Economic scarcity is one of the reasons Cubans are taking part in unprecedented protests. But shortages and waiting in long lines are nothing new to Cuba. They’ve occurred in fits and starts since the island’s main financial backer, the Soviet Union, collapsed. But the dire economic situation in Cuba today is being made more acute because of the pandemic. Marco Werman speaks with Arturo Lopez-Levy, a Cuban who teaches politics and international relations at Holy Names University in Oakland, California. He’s the author of “Raul Castro and the New Cuba: A Close-Up View of Change.”
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