President Barack Obama’s December 17 announcement that he would begin normalizing relations with Cuba sparked hot debate on both sides of the Florida Strait. It also began a political process that won’t end until a highly fractious Congress can agree on new legislation, not likely to happen any time soon. Among other obstacles is the long-questioned human rights record of the Castro regime. Independent watchdog organization Freedom House says Cuba falls just shy of its “worst of the worst list” for denying its citizens political rights and civil liberties.
The two main presidential candidates in Chile were once childhood friends. Their fathers were both generals in the Air Force. But some Chileans believe one of the men was implicated in the torture and death of the other after the 1973 military coup that brought Augusto Pinochet to power.
The blogger/journalist Yoani Sanchez, a leading dissident voice in Cuba and one of the most influential people in the world, according to Time Magazine, is on her first worldwide tour. Sanchez finally received her passport in January, after the Cuban government rejected her application 20 times. At the age of 37, Sanchez is the voice of a younger generation […]