himself. However, due to the fact that he norms of international law and conduct in its principled is traveling, I, as Chargé, have the honour to speak on support for the need to eliminate coercive economic behalf of the Group of 77 and China.
    [Show full text]
  • Cuba: Issues for the 109Th Congress
    Cuba: Issues for the 109th Congress Updated December 19, 2006 Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov RL32730 Cuba: Issues for the 109th Congress Summary Since the early 1960s, U.S. policy toward Cuba under Fidel Castro has consisted largely of isolating the communist nation through comprehensive economic sanctions, which have been significantly tightened by the Bush Administration. Another component of U.S. policy has consisted of support measures for the Cuban people, including private humanitarian donations and U.S.-sponsored radio and television broadcasting to Cuba. While there appears to be broad agreement on the overall objective of U.S. policy toward Cuba—to help bring democracy and respect for human rights to the island—there are several schools of thought on how to achieve that objective: some advocate maximum pressure on Cuba until reforms are enacted; others argue for lifting some U.S. sanctions judged to be hurting the Cuban people; and still others call for a swift normalization of U.S.-Cuban relations. Fidel Castro’s announcement in late July 2006 that he was temporarily ceding political power to his brother Raúl in order to recover from surgery has prompted some Members to call for re-examination of U.S. policy. In the 109th Congress, legislative initiatives included the approval of five human rights resolutions: H.Con.Res. 81, H.Res. 193, H.Res. 388, S.Res. 140, and S.Res. 469. P.L. 109-102 funded Cuba democracy projects in FY2006. Action on several FY2007 appropriations measures were not completed, so action will need to be completed in 2007: House-passed H.R.
    [Show full text]
  • Cuba: Issues for the 110Th Congress
    Order Code RL33819 Cuba: Issues for the 110th Congress Updated May 1, 2007 Mark P. Sullivan Specialist in Latin American Affairs Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division Cuba: Issues for the 110th Congress Summary Since the early 1960s, U.S. policy toward Cuba under Fidel Castro has consisted largely of isolating the communist nation through comprehensive economic sanctions, which have been significantly tightened by the Bush Administration, including restrictions on travel, private humanitarian assistance, and payment terms for U.S. agricultural exports to Cuba. A second component of U.S. policy has consisted of support measures for the Cuban people, including private humanitarian donations and U.S.-sponsored radio and television broadcasting to Cuba. As in past years, the main issue for U.S. policy toward Cuba in the 110th Congress will be how to best support political and economic change in one of the world’s remaining communist nations. Unlike past years, however, Congress is now examining policy toward Cuba in the context of Fidel Castro’s temporary, and potentially permanent, departure from the political scene because of health conditions. Although there has been broad agreement in Congress on the overall objective of U.S. policy toward Cuba — to help bring democracy and respect for human rights to the island — there have been several schools of thought on how best to achieve that objective. Some advocate maximum pressure on the Cuban government until reforms are enacted; others argue for lifting some sanctions that they believe are hurting the Cuban people, or as part of a strategy of lifting sanctions incrementally in response to positive changes in Cuba.
    [Show full text]
  • Economic Sanctions Reconsidered, 3Rd Ed., Preview Chapter 5
    5 Sanctions after the Cold War The end of superpower rivalry in the Cold War, coupled with the emer- gence of new conflicts and challenges, changed the focus of sanctions poli- cies but did not diminish their use. In fact, the first half of the 1990s wit- nessed a spike in the average annual number of sanctions cases (see figure 5.1). The United States continued to be the predominant sender country, but the incidence of unilateral actions fell dramatically as US officials acted more frequently in concert with others. A few high-profile US cases were launched unilaterally in the 1990s (e.g., nonproliferation sanctions against India and Pakistan) but much less often than in past decades. Interestingly, if one splits the sample of episodes into four periods— prior to World War II, the early postwar period up to 1970, the 1970s and 1980s, and the post–Cold War period through 2000—the distribution of cases among the various goal categories changes, but the overall success rate does not. Overall, the foreign policy effectiveness of sanctions was re- markably stable over the course of the 20th century, with the average suc- cess rate in each of the three subperiods after World War II being roughly the same 1 in 3 rate as observed for the period as a whole. US experience, however, was much more volatile, especially when sanctions were em- ployed unilaterally. Equally striking, the military impairment and other major policy change categories show an increase in the probability of suc- cess, while the success rate for cases involving regime change and dis- ruption of minor military adventures dropped sharply (table 5.1).
    [Show full text]
  • HURRICANE IRMA (AL112017) 30 August–12 September 2017
    NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER TROPICAL CYCLONE REPORT HURRICANE IRMA (AL112017) 30 August–12 September 2017 John P. Cangialosi, Andrew S. Latto, and Robbie Berg National Hurricane Center 1 24 September 2021 VIIRS SATELLITE IMAGE OF HURRICANE IRMA WHEN IT WAS AT ITS PEAK INTENSITY AND MADE LANDFALL ON BARBUDA AT 0535 UTC 6 SEPTEMBER. Irma was a long-lived Cape Verde hurricane that reached category 5 intensity on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. The catastrophic hurricane made seven landfalls, four of which occurred as a category 5 hurricane across the northern Caribbean Islands. Irma made landfall as a category 4 hurricane in the Florida Keys and struck southwestern Florida at category 3 intensity. Irma caused widespread devastation across the affected areas and was one of the strongest and costliest hurricanes on record in the Atlantic basin. 1 Original report date 9 March 2018. Second version on 30 May 2018 updated casualty statistics for Florida, meteorological statistics for the Florida Keys, and corrected a typo. Third version on 30 June 2018 corrected the year of the last category 5 hurricane landfall in Cuba and corrected a typo in the Casualty and Damage Statistics section. This version corrects the maximum wind gust reported at St. Croix Airport (TISX). Hurricane Irma 2 Hurricane Irma 30 AUGUST–12 SEPTEMBER 2017 SYNOPTIC HISTORY Irma originated from a tropical wave that departed the west coast of Africa on 27 August. The wave was then producing a widespread area of deep convection, which became more concentrated near the northern portion of the wave axis on 28 and 29 August.
    [Show full text]
  • Ever Faithful
    Ever Faithful Ever Faithful Race, Loyalty, and the Ends of Empire in Spanish Cuba David Sartorius Duke University Press • Durham and London • 2013 © 2013 Duke University Press. All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper ∞ Tyeset in Minion Pro by Westchester Publishing Services. Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data Sartorius, David A. Ever faithful : race, loyalty, and the ends of empire in Spanish Cuba / David Sartorius. pages cm Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978- 0- 8223- 5579- 3 (cloth : alk. paper) ISBN 978- 0- 8223- 5593- 9 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Blacks— Race identity— Cuba—History—19th century. 2. Cuba— Race relations— History—19th century. 3. Spain— Colonies—America— Administration—History—19th century. I. Title. F1789.N3S27 2013 305.80097291—dc23 2013025534 contents Preface • vii A c k n o w l e d g m e n t s • xv Introduction A Faithful Account of Colonial Racial Politics • 1 one Belonging to an Empire • 21 Race and Rights two Suspicious Affi nities • 52 Loyal Subjectivity and the Paternalist Public three Th e Will to Freedom • 94 Spanish Allegiances in the Ten Years’ War four Publicizing Loyalty • 128 Race and the Post- Zanjón Public Sphere five “Long Live Spain! Death to Autonomy!” • 158 Liberalism and Slave Emancipation six Th e Price of Integrity • 187 Limited Loyalties in Revolution Conclusion Subject Citizens and the Tragedy of Loyalty • 217 Notes • 227 Bibliography • 271 Index • 305 preface To visit the Palace of the Captain General on Havana’s Plaza de Armas today is to witness the most prominent stone- and mortar monument to the endur- ing history of Spanish colonial rule in Cuba.
    [Show full text]
  • Venezuela Y La Contrarrevolución Cubana
    José Luis Méndez Méndez Venezuela y la contrarrevolución cubana Venezuela y la contrarrevolución cubana Venezuela y la contrarrevolución 1.a edición digital, Fundación Editorial El perro y la rana, 2020 cubana © José Luis Méndez Méndez © Fundación Editorial El perro y la rana Edición y corrección José Jenaro Rueda Diagramación Armando Rodríguez Diseño de portada Arturo Mariño Hecho el Depósito de Ley ISBN: 978-980-14-4682-8 Depósito legal: DC2020000342 Méndez Méndez, José Luis, Venezuela y la contrarrevolución cubana / José Luis Méndez Méndez; Caracas : Fundación Editorial El perro y la rana, 2020 450pág.; 14 por 21 centímetros ISBN: 978-980-14-4682-8 Depósito legal: DC2020000342 Ensayo (Historia) FGI 58.14 José Luis Méndez Méndez Venezuela y la contrarrevolución cubana Al heroico pueblo venezolano, por la lucha que redime para labrar un porvenir digno, seguro; por su tributo y ejemplo. A todas las víctimas del terrorismo anticubano. A mi amiga, la imprescindible intelectual y militante argentina Stella Calloni, por su huella, ejemplar estímulo y combativo prólogo. Prólogo Una vez más, el docente, investigador y escritor José Luis Méndez Méndez nos sorprende con un nuevo libro en su prolífica obra, iluminando los laberintos del terror imperial en Nuestra América, desnudando la verdadera matriz de este flagelo universal en tiempos donde un capitalismo salvaje y descarnado, en la degradación de su final, intenta avanzar en otro proyecto de recolonización de América Latina y el Caribe, que siempre consideró su “patio trasero”. Este libro, además, es un relato histórico imprescindible para conocer y entender la profunda raíz de la relación entre dos países hermanados en distintas épocas, como son Cuba y Venezuela.
    [Show full text]
  • Cuba: Issues for the 110Th Congress
    Order Code RL33819 Cuba: Issues for the 110th Congress Updated January 24, 2008 Mark P. Sullivan Specialist in Latin American Affairs Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division Cuba: Issues for the 110th Congress Summary Since the early 1960s, U.S. policy toward Cuba under Fidel Castro has consisted largely of isolating the communist nation through economic sanctions, which the Bush Administration has tightened significantly. A second policy component has consisted of support measures for the Cuban people, including private humanitarian donations and U.S.-sponsored radio and television broadcasting to Cuba. As in past years, the main issue for U.S. policy toward Cuba in the 110th Congress is how to best support political and economic change in one of the world’s remaining communist nations. Unlike past years, however, Congress is now examining policy toward Cuba in the context of Fidel Castro’s potentially permanent departure from the political scene because of health conditions. In the first session of the 110th Congress, Congress fully funded the Administration’s request for $45.7 million for Cuba democracy programs in the Consolidated Appropriations Act for FY2008 (P.L. 110-161). The act also provided $33.7 million for Radio and TV Marti broadcasting to Cuba, and added Cuba to the list of countries requiring a special notification to the Appropriations Committees for funds obligated under the act. The act did not include provisions easing restrictions on U.S. agricultural exports to Cuba that had been included in the House-passed and Senate-committee versions of H.R. 2829, the FY2008 Financial Services and General Government appropriations bill, and in the Senate-committee version of S.
    [Show full text]
  • Texas Hurricane History
    Texas Hurricane History David Roth National Weather Service Camp Springs, MD Table of Contents Preface 3 Climatology of Texas Tropical Cyclones 4 List of Texas Hurricanes 8 Tropical Cyclone Records in Texas 11 Hurricanes of the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries 12 Hurricanes of the Eighteenth and Early Nineteenth Centuries 13 Hurricanes of the Late Nineteenth Century 16 The First Indianola Hurricane - 1875 19 Last Indianola Hurricane (1886)- The Storm That Doomed Texas’ Major Port 22 The Great Galveston Hurricane (1900) 27 Hurricanes of the Early Twentieth Century 29 Corpus Christi’s Devastating Hurricane (1919) 35 San Antonio’s Great Flood – 1921 37 Hurricanes of the Late Twentieth Century 45 Hurricanes of the Early Twenty-First Century 65 Acknowledgments 71 Bibliography 72 Preface Every year, about one hundred tropical disturbances roam the open Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of Mexico. About fifteen of these become tropical depressions, areas of low pressure with closed wind patterns. Of the fifteen, ten become tropical storms, and six become hurricanes. Every five years, one of the hurricanes will become reach category five status, normally in the western Atlantic or western Caribbean. About every fifty years, one of these extremely intense hurricanes will strike the United States, with disastrous consequences. Texas has seen its share of hurricane activity over the many years it has been inhabited. Nearly five hundred years ago, unlucky Spanish explorers learned firsthand what storms along the coast of the Lone Star State were capable of. Despite these setbacks, Spaniards set down roots across Mexico and Texas and started colonies. Galleons filled with gold and other treasures sank to the bottom of the Gulf, off such locations as Padre and Galveston Islands.
    [Show full text]
  • The Effects of Hurricanes on Birds, with Special Reference to Caribbean Islands
    Bird Conservation International (1993) 3:319-349 The effects of hurricanes on birds, with special reference to Caribbean islands JAMES W. WILEY and JOSEPH M. WUNDERLE, JR. Summary Cyclonic storms, variously called typhoons, cyclones, or hurricanes (henceforth, hurricanes), are common in many parts of the world, where their frequent occurrence can have both direct and indirect effects on bird populations. Direct effects of hurricanes include mortality from exposure to hurricane winds, rains, and storm surges, and geo- graphic displacement of individuals by storm winds. Indirect effects become apparent in the storm's aftermath and include loss of food supplies or foraging substrates; loss of nests and nest or roost sites; increased vulnerability to predation; microclimate changes; and increased conflict with humans. The short-term response of bird populations to hurricane damage, before changes in plant succession, includes shifts in diet, foraging sites or habitats, and reproductive changes. Bird populations may show long-term responses to changes in plant succession as second-growth vegetation increases in storm- damaged old-growth forests. The greatest stress of a hurricane to most upland terrestrial bird populations occurs after its passage rather than during its impact. The most important effect of a hurricane is the destruction of vegetation, which secondarily affects wildlife in the storm's after- math. The most vulnerable terrestrial wildlife populations have a diet of nectar, fruit, or seeds; nest, roost, or forage on large old trees; require a closed forest canopy; have special microclimate requirements and/or live in a habitat in which vegetation has a slow recovery rate. Small populations with these traits are at greatest risk to hurricane-induced extinction, particularly if they exist in small isolated habitat fragments.
    [Show full text]
  • Cuba: Issues for the 111Th Congress
    Cuba: Issues for the 111th Congress Mark P. Sullivan Specialist in Latin American Affairs July 16, 2010 Congressional Research Service 7-5700 www.crs.gov R40193 CRS Report for Congress Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress Cuba: Issues for the 111th Congress Summary Cuba remains a hard-line communist state with a poor record on human rights. The country’s political succession from the long-ruling Fidel Castro to his brother Raúl was characterized by a remarkable degree of stability. Fidel stepped down from power in July 2006 because of health reasons, and Raúl assumed provisional control of the government until February 2008 when he officially became president. His government has implemented limited economic policy changes, but there has been disappointment that further reforms have not been forthcoming. The economy was hard hit by storms in 2008, and the global financial crisis caused further strains. Few observers expect the government to ease its tight control over the political system, although it did agree in July 2010 to release 52 political prisoners after talks with the Cuban Catholic Church. Since the early 1960s, U.S. policy has consisted largely of isolating Cuba through economic sanctions. A second policy component has consisted of support measures for the Cuban people, including private humanitarian donations, U.S.-sponsored broadcasting to Cuba, and support for human rights activists. In light of Fidel Castro’s departure as head of government, many observers have called for a re-examination of sanctions policy. In this new context, two broad approaches have been advanced: an approach that would maintain the dual-track policy of isolating the Cuban government while providing support to the Cuban people; and an approach aimed at changing attitudes in the Cuban government and society through increased engagement.
    [Show full text]
  • Hurricanes and Climate Change
    Special Report: Hurricanes and Climate Change Judith Curry Climate Forecast Applications Network Version 2 4 September 2019 Contact information: Judith Curry, President Climate Forecast Applications Network Reno, NV 89519 404 803 2012 [email protected] http://www.cfanclimate.net 1 Hurricanes and Climate Change Judith Curry Climate Forecast Applications Network Executive summary . 4 1. Introduction . 5 2. Hurricane terminology, structure and mechanisms . 6 2.1 Hurricane processes 2.2 Factors contributing to landfall impacts 2.2.1 Wind damage 2.2.2 Storm surge 2.2.3 Rainfall 3. Historical variability and trends . 12 3.1 Global 3.2 Atlantic 3.3 Pacific 3.4 Conclusions 4. Detection and attribution . 26 4.1 Detection 4.2 Sources of variability and change 4.3 Natural multi-decadal climate modes 4.4 Attribution – models 4.5 Attribution – physical understanding 4.6 Conclusions 5. Landfalling hurricanes . 43 5.1 Continental U.S. 5.2 Caribbean 5.3 Global 5.4 Water – rainfall and storm surge 5.5 Hurricane size 5.6 Damage and losses 5.7 Conclusions 6. Attribution: recent U.S. landfalling hurricanes . 58 6.1 Detection and attribution of extreme weather events 6.2 Sandy 6.3 Harvey 6.4 Irma 6.5 Florence 6.6 Michael 6.7. Conclusions 2 7. 21st century projections . 66 7.1 Climate model projections 7.2 2100 – manmade climate change 7.3 2050 – decadal variability 7.3 Landfall impacts 8. Conclusions . 78 References . 80 3 Executive summary This Report assesses the scientific basis for projections of future hurricane activity. The Report evaluates the assessments and projections from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and recent national assessments regarding hurricanes.
    [Show full text]